FAMILIES & HOUSEHOLDS
PERSPECTIVES :
FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
MURDOCK : X4 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
- Family has x4 functions :
- Sexual
- Reproductive
- Economic / financial
- Educational
CRITICISM : other institutions perform the same functions as the family does
PARSONS : WARM BATH THEORY
- The home is like a warm bath, in which adults are able to come home & relax, whilst
stabilising their personalities & escaping the stress of modern life
PARSONS : SOCIALISATION
- Family socialises children by teaching them shared norms & values followed by
mainstream society
- Mother = expressive role , takes care of housework & children
- Father = instrumental role , is the breadwinner & earns money for the family
NEW RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
CHARLES MURRAY
- The welfare state creates a dependency culture by giving single parent families ( single
mothers ) / teen pregnancies welfare benefits & providing them with housing - perverse
incentives reward antisocial / irresponsible behaviour
- Boys who grow up without a male role model are more likely to turn to crime in an
attempt to locate a male role model
STRENGTH : identifies the driving force, for which why young boys are more likely to become
used to / integrated within the life of crime
CRITICISM : over generalised - not all single mothers / pregnant teens are provided for by the
welfare state
OVERALL STRENGTHS
- Identifies that individuals are able to make up their mind / are responsible for their own
actions in a modern society
, OVERALL WEAKNESS:
- Scapegoats the powerless
- Idealised view of the past
FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE
DELPHY & LEONARD
- Men benefit at the expense of women
RADICAL FEMINISTS
- The patriarchal society leads to the subordination of women & children
- Rape & sexual assault = male power
AINSLEY ( RADICAL )
- ‘Women = takers of shit’
- The wife supports the husband's frustration that comes from working in a capitalist
society
STRENGTH : identifies that women are oppressed by the patriarchal society
WEAKNESS : not all men, cannot be generalised for every single household
LIBERAL FEMINISTS
- Laws, eg. equal pay act, have made things better for women, but not equal
OVERALL STRENGTHS
- Looks at the root of the issue
OVERALL WEAKNESS
- Cannot be generalised - not all men : ELLIOT
- Ignores inequalities within same-sex relationships
MARXIST PERSPECTIVE
FAMILY AS A UNIT OF CONSUMPTION
- Media uses pester power to target children - children who don’t have latest tech & toys
are ridiculed & bullied by peers - linking to the capitalist consumerism ideal
ENGLES : INHERITANCE OF PROPERTY
- Women = breeding machines
- Men need to secure their land & therefore need offspring to pass it onto
ZARETSKY : IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
- Children are socialised into accepting capitalism & the hierarchy ( through parental
power )
PERSPECTIVES :
FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
MURDOCK : X4 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
- Family has x4 functions :
- Sexual
- Reproductive
- Economic / financial
- Educational
CRITICISM : other institutions perform the same functions as the family does
PARSONS : WARM BATH THEORY
- The home is like a warm bath, in which adults are able to come home & relax, whilst
stabilising their personalities & escaping the stress of modern life
PARSONS : SOCIALISATION
- Family socialises children by teaching them shared norms & values followed by
mainstream society
- Mother = expressive role , takes care of housework & children
- Father = instrumental role , is the breadwinner & earns money for the family
NEW RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
CHARLES MURRAY
- The welfare state creates a dependency culture by giving single parent families ( single
mothers ) / teen pregnancies welfare benefits & providing them with housing - perverse
incentives reward antisocial / irresponsible behaviour
- Boys who grow up without a male role model are more likely to turn to crime in an
attempt to locate a male role model
STRENGTH : identifies the driving force, for which why young boys are more likely to become
used to / integrated within the life of crime
CRITICISM : over generalised - not all single mothers / pregnant teens are provided for by the
welfare state
OVERALL STRENGTHS
- Identifies that individuals are able to make up their mind / are responsible for their own
actions in a modern society
, OVERALL WEAKNESS:
- Scapegoats the powerless
- Idealised view of the past
FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE
DELPHY & LEONARD
- Men benefit at the expense of women
RADICAL FEMINISTS
- The patriarchal society leads to the subordination of women & children
- Rape & sexual assault = male power
AINSLEY ( RADICAL )
- ‘Women = takers of shit’
- The wife supports the husband's frustration that comes from working in a capitalist
society
STRENGTH : identifies that women are oppressed by the patriarchal society
WEAKNESS : not all men, cannot be generalised for every single household
LIBERAL FEMINISTS
- Laws, eg. equal pay act, have made things better for women, but not equal
OVERALL STRENGTHS
- Looks at the root of the issue
OVERALL WEAKNESS
- Cannot be generalised - not all men : ELLIOT
- Ignores inequalities within same-sex relationships
MARXIST PERSPECTIVE
FAMILY AS A UNIT OF CONSUMPTION
- Media uses pester power to target children - children who don’t have latest tech & toys
are ridiculed & bullied by peers - linking to the capitalist consumerism ideal
ENGLES : INHERITANCE OF PROPERTY
- Women = breeding machines
- Men need to secure their land & therefore need offspring to pass it onto
ZARETSKY : IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
- Children are socialised into accepting capitalism & the hierarchy ( through parental
power )
