Sociology: Families

Criticisms of Young and Wilmott: Oakley (1974)

• Criticised the march of progress view

• Interviewed husbands who on average helped out about once a week

• Men’s helping was more related to playing than necessities

Identify the 2 functions of the family according to Parsons

• Stabilisation of adult personalities

• Socialisation of children

Outline Young and Wilmott

• Family roles have changed significantly

• Men now aid in childcare

• Egalitarian families and joint conjugal roles

• March of progress view is taken

Outline Engels view of family function

Nuclear family designed to ensure fathers can identify which children are theirs in order to pass on property and therefore helps maintain capitalism by keeping wealth from the community.

Outline Zaretsky’s view of the family function -2 details

• Cushioning effect, like Parsons’ warm bath theory. Men are entitled to be in charge of the family, reducing the loss of control felt at work

• Families targeted by ‘pester power’ and ‘keeping up with the Jones’’. Leads to generational profits.

Name 6 types of family

• Nuclear

• Beanpole

• Extended

• Symmetrical

• Same sex

• Reconstituted

Outline 3 criticisms of Parsons

• Outdated as ‘biological roles’ deterministic

• Downplays conflict within family (domestic violence etc)

• Ignores family diversity

Outline Murdock’s 4 functions of the family

• Sexual- ensures adult relationships are stable etc

• Reproduction- biological reproduction of next generation

• Socialisation- socialising the young into society

• Economic- meeting ‘members’ economic needs, pooling money

Outline 2 criticisms of Murdock

• Some roles identified are now outsourced

• Outdated

Outline Althusser

Families socialise children into believing in the state capitalist ideology, continuing the cycle of oppression.

What was Parson’s theory about the family function?

Acted as a ‘warm bath’, relaxing workers from stresses and absorbing these stresses.

Give 3 ways childhoods are considered ‘toxic’?

• Unhealthy/junk foods

• Technology

• Lack of parental involvement

Outline Postman

Viewed childhood as disappearing.

Give 5 policies that impacted the family

• Civil Partnerships

• Gay Marriage Act

• Sex Discrimination Act

• Equal Pay Act

• Paternity Leave

Define triple shift

Women expected to complete 3 burdens:

• Emotional support

• Paid work

• Domestic labour

Define matrifocal

A family led by the mother.

What is the New Rights view on modern families?

That the family is disintegrating which is leading to societal collapse.

Give the birth trend since the 1900’s?

Decline.

Give 3 possible reasons divorce rates are increasing?

• Secularisation leading to less stigma

• Rising expectations for love marriage etc

• Changing role of women.

Define a social norm

Unwritten rule of behaviour.

Define the expressive role

The supportive/caring role

Outline Sue Palmer

Viewed childhoods as toxic due to factors such as technology, diet and parental involvement.

Explain the term ‘dark side of the family’

Abuse and violence in the family.

Define ‘neo-conventional families’

Dual earning traditional family.

Give 3 reasons for increased rates of cohabitation

• Secularisation

• Less social stigma

• Women’s financial independence

Outline the postmodernist view of the family

Families are created to suit the needs of the time.

Define Joint Conjugal roles

Partners share domestic labour and leisure.

Define ‘child centred society’

Society and families focus on child raising etc.

Outline Beck

That we live in a ‘risk society’ where tradition has less influence after a fall in patriarchal family models leading to increase in negotiated families.

Define Beck’s ‘risk society’

Choice involves calculation of risk/reward of decisions.

Define negotiated families

Families reformed outside of patriarchally instilled roles, with greater individuality, adapted to individual needs.

Why have negotiated families lead to greater diversity?

People have greater freedom to leave, leading to many diverse family types.

Give 3 reasons for the changing position of children

• Introduction of compulsory school

• Child protection legislation

• Declining family size

What is a ‘pure’ relationship?

One held together by choice or love, not tradition/social norms.

What is ‘age patriarchy’?

Adults control over children.

What is Opie’s criticism of Postman?

Childhoods are not disappearing but changing.

Outline Aries

Studied historical childhoods to suggest childhood in the past did not exist.

Define ‘information hierarchy’

The division between literate adults and illiterate children.

Outline the 2 ways Volger identified for financial control within the family

• Pooling

• Allowance

What is the dependency ratio?

Ratio of working people to nonworking people (dependents)

Define ‘fictive kin’

Those not related that are treated as family, i.e., friends.

Outline Dobash and Dobash

Domestic violence is caused by the patriarchy and male need to assert control over women.

Define dual burden

Women having two different roles:

• Domestic labour

• Emotional support

How do Postmodernists view rising divorce rates?

People having more choice over their lives.

Define the instrumental role

Breadwinner and disciplinarian.

What were Parsons’ 2 roles?

Instrumental and expressive

Give 3 reasons for declining birth rates

• Changing role of women

• Contraception

• Decline in infant mortality rates

Give the 2 ways Marxists argue that the family support capitalism

• Inheritance of wealth/property

• Providing next generation of workers

Define Parsons ‘functional fit’?

Families altering structure to fit the needs of society.

Give 4 ways Postman suggested childhood is disappearing

• Information hierarchy

• Crime

• Sexualisation

• Blurring of responsibilities

Define confluent love

Relationships only lasting as long as convenient and meeting expectations.

Give 3 reasons domestic violence is underreported

• Fear

• Not realising it is domestic violence

• Belief they deserve it

Prior to the divorce reform act what were 3 reasons a woman could give in order to apply for divorce?

• Abuse

• Abandonment

• Adultery

Define ‘cereal packet’ families

Ideal nuclear family type seen in media, usually 2 parents and 2 kids.

Give 3 reasons for the aging population

• Better health care

• Legislation for work safety

• Better living standards

Outline Murdock’s view of the nuclear family

It was universal.

Define dependency culture

The population becoming reliant on the government for benefits.

Outline May’s criticism of Beck’s individualisation thesis

Based on white middle class male view of identity.

Outline Beck’s individualisation thesis

Postmodernism- we are all able choose family based on our needs and wants.

Outline Conservative policies on family (1980-1990?)

Mainly focused on supporting the nuclear family and reducing welfare.

Give 2 examples of Conservative policies

• Married Men’s Tax Allowance

• Section 28- prohibited discussion of homosexuality or ‘endorsement’ in schools or libraries

Outline New Labour policies (1997-2010)

Favoured dual earning heterosexual families but did offer some support to alternatives.

Give 3 examples of New Labour policies

• Longer maternity leave

• Civil partnerships

• Working families tax credit

Outline Stacey’s view of family diversity

Positive as it allows women to break from gender roles.

Outline Chester’s Neo-conventional view

Neo-conventional family types are more common. Statistics are misleading about family diversity.

Outline Murphy’s view on cohabitation

Children of cohabited parents are disadvantaged.

Outline Green’s view on free time

Women view free time as when they are away from family and work, men as when they are away from work.