Mind map
Families & Households
Map content
Families & Households
Sociological Perspectives
- Functionalism
- Organic analogy
- Murdock (1949)
- Sexual
- Reproductive
- Economic
- Educational
- Parsons (1959/65)
- Primary socialisation
- Stabilisation of adult personalities
- Criticisms
- based on stereotypical nuclear family
- ignores negative aspects the family can bring
- eg, child abuse or neglect
- some parents fail to socialise children effectively
- consensus
- Marxism
- Karl Marx (1818-83)
- power in society stemmed from wealth
- bourgeoise
- proletariat
- power in society stemmed from wealth
- only way to create an equal society is to abolish capitalism and establish communism
- conflict
- Zaretsky (1976)
- An economic tool
- family prepares children for life in a capitalist society, learn that someone must always be in charge
- family offers 'haven' from capitalist system, workers can use family to escape and be themelves
- An ideological tool
- family is a prop to the capitalist system
- unpaid domestic labour of housewives supports future generations
- An economic tool
- Karl Marx (1818-83)
- Feminism
- family is partiarchal
- women are exploited as unpaid domestic workers
- low expectations of female capabilities outside home
- male dominance
- socialisation of girls into typically feminine roles
- domestic abuse
- New Right
- Charles Murray
- associated with conservative government
- 4 main points
- individual freedom
- reduced spending by state
- defence of the free market
- traditional institutions and values
- Postmodernism
- stresses chaos and uncertainty of society
- social structures like family or social class are breaking down
- nonsense to talk of an institution like the family
- society is randomly changing
- can't be explained
- society is a mass of individuals making individual life choices
- stresses chaos and uncertainty of society
- Functionalism
Roles & Relationships
- Parsons (1955)
- The wife has an expressive role
- primary socialisation of children
- homemaker
- meeting emotional needs of the family
- The husband has an instrumental role
- achieving success at work
- financial support
- breadwinner
- Reasons for roles
- biology/nature
- beneficial to men, women and wider society
- The wife has an expressive role
- Young & Wilmott (1962)
- Criticise Parsons
- 'March of progress'
- Family life is gradually improving and becoming more equal and democratic - long and ongoing trend away from traditional roles
- Feminists
- Don't believe the division of labour is natural or biological (nurture)
- Only benefits men
- Don't believe the division of labour is natural or biological (nurture)
- Conjugal roles (Elizabeth Bott 1957)
- Joint conjugal roles
- The couple share tasks such as housework & childcare
- Spend leisure time together
- Disputes Parsons
- Segregated conjugal roles
- Supports Parsons
- Separate roles within a marriage
- Leisure time apart
- Male breadwinner, female homemaker
- Joint conjugal roles
- Symmetrical family
- Women now go out to work
- Men help out with children & housework
- Couples now spend leisure time together
- Parsons (1955)