families and the economy

Marxists

family has evolved to maintain capitalism

nuclear families evolved to reproduce and support an obedient workforce

functionalists

families have changed shape and role in society to do with the economy

Parsons

industrialisation and family

due to ‘organic analogy’ there is a change in institutions such as he family change to support this

-pre-industrial society was extended however when people started to move towns for work they became smaller nuclear ones

Parsons evaluation

-historical records don’t match these ideas, there were nuclear families before + extended families after.

Willmott and young

‘march of progress’

1) pre-industrial family=unit of economic production

2)early industrial family - home + work separated (rad gender roles)

3) symmetrical family - joint conjugal roles, family as a ‘unit of consumption’

4) asymmetrical family - family spending time apart, men out of home

-they said this happens as a process of ‘stratified diffusion’ (due to work + childcare cost of living means couples have seperate lifestyles.

willmott and young eval

theory presumes all people live in nuclear families + that they are the best

families and the economy since 1960s

-more technology

-women entering workplace

-greater equality of opportunity

-more disposable income for families + products to purchase.

Evaluate the view that economic changes have led to change in family life (20 marks)

1) what is economy - marxism + families maintaining capatalism

2)parsons -

3)Willmott and young - ‘march of progress’

4) family has changed since 1960s