Families Households PDF

Preview

Summary

Lecture notes with extra researched notes on families/households...

Description

PERSPECTIVES AND THE FAMILY FUNCTIONALISM MURDOCK - Nuclear family is the best as it meets all societies’ needs through x4 main functions: 1. SEXUAL GRATIFICATION – Nuclear family promotes monogamy between a man and a woman who have a sexual relationship approved by wider society 2. REPRODUCTION – Nuclear family reproduces and socialises the next generation 3. EMOTIONAL SUPPORT – Nuclear family are there in times of need 4. ECONOMIC SUPPORT – Nuclear family provides food, water, money and shelter ADVANTAGES  Two gender role models  New Rights would agree that the nuclear family is the best DISADVANTAGES  Marxists would suggest that the nuclear family reproduces capitalism e.g. the WC reproduces the next generation of workers and socialises them to believe that capitalist exploitation is reasonable  Ignores the darker side of the family e.g. domestic violence and child abuse  Ignores that some families have low income and therefore can’t provide functions as well as other families  EDHOLM: the nuclear family is not the best: what makes the nuclear family superior? Family is a social construction based on cultural norms!  SCANZONI ET AL: we should use the term ‘primary relationships’ instead of family  CHEAL: no one really knows what the family is  Ignores diversity e.g. living apart together (DUNCAN AND PHILLIPS)  Other family types can provide functions  Feminists argue the nuclear family is patriarchal  Married couples don’t always live in harmony PARSONS The pre-industrial extended family has become an isolated nuclear family to fit the needs of modern society. Reduction of functions due to the state taking over the role of the family e.g. family used to care for the sick and elderly, now the state provides hospitals and care homes: 1. Primary socialisation 2. Stabilisng adult personalities (family is a place to relax and refresh for the next day) DISADVANTAGES  Marxists would suggest that the nuclear family reproduces capitalism e.g. the WC reproduces the next generation of workers and socialises them to believe that capitalist exploitation is reasonable  Feminists would argue that Parsons is sexist as it was the role of the woman that has been taken over by the state – blames the rise in feminism  Ignores that all families don’t live in harmony, the family is not always a place to relax page 1 of 19

 

LASLETT: Only 10% of families were extended the nuclear family was the norm anyway ANDERSON: Extended family was common amongst WC to save money

NEW RIGHTS Nuclear family is the norm Nuclear family is the best stable environment to raise children as it provides both male and female role models Increase in lone parent and divorce puts the nuclear family under ‘threat’ Need tighter marriage contracts and compulsory marriage counselling for failing marriages Government should remove welfare benefits MURRAY: welfare benefits create an underclass of people with no incentive to work DENNIS AND ERDOS: children born outside of marriage are more likely to be at a disadvantage in terms of health and education plus they are more likely to turn to crime JACKSON & MAHONEY: Young men in particular are at a disadvantage as they lack a male role model and this can lead to a masculinity crisis DISADVANTAGES:  ABBOT AND WALLACE: without benefit there would be mass poverty  Hard to enforce dated traditional values into a modern diverse society  Feminists argue the nuclear family is patriarchal  Marxists would argue that New Rights ignore social class divisions  Victim blaming e.g. most people don’t aspire to be divorced or heading a lone parent family  EDHOLM: What makes the nuclear family superior? Family is a social construction based on cultural norms MARXISTS The nuclear family reproduces capitalism WC families reproduce the next generation of works and socialsie them to accept capitalist exploitation as the norm Family only benefits the MC We are a consumer society that buy into capitalism = unit of consumption ENGLES: Wealth and capitalism reproduced by private property opened by men passed down to their sons ZARETSKY: the home is a safe haven from capitalist society, where workers can be themselves DISADVANTAGES:  Feminists would argue that this is sexist as wealth is passed on the sons and not daughters and Marxists ignore this  However this not always the case as families can’t provide safety e.g. domestic violence or child abuse  Pessimistic and deterministic outlook  Functionalists would argue that the family benefits us all FEMINISTS The family is patriarchal and oppresses women e.g. women are housewives and care for children The family produces sexist gender roles via primary socilistaion LIBERAL FEMINISTS Want equal opportunities for women e.g. equal pay and to end discrimination in employment Acknowledge gradual decline in discrimination due to changing attitudes and laws page 2 of 19

Believe we are moving towards gender equality MARXIST FEMINISTS Women’s main oppression is not men but capitalism Women reproduce and socialsie the next generation of workers to accept capitalism as the norm ANSLEY: women soak up husband’s capitalist exploitation frustration  domestic violence Women are cheap labour RADICAL FEMINITS Men are the enemy Family and marriage are patriarchal institutions that only benefit men DELPHY & LEONARD: women contribute more to the family a lot more that benefits men HOPKINS: men are decision makers and when they don’t get their own way they lash out GREER: only way to abolish patriarchy is to live in separation e.g. matrifocal families SOMMERVILLE (Liberal): attraction makes separation impossible – we need more ‘family friendly’ policies e.g. flexible working DIFFERENCE FEMINSTS We can’t generalise all women Black feminists view the back family positively as it is a source of support from racism DISADVANTAGES:  Assumes all women are passive  Increase in househusbands  Dual worker families  Doesn’t explain domestic violence in same sex couples or male victims  Ignores women who choose not to have children  Women may choose to be single  Some women may enjoy being the housewife  WILLMOTT & YOUNG: Increase in the symmetrical family POST MODERNISTS The other perspectives are problematic:  Assume the nuclear family id the dominant family type  Assume the family members are passive to society Friends can be as important as family Beyond blood ties and relationships Gay and lesbian families choose their family TIPPER: pets can be seen as part of the family NORDQUIST & SMART: researched adoption and donor conceived children and found that social bonds more important than genetic Not optimistic or pessimistic They are realist because they are very current

19

F A M I LY A N D S O C I A L C H A N G E Isolated nuclear family PARSONS The pre-industrial extended family has become an isolated nuclear family to fit the needs of modern society. Reduction of functions due to the state taking over the role of the family e.g. family used to care for the sick and elderly, now the state provides hospitals and care homes: 1. Primary socilistaion 2. Stabilisng adult personalities (family is a place to relax and refresh for the next day) DISADVANTAGES  Marxists would suggest that the nuclear family reproduces capitalism e.g. the WC reproduces the next generation of workers and socialises them to believe that capitalist exploitation is reasonable  Feminists would argue that Parsons is sexist as it was the role of the woman that has been taken over by the state – blames the rise in feminism  Ignores that all families don’t live in harmony, the family is not always a place to relax  LASLETT: Only 10% of families were extended the nuclear family was the norm anyway  ANDERSON: Extended family was common amongst WC to save money Industrialistaion, women and the family Factories replaced the family Women worked in textile factories 1819 = child labour stopped so women had to stay at home to care for the children In a patriarchal society women in the workforce were seen as a threat The home became the woman’s main sphere OAKLEY:  Separated men from the home  Made women dependent on men  Isolated childcare and housework from other work This led to housework and childcare primarily linked to women DISADVANTAGES  Assumes all women are passive  Generalises all women to have children and be married  Women may enjoy housework / childcare  Ignores househusbands  New Rights would agree that women should stay in the home  PARSONS: instrumental and expressive roles Families in the 20th century KERR, WILLMOTT AND YOUNG researched extended families:  Bethnal Green = extended family doesn’t need to be under one roof  Greenleigh = family is private dependent on each other and not wider networks page 4 of 19

Stages of family life (WILLMOTT & YOUNG) 1. Pre-industrial family is a production unit that farms together 2. Early industrial – men are drawn out of the family home and into jobs 3. Symmetrical family = shared DDOL between husband and wife 4. Due to stratified diffusion there is now less need for extended family, family is privatised, opportunity to devote time, love and money into family

DISADVANTAGES  Ignores the darker side of the family e.g. domestic violence and child abuse  MC are trendsetters therefore WC want to follow  MCMAHON: women still responsible for housework  Extended family is undervalued in this theory  No simple relationship between the family and industrialization  FLETCHER: family has not lost functions, the state is just supporting the family more

page 5 of 19

GENDER, POWER AND DOMESTIC LABOUR Domestic Division of Labour PARSONS:  Husband has an instrumental role (bread winner)  Wife has an expressive role (homemaker)  DDOL is based of biological differences because women are ‘naturally’ suited to the nurturing role DISADVANTAGES  WILLMOT & YOUNG: No such thing as instrumental/expressive roles the DDOL is more shared due to increase in symmetrical family  GERSHUNY: increase in women working has resulted in more shared DDOL  SULLIVAN: there has been an emergence of the ‘new man’ who do more than women  Feminists would argue that the roles are sexist and only benefit men Symmetrical family = joint conjugal roles and shared DDOL Reasons for the increase in the symmetrical family:  Rise in feminism – women reject the role of the housewife  Advances in contraception – can choose when or if to have children  Increase in home technology – men can work at home  Labour saving devices encourage men to do more housework  Increase in male unemployment – spend more time in the family home  Higher standard of living  Geographical mobility FEMINISTS The family is patriarchal and oppresses women Most women are still housewives and mothers Full time housework Return to work part time after having children Conjugal roles are segregated ALAN & CROW: women still have the dual burden of working in and outside of the home DUNSCOMBE & MARSDEN: interviewed 40 couples and found that women complained about their husbands’ emotional distance – suffer the triple shift (paid work, house work and emotion work) Time use studies DDOL Research Asking who does what in the home and how long it took them Feminists are critical of this research LEONARD: women underestimate the time spent on domestic labour MCMAHON: says little on the urgency of tasks Explanations for the DDOL Cultural explanations suggest we are socialised with patriarchal norms and values e.g. it is the norm for women to do the majority of the housework Patriarchal norms shape society’s explanations Material explanations suggest that women are financially dependent on their husbands because they earn less on average Decision making page 6 of 19

FEMINISTS BARRET & MCINTOSH: men gain more from women’s domestic work than what they give back financially, the financial support women do receive often has ‘strings’ attached because women make the important financial decisions KEMPSON: low income mothers often deny own needs by eating less to make ends meet Adequate incomes are often shared unequally leaving women in poverty PAHL & VOGLER: 1. ALLOWANCE SYSTEM – men give wives a budget to meet families’ needs and the surplus money is for himself 2. POOLING – both partners have access to income and joint responsibility e.g. joint bank account Pooling is increasing and is now the most common money management system HOWEVER, even when pooling men still tend to make bigger financial decisions HARDHILL: important decisions are made by men with his career taking priority when moving house or finding a new job FINCH: women’s lives tend to be structured around their husband’s careers EDGELL: women make trivial decisions e.g. food shopping POST MODERNISTS VOGLER: cohabiting couples are less likely to pool as they want to maintain their independence and we are in a high risk society NYMAN: money has different meaning to different people – this reflects in their relationship WEEKS ET AL: co-independence = one shared account but have personal savings SMART: no importance on who controls money in gay/lesbian relationships Domestic Violence Some people argue that domestic violence is psychological rather than social HOWEVER, domestic violence is too widespread and it is not random it follows social patterns WALBY & ALLEN: women are more likely to be victims DOBASH & DOBASH: marriage legitamises domestic violence and men are violent when their authority is questioned MILLET & FIRESTONE: men are the enemy because they express and exploit women Men dominate though the threat of domestic violence DAR: can be difficult to ‘count’ abuse as it can be ongoing, victims may not report to the police because they believe that it is too trivial CHEAL: the police are not prepared to become involved because the family is a private sphere – the police ignore the darker side of the family and believe the victim is free to leave DISADVANTAGES  ELLIOT: not all men are aggressive  Fail to explain male victims, same sex violence and child abuse  WILKINSON & PICKETT: people with lower power, status and wealth are at greater risk – not directly linked to gender  ANSLEY: capitalism causes domestic violence

page 7 of 19

F A M I LY D I V E R S I T Y Nuclear family FUNCTIONALIS M PARSONS: Functional fit theory Nuclear family meets the needs of modern society for a geographical/socially mobile workforce Other family types can be considered as dysfunctional or deviant since they are less able to perform essential functions NEW RIGHTS Traditional nuclear family consists of a married man and woman with their dependent children New Rights see the nuclear family as natural Breadwinner and housewife roles are based on fundamental biological differences LEACH: The nuclear family is a happy and content New Rights believe family diversity causes social problems Express concern over increase of symmetrical family and lone parent families (DENNIS & ERDOS) DISADVANTAGES  GITTINS: not just the nuclear family that can raise the next generation effectively  CHESTER: it is not negative that the family is more diverse, the only change is the increase in dual worker families, people still aspire to be in a nuclear family  Term nuclear family is problematic because they ignore first time marriages, re-marriages, cohabiting and same sex relationships Lone parent families = a mother/father living without a partner but with their child/children HASKEY: child must be under 16, never married and in full time education Routes into lone parenthood:  Divorce  Separation  Death  Choice  IVF  Un-aware of other parent 90% of lone parent households headed by women (2006) Marital brake up is one of the main reasons Most people don’t aspire to be a lone parent SHARPE: women don’t have to run around after husband – children are now the main priority DISADVANTAGES  NEAL & SMART: what about co-parenting  CROW & HARDY: lone parent household is a better term  New Rights would argue that lone parents are a burden on the welfare state  DENNIS & ERDOS: those born outside of marriage are at a disadvantage in terms of health and education plus they are more likely to turn to crime

page 8 of 19

Reconstituted families Two families join together as a result of death, divorce or separation Many lone parents find new partners HASKEY: can be married or cohabiting with dependent children Less research and government policy directed to reconstituted families ALLAN & CROW: can be seen as a ‘solution’ to lone parent hood Reconstituted families are increasing because they are more socially acceptable ADVANTAGES Provide emotional support Provide economic support

DISADVANTAGES Children may miss biological parent May not get along with other parent Sibling rivalry New parent may find it difficult

Present themselves as ‘normal’ families Reject ‘step-family- label Families have boundaries that include and exclude people = gives family unity ALLAN & CROW: reconstituted family has less clear boundaries BEDELL: role of step father is difficult Reconstituted families are not likely to last DISADVANTAGES  Assumes all reconstituted families are full of tension  Nuclear family is more likely to break up  Can be rewarding and lead to happiness  Widen support networks POSTMODERNISM AND FAMILY DIVERSITY Family structure shape behavior of its members so that is performs the functions society requires Individuals have no real choice Society is increasingly fragmented We can choose our own identity New media and technology has dissolved old barriers STACEY: diversity gives women greater freedom e.g. rejecting the role of the housewife / higher job prospects Divorce-extended family = members connected by divorce e.g. in-laws MORGAN: we choose who to call our family RAPOPORTS Diversity is essential to understand family life today Cultures and lifestyles are more diverse Family diversity reflects greater freedom of choice and increase in acceptance  Organisational diversity – some families have joint others have segregated conjugal roles  Cultural diversity – different cultures have different family structures and norms  Generational diversity – diversity due to age e.g. younger generation more accepting of cohabitation and divorce due to change in social attitude and norms  life stage diversity  Social class diversity – changes due to income and social class

page 9 of 19

Individualistion thesis GIDDENS & BECK Social structures have lost their influence Pure relationships based on own interests not based on law, religion or social norms Increase in individual choice Free from traditional norms Advances in contraception mean that families are not just for reproduction Connectedness thesis FINCH & MASON Networks influence our choices Influential sub-cultures Restricted but can negotiate BECK: Negotiated family (A.K.A Zombie family) we are in a high risk society so turn to the family in hope of finding security but in reality the family is unstable/ dead BUDEGON: we don’t have complete freedom e.g. domestic abuse / arranged marriage Divorce Increase in divorce 65% of petitions are from women Young people are more likely to divorce (less experience choosing a partner, not emotionally ready, change in beliefs, may grow apart, lack of traditional values) Lower the social class of the husband = more likely to divorce Parents divorcing may lead to children divorcing Explanations: 1. CHANGES IN THE LAW Divorce is now easier and cheaper to obtain The grounds for divorce has widened Desertion: when one partner leaves the other but they remain legally married Legal Separation: when a court separates financial and legal affairs but they couple remain married and are not free to re-marry Empty shell marriage: couple continues to live under the same roof but remain married in name only 2. DECLINING STIGMA & SOCIAL ATTITUDE MITCHELL & GOODY: rapid decline in stigma attached to divorce Divorce is now more socially acceptable e.g. happy divorce cards and divorce parties 3. SECULARISATION Decline in the influence of religion in society Decrease in church attendance Less likely to take vows seriously 4. RISING EXPECTATION OF MARRIAGE FLETCHER: higher exp...