FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS:
THEORIES OF THE FAMILY:
FUNCTIONALISM;
- The family plays an important role in creating value consensus
- It is central to the process of integrating individuals into society, so that society
functions positively - this is important in developing social solidarity
- Family is positive for both individuals and wider society
MURDOCK (universal nature of the family)
- He compared research on a range of 250 societies
- Argued that the family is an important institution, playing vital functions in maintaining
society
- Suggested that all families have 4 functions; economic cooperation, reproduction,
socialisation, and socially approved sexual relationships
- Concluded that the nuclear family is universal, as it is found in some form in every
society
- However, he acknowledged that in many societies, family units included other kin e.g.
extended families…
A02:
- The four functions mentioned are bene cial for individuals and society..
- For society = being able to provide means the welfare state do not need to get
involved, reproduction maintains and allows society to grow further, socialisation allows
for integration and communication, and good sexual relationships means families don’t
break and remain to be the heterosexual nuclear norm
- For individuals = being able to provide allows for he purchase of necessities needed for
survival, reproduction creates happiness within families, socialisation allows integration
and communication, and good sexual relationships means for a stable and faithful
partnership
A03:
- Murdock is inaccurate to say that the nuclear family is universal;
• Postmodernists would argue that this is outdated as it doesn’t include family diversity
• Personal life perspective would argue that it ignored any ctive kin
- He ignores the dysfunctions in families and looks through rose tinted glasses e.g.
abuse
Parsons (two functions of family)
- Focused on the structure and functions of the family in modern industrial societies
- He argued that in pre-industrial societies, the family carries out a variety of functions
e.g.in tribal societies, the extended family will; hunt, farm, educate children, look after
members who are sick or elderly etc..
- But, as societies industrialise, specialised institutions develop to perform functions
which were formerly carried out by families e.g. schools take over education of
children, supermarkets provide food and other products needed, welfare state looks
after those in need etc..
- So, the family goes from a unit of production to a unit of consumption
- Argues that in industrial societies, the nuclear family only has 2 essential functions to
perform - primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities
fi fi
, - Primary socialisation = ages 0-3, where parents teach children to internalise the norms
and values of society
- Stabilisation of adult personalities = the family is used as a source of comfort and
support (safety net), which is achieved through the gendered division of labour (men =
instrumental role, women = expressive role) - men will think about work, money and
bills, while women will think about cooking, cleaning and caring, and so they
compliment each other as they are opposites
- Parsons argues that the nuclear family are an ideal t with the needs of industrial
society because of; geographical mobility and social mobility
- Geographical mobility = workers need to be able to move to wherever jobs are
available, and nuclear families are not tied down by obligations or by the dependency
of extended family, so can move from place to place
- Social mobility = adult children move away from the family home to establish their own
independent lives, which is important as it avoids potential problems arising as a result
of the di erent occupation, incomes and statuses of extended family members
A03:
- Is the family like a warm bath? No because;
• There are dysfunctions e.g. abuse (1/4 of women experience this), honour based
killings, forced marriages etc..
• Feminists — gender division in family is patriarchal, so isn’t a good environment for
women to live in
- Are the roles in the family natural? No because;
• It is based on nurture — what we are socialised into believing, so is socially constructed
e.g. canalisation, verbal appellation
• Cross-cultural studies show a variation in the roles of men and women in the family
• Postmodernists — out of date as it ignored the rise in the symmetrical family — not a
re ection of contemporary society anymore
NEW RIGHT;
Murray
- Highlights the negative e ects caused to individuals and society by the breakdown of
the traditional nuclear family
- They want a return to the golden age of traditional family life and values e.g. marriage
before children, fathers taking economic responsibility for their wives and children
through paid employment, and women focusing on their traditional role rather than
careers
A02:
- Evidence of a breakdown in family;
• Divorce rates increased
• Rise in single parents families, so absent fathers increased
• More women in careers
• High rates of crime and deviance (due to unstable family)
- Murray argues that an underclass has emerged, which are made up of the poorest
people at the bottom of society who are dependent on welfare bene ts than work
- He blames this on governments who have rewarded irresponsible behaviour by giving
over-generous welfare bene ts
fl ff ff fi fi fi
, - This has led to a culture of dependency - a set of values leading people to rely on
handouts from the state, rather than providing for themselves and their children
- Argued that matrifocal lone-parent families form a signi cant section of this underclass,
and that boys are likely to underachieve at school and turn to crime
A03:
- New Right fails to consider other factors of family breakdowns including;
abuse within families, in delity, poverty, natural causes (widows), and falling out of love
A03:
- Similarities between New Right and Functionalism = favours nuclear family for social
stability, good socialisation within nuclear family, and have traditional views on gender
roles
- Di erences between New Right and Functionalism = NR o ers solutions (jobs instead
of bene ts), and NR recognises the breakdown of the nuclear family
MARXISM;
Engels (origins of family and private property)
- The family has developed in an evolutionary way; in the earliest societies there was no
restrictions on sexual behaviour, women held power, and as humans learnt to herd
animals, men took control of the livestock and so became the rst property owners…
but now, as societies develop, more restrictions were placed on sexuality (polygamy to
monogamy)
- Engles linked the evolution of monogamy with the development of private property
and capitalism
- Private property in most societies were held by males and passed down to their male
heirs
- Monogamy ensured that children born were the legitimate heirs of the father and
avoided the complications associated with polygamy (about which wife’s children
should inherit)
- With the rise on monogamy, women’s role was to provide their husbands with heirs and
raise those children to adulthood
- Engles proposed that children be raised communally, so society would be one big,
harmonious family, rather than fractured into a competitive family unit
A02:
- How does the family bene t the bourgeoisie and capitalism?
• Wealth remains in the family
• Maintains private ownership, property and possessions stay within the family
A03:
- This is only relevant to the bourgeoisie
- Makes the assumption that everyone leaves their wealth to their families (some leaves it
to charity etc..)
- Makes the assumption that all families have the ability to reproduce, so is very closed-
minded
Zaretsky (capitalism, the family, and personal life)
- 2 functions of family = ideological role and unit of consumption
- Emphasises the ideological role of the family sustains capitalism
ff
fi fi fi fi ff fi
THEORIES OF THE FAMILY:
FUNCTIONALISM;
- The family plays an important role in creating value consensus
- It is central to the process of integrating individuals into society, so that society
functions positively - this is important in developing social solidarity
- Family is positive for both individuals and wider society
MURDOCK (universal nature of the family)
- He compared research on a range of 250 societies
- Argued that the family is an important institution, playing vital functions in maintaining
society
- Suggested that all families have 4 functions; economic cooperation, reproduction,
socialisation, and socially approved sexual relationships
- Concluded that the nuclear family is universal, as it is found in some form in every
society
- However, he acknowledged that in many societies, family units included other kin e.g.
extended families…
A02:
- The four functions mentioned are bene cial for individuals and society..
- For society = being able to provide means the welfare state do not need to get
involved, reproduction maintains and allows society to grow further, socialisation allows
for integration and communication, and good sexual relationships means families don’t
break and remain to be the heterosexual nuclear norm
- For individuals = being able to provide allows for he purchase of necessities needed for
survival, reproduction creates happiness within families, socialisation allows integration
and communication, and good sexual relationships means for a stable and faithful
partnership
A03:
- Murdock is inaccurate to say that the nuclear family is universal;
• Postmodernists would argue that this is outdated as it doesn’t include family diversity
• Personal life perspective would argue that it ignored any ctive kin
- He ignores the dysfunctions in families and looks through rose tinted glasses e.g.
abuse
Parsons (two functions of family)
- Focused on the structure and functions of the family in modern industrial societies
- He argued that in pre-industrial societies, the family carries out a variety of functions
e.g.in tribal societies, the extended family will; hunt, farm, educate children, look after
members who are sick or elderly etc..
- But, as societies industrialise, specialised institutions develop to perform functions
which were formerly carried out by families e.g. schools take over education of
children, supermarkets provide food and other products needed, welfare state looks
after those in need etc..
- So, the family goes from a unit of production to a unit of consumption
- Argues that in industrial societies, the nuclear family only has 2 essential functions to
perform - primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities
fi fi
, - Primary socialisation = ages 0-3, where parents teach children to internalise the norms
and values of society
- Stabilisation of adult personalities = the family is used as a source of comfort and
support (safety net), which is achieved through the gendered division of labour (men =
instrumental role, women = expressive role) - men will think about work, money and
bills, while women will think about cooking, cleaning and caring, and so they
compliment each other as they are opposites
- Parsons argues that the nuclear family are an ideal t with the needs of industrial
society because of; geographical mobility and social mobility
- Geographical mobility = workers need to be able to move to wherever jobs are
available, and nuclear families are not tied down by obligations or by the dependency
of extended family, so can move from place to place
- Social mobility = adult children move away from the family home to establish their own
independent lives, which is important as it avoids potential problems arising as a result
of the di erent occupation, incomes and statuses of extended family members
A03:
- Is the family like a warm bath? No because;
• There are dysfunctions e.g. abuse (1/4 of women experience this), honour based
killings, forced marriages etc..
• Feminists — gender division in family is patriarchal, so isn’t a good environment for
women to live in
- Are the roles in the family natural? No because;
• It is based on nurture — what we are socialised into believing, so is socially constructed
e.g. canalisation, verbal appellation
• Cross-cultural studies show a variation in the roles of men and women in the family
• Postmodernists — out of date as it ignored the rise in the symmetrical family — not a
re ection of contemporary society anymore
NEW RIGHT;
Murray
- Highlights the negative e ects caused to individuals and society by the breakdown of
the traditional nuclear family
- They want a return to the golden age of traditional family life and values e.g. marriage
before children, fathers taking economic responsibility for their wives and children
through paid employment, and women focusing on their traditional role rather than
careers
A02:
- Evidence of a breakdown in family;
• Divorce rates increased
• Rise in single parents families, so absent fathers increased
• More women in careers
• High rates of crime and deviance (due to unstable family)
- Murray argues that an underclass has emerged, which are made up of the poorest
people at the bottom of society who are dependent on welfare bene ts than work
- He blames this on governments who have rewarded irresponsible behaviour by giving
over-generous welfare bene ts
fl ff ff fi fi fi
, - This has led to a culture of dependency - a set of values leading people to rely on
handouts from the state, rather than providing for themselves and their children
- Argued that matrifocal lone-parent families form a signi cant section of this underclass,
and that boys are likely to underachieve at school and turn to crime
A03:
- New Right fails to consider other factors of family breakdowns including;
abuse within families, in delity, poverty, natural causes (widows), and falling out of love
A03:
- Similarities between New Right and Functionalism = favours nuclear family for social
stability, good socialisation within nuclear family, and have traditional views on gender
roles
- Di erences between New Right and Functionalism = NR o ers solutions (jobs instead
of bene ts), and NR recognises the breakdown of the nuclear family
MARXISM;
Engels (origins of family and private property)
- The family has developed in an evolutionary way; in the earliest societies there was no
restrictions on sexual behaviour, women held power, and as humans learnt to herd
animals, men took control of the livestock and so became the rst property owners…
but now, as societies develop, more restrictions were placed on sexuality (polygamy to
monogamy)
- Engles linked the evolution of monogamy with the development of private property
and capitalism
- Private property in most societies were held by males and passed down to their male
heirs
- Monogamy ensured that children born were the legitimate heirs of the father and
avoided the complications associated with polygamy (about which wife’s children
should inherit)
- With the rise on monogamy, women’s role was to provide their husbands with heirs and
raise those children to adulthood
- Engles proposed that children be raised communally, so society would be one big,
harmonious family, rather than fractured into a competitive family unit
A02:
- How does the family bene t the bourgeoisie and capitalism?
• Wealth remains in the family
• Maintains private ownership, property and possessions stay within the family
A03:
- This is only relevant to the bourgeoisie
- Makes the assumption that everyone leaves their wealth to their families (some leaves it
to charity etc..)
- Makes the assumption that all families have the ability to reproduce, so is very closed-
minded
Zaretsky (capitalism, the family, and personal life)
- 2 functions of family = ideological role and unit of consumption
- Emphasises the ideological role of the family sustains capitalism
ff
fi fi fi fi ff fi
