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• Outdated as ‘biological roles’ deterministic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• Outdated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 does economic base mean?

The forces of production that