all of families and households

smart

• life project: friends, fictive kin and families of choice
• connectedness thesis
• five core concepts of personal life

smart - life project: friends, fictive kin and families of choice

personal life is an ongoing process of ever developing and ever-changing relationships

fictive kin

members of our personal social network that have no biological links

families of choice

individuals today form social units with their personal preferences rather than conforming to traditions

smart - connectedness thesis

the idea that the most important feature in our personal lives and families is how strong our emotional connections are to our loved ones

smart - five core concepts of personal life

• memory
• biography
• embeddedness
• relationality
• imaginary

smart - memory

the strength of personal relationships is based on past experiences dating back to childhood

smart - biography

personal relationships constantly develop, evolve and change over an individual's life

smart - embeddedness

the strong pull of personal life that prevents individuals from cutting ties with families and loved ones

smart - relationality

our life is embedded in a network of relationships

smart - imaginary

much of what we think of as our personal lives, the experiences, emotions and relationships, mainly exists in our minds

gabb

• intimacy and power relations
• pet-human relationships

gabb - intimacy and power relations

a part of what builds intimacy is just doing ordinary everyday activities. it can lead to inter-generational power struggles i.e. children vs adults

gabb - pet-human relationships (companion species)

animals that are also central to personal lives and are treated as members of the family

nordqvist and smart - donor-conceived children

children that are not entirely biologically linked to a parent(s) but are considered a legitimate and loved family member

Criticisms of the PLP

• giddens argues that the approach over-emphasises connectedness and embeddedness and claims that late modern society is now allowing for far more choice, individualisation and disembeddedness
• approach is too broad, involving wider social circles like work colleagues. the unique nature of family is lost in the broad analysis
• fails to use macro theories of patriarchy and role of capitalism which show the structural factors that affect the roles, power, structure and decision making of families

liberal feminism, somerville

• gender equality
• principled pragmatism

liberal feminism, somerville - gender equality

families are unequal as they are a feature of patriarchy. the inequality stems from culture, this is solved through bringing these issues in public debates - gender mainstreaming

liberal feminism, somerville - principled pragmatism

a liberal feminist approach that believes in achieving equal but workable relationships with women and men

marxist feminism, benston

• female unpaid domestic labour
• reproduction of labour
• women as a reserve army of labour

marxist feminism, benston - female unpaid domestic labour

marxist feminist description of how female domestic work is a form of exploitation

marxist feminism, benston - reproduction of labour

women are used to make children which are intended to become consumers and workers by the patriarchy

marxist feminism, benston - women as a reserve army of labour

women providing a possible source of workers for industry, to be used as/when needed

marxist feminism, ansley - female absorption of male anger

women are the takers of shit. the role of working class women to deal with the alienation/angst of their male partners

radical feminism

argues that there can NEVER be equal relations between men and women within families

radical feminism, greer

women in families as wives, mothers and daughters

radical feminism, greer - women in families as wives, mothers and daughters

women as wives are decor for men (trophy wife), as mothers they're undervalued/under-appreciated and as daughters they are valued through sexualisation

radical feminism, delphy and leonard - unequal labour relations in the family

families exploit women with more domestic work being done by women than men

difference feminism

a feminist perspective which dismisses the other approaches for assuming ALL families to be traditional and nuclear

difference feminism, nicholson - myth of the traditional nuclear family

alternative families. there are a range of different family types including single parent families and gay and lesbian families or even matrilocal families (black caribbean).

criticisms of liberal feminism and the family

• radical feminists argue that this approach fails to recognise that male domination within family/relationships can't be legislated away
• more equal rights for woman have only caused masculinist backlash. dobash and dobash study - female challenges to male power are the main reasons for domestic violence.

criticisms of radical feminism

• fails to recognise the progress women have made. e.g reproductive rights
• gender segregation and political lesbianism aren't achievable when most women CHOOSE to be heterosexual.

criticisms of marxist feminism

• focuses on working class families and capitalism while ignoring the challenges of ethnic minority women, middle class women and gay women
• focuses too much on the traditional working class family (male as breadwinner)

criticisms of difference feminism

• african-caribbean matrilocal families still often experience poverty
• regardless of class, ethnicity, age, women are more likely to be victims of domestic abuse than men and, on average, they're paid less than men

engels

• primitive communism
• inheritance of property
• loss of human species essence

engels - primitive communism

hunter-gatherer societies that didn't have small family units and no concept of private property

engels - inheritance of property

the bourgeois practice of land and other assets being handed by the owner to the eldest son

engels - loss of human species essence

primitive communism has been lost. private property and monogamous family has only been constructed to solve inheritance

engels - monogamous nuclear family

the family unit that's become the norm in private property-based societies

engels - promiscuous horde

pre-modern human communities with no concept of marriage, fidelity or sexual restraint

zaretksy - family creates an illusion of security

family is made to appear as cosy and safe from work. it is an ideological construct, it isn't as appealing as it is but you're made to feel positive towards it.

hochschild

• commodification of family services
• emotional labour
• alienation

hochschild - commodification of family services

the process of turning goods and services into consumer products by capitalism

hochschild - emotional labour

family activities which are supposed to entail personal, loving involvement

hochschild - alienation

a sense of estrangement from work, from family activities and even from one's own self

marcuse - family as a unit of consumption

families are targeted by capitalism as consumers of goods and services

(criticism) primitive communism may not be as positive as engels believes

others argue that primitive human life was violent and brutal with perilous challenges

(criticism) hochschild

doesn't recognise the role of personal services that reduce relations and emotional support they provide

murdock

universal family, four functions of the family

murdock - universal family

the social unit which is believed to have become the norm throughout the modern world

murdock - four functions of the family

economic, educational, sexual, reproductive

economic role

families provide the financial support to ensure food, clothing and shelter

educational role

families ensuring children learn the culture of society from their parents

sexual role

families are the ideal place for stable and secure sexual interaction between adults

reproductive role

families provide a secure environment in which to have children

parsons

• functional fit theory
• isolated nuclear family
• structural differentiation
• two irreducible functions of the family
• instrumental and expressive roles
• warm bath theory

parsons - functional fit theory

the idea that the extended-family suited the pre-industrial age, and the nuclear family suits the industrial age

parsons - isolated nuclear family

nuclear family but smaller .. ?

parsons - structural differentiation

functions of the family gradually being re-allocated to specialist professional organisations

parsons - two irreducible functions of the family

primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities

primary socialisation

children learning the norms, values, customs of society within the family/household

stabilisation of adult personalities

families ensuring that men and women behave in a responsible way due to their commitment to each other and to their children

parsons - instrumental role

the responsibility for providing the family's material needs, usually adopted by the man

parsons - expressive role

the responsibility for providing the family's emotional needs, usually adopted by the woman

parsons - warm bath theory

families relieve the stress and strain of work and provide emotional support

murray

• perverse incentives
• absent fathers
• underclass
• dependency culture

murray - perverse incentives

the welfare state discourages hard work and self-reliance and encourages single parent families and unemployment

murray - absent fathers

the underclass typically lack fathers, meaning they lack a male role model which could cause dysfunctional children due to lack of socialisation

murray - underclass

the poorest families that are long-term unemployed and live on benefits

murray - dependency culture

families becoming used to living on state-provided housing and benefits

(criticism) socialisation of children is adultist

it assumes children to be passive recipients of the norms and values that are passed down by parents, therefore it denies children free will

(criticism) warm bath theory ignores the dark side of the family

the dark side of the family is ignored and not explained, e.g. violent/sexual/emotional abuse

(criticism) constructed masculinity isn't examined

males can carry out the expressive role. family may not stabilise their personalitie - functionalists assume males to be prone to promiscuity and irresponsibility

(criticism) flaws in the assumption that single parenthood is bad for children

removing an abusive and irresponsible second parent may be better for the children

(criticism) flaws in the assumption that children need male role models

not all males are ideal role models, so it may not be necessary to have a male role model

(criticism) welfare state may be generous but it isn't sufficient

many that live on welfare experience poverty and have to go to food banks as benefits cannot cover costs

(criticism) undermines the functionality of families of choice

other families of choice can work well for all it's members, such as gay and lesbian families

(criticism) flaws in the assumption that the nuclear family is ideal

many women experience disappointment in marriage / in the nuclear family

postman - disappearance of childhood

literacy had kept the adult and child worlds separate, but television has now broken that barrier. children are now able to access the printed world which used to be limited to adults.

postman - information hierarchy

the literacy gap had meant children couldn't access material that adults could.

palmer - toxic childhood

childhood is now damaged by behaviour problems, eating disorders, stress and mental health problems. children are growing up in an electronic village - spending more time in a cyberspace than in the real world. they lack play, have issues with sleep etc.

gittins (child liberationist) - age patriarchy

similar to patriarchy, but it's where adults assert power over children

hockey and james - acting up and acting down

children will sometimes mimic adult behaviour (acting up) but sometimes act in an overly childish manner (acting down).

late modernity in relation to childhood

adult relationships have become unstable with divorce. due to this instability, relationships with children are more valued as they can't be detached from the parents.

jenks - dionysian image

adults used to have an image of children as potentially badly behaved and troublesome

jenks - apollonian image

adults now have an image of children as special, innocent and vulnerable.

jenks - futurity

raising children is now focused on the position they'll achieve in adulthood. futurity parents invest more into their children's futures

mayall - adultism

adults assuming they understand children better than children themselves

mayall - present tense of childhood

argues that we should be studying childhood from the perspective of children

childhood inequalities

gender, ethnic, material

gender inequalities

boys often have more freedom while girls are often very protected and kept indoors (bedroom culture). boys are more susceptible to violence, girls to abuse

ethnic inequalities

childhood experiences can vary enormously depending on the religion, identity and traditions of the family,

(ethnic inequalities) travelling families

nomads are the lowest achieving in education, they have poor attendance

(ethnic inequalities) black caribbean families

perform worse in education, they are raised in matrilocal households, little time with fathers

(ethnic inequalities) asian families

more traditional, strong family networks, very strict, expectations, high achieving

material inequality

while many children grow up in very privileged families, 1 in 4 live in poverty. poor children are 2x more likely to have skin and respiratory disorders. 1 in 5 families report skipping meals.

marxism and feminism in relation to childhood

statistics on children are a dark figure. when children are able to share the truth they struggle as they're conditioned to not say anything. neglect is the most reported abuse, feminists are saying girls are being overly controlled as a result of patriarchy (bedroom culture)

criticism of palmer, toxic childhood

toxic childhood is only the result of greater awareness. e.g child abuse was previously ignored and there was little knowledge of diet and health etc. children are better protected now than ever

criticism of postman, disappearance of childhood

we can argue that children should be able to access adult debates about politics, sex, crime etc. denying them this infantilises them and prevents them being fully informed on issues i.e. climate change. (can mention the argument for reducing voting age to 16 in the UK so that youngsters have a say in their political issues)

criticism of mayall and gittins, adultism and age patriarchy

most adults control of children is due to a desire to protect and nurture them, rather than bully and control them.