families - theories of the family

functionalist perspective

• society based on value consensus

• family is a sub system that society depends on

• murdock: family meets four needs:

• stable satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner

• reproduction of the next generation

• socialisation of the young into shared norms and values

• netting its members economic needs such as good and shelter

criticisms of murdock

• marxists and feminists reject rose tinted harmonious consensus view that family meets needs of wider society and members of family

• functionalism neglects conflict and exploitation

• feminists see family as serving needs of men and oppressing women

• marxists argue it meets needs of capitalism not family members

parsons functional fit theory

• functions the family performs depends on kind of society it is found

• denton’s performed affect its shape

• the nuclear family of parents and dependent children

• the extended family of three generations lining under one roof

• particular structure and functions of given family will fit needs of the society in which it is found

• two types of society- modern industrial society and traditional pre-industrial society

• nuclear family fits needs of industrial society and dominant family type

• extended family fits needs to pre industrial society

• when britain began to industrialise the extended family gave way to nuclear

• industrial society has two needs:

geographically mobile workforce

• industries spring up and decline in different parts of country, requires people to move

• easier for nuclear family to move - better fitted to need modern industry has for geographically mobile workforce

a socially mobile workforce

• essential talented people able to win promotion and take most important jobs

• status achieved by own efforts not ascribed by family background making social mobility possible

loss of functions

• pre industrial family was unit of production - family members worked together. unit of consumption- feeding and clothing members

• parsons: when society industrialises structure changes to nuclear and family loses many of its functions

• ceases to be unit of production and becomes u it of consumption only

• loses functions to other institutions such as school

• performs two essential functions:

• primary socialisation of children

• stabilisation of adult personalities

marxist perspective

• all society’s institutions help maintain class inequality and capitalism

• functions of family performed purely for benefit of capitalist system

inheritance of property

• key factor determining shape of all social institutions is mode of production - capitalist class ownership and controls means of production

• marx called earliest classless society primitive communism - all members owned means of production communally

• no family instead what engels calls the promiscuous horde in which there were no restrictions on sexual relationships

• private property

• along with increases wealth came development of private property which brought about the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family

• engels: monogamy became essential due to inheritance of private property

• rise of monogamous nuclear family represented a world historical defeat of the female sex - under male control

• only with overthrow of capitalism and private ownership will women achieve liberation

ideological functions

• justify inequality and maintain capitalist system by persuading people to accept as fair and unchangeable

• socialising children into idea hierarchy and inequality is inevitable - parental power over children

• zaretsky: offers a haven prim harsh and exploitative work of capitalism outside in which workers can be themselves

• largely an illusion- family cannot meet its memebers needs

a unit of consumption

• family generates profits for capitalists

• advertisers urge families to ‘keep up with the joneses’ by consoling latest products

• media targets children who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to spend more

• children who lack latest clothes/gadgets are stigmatised by peers

criticisms of marxist perspective

• assumes nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society

• feminists argue marxist emphasis on class on class underestimates importance of gender inequalities

• functionalists argue marxists ignore benefits family provides for its members

liberal feminism

• campaigning against sex discrimination and equal rights and opportunity

• women’s oppression being gradually overcome through changing attitudes and changes in law such as sex discrimination act

• gradual progress in family towards gender equality

• men do more domestic labour and way parents socialise sons and daughters more similar

• other feminists criticise liberal feminists for failing to challenge underlying causes of women’s oppression

marxist feminism

• main cause of women’s oppression is capitalism

• women reproduce labour force through unpaid domestic labour, by socialising the next generation of workers

• women absorb anger that will otherwise be directed at capitalism. ansley describes wives as takers of shit who soak up frustration of husbands because of alienation and exploitation they suffer at work

• women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be taken on when extra workers are needed

• the family must be abolished at the same time as socialist revolution

radical feminism

• all societies have been founded on feminism

• men are the enemy source of women’s oppression and exploitation

• the family and marriage are the key institutions in patriarchal society - men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services and dominate women through domestic and sexual violence

• family needs to be overturned

• achieved through separatism- women must organise themselves to live independently of men

• political lesbianism- heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive as involve sleeping with the enemy

• greer: creation of all female households as alternative to heterosexual family

• criticism

• somerville: radical feminist fail to recognise that women’s position has improved - access to divorce, better job opportunities, control over fertility and choice to marry or cohabit. heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely separatism will work

difference feminism

• we cannot generalise about women’s experiences - lesbian and heterosexual women, white and black women have very different have very different experiences of family

• by regarding family purely negatively white feminists neglect black womens experience of racial oppression - black feminists view black family positively as source of support

personal life perspective

• other perspectives assume nuclear family is dominant and ignores increased diversity

• other perspectives are all structural theories that assume families are passive puppets manipulated by structure of society

• have some choice in creating our family relationships

beyond ties of blood and marriage

• wider view of relationships than blood or marriage ties

• by focusing on people’s meanings the personal life perspective draws attention to range of other personal relationships that are important to people even if not conventional family

• friends, fictive kin, gay and lesbian chosen family, relationships with dead relatives

donor conceived children

• nordqvist and smart : issue of blood and genes raises range of feelings . some parents emphasise importance of social relationships over genetic ones

personal life perspective evaluation

• by including a wide range of different kinds of personal relationships we ignore what is special about relationships based on blood or marriage