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Theories of the Family (Feminism (They say that the family is organised in…
Theories of the Family
Functionalism
G.P Murdock's :star: four functions of the family (without them society wouldn't exist): Stable satisfaction of the sex drive; biological reproduction; socialisation of the young; meeting basic economic needs
Talcott Parson's :star: says that there are only two functions: Primary socialisation; stabilisation of adult personalities. Married couples provide comfort and emotional support for each other. The family is like a 'warm bath'. He says that its the husband who should return to the family and the wife should offer comfort.
Wilmott & Young :star: found in the 1950s that women in the family were very close and shared their lives, especially in the working class. However in the 1970s, they found that a new privatised nuclear family had formed, and it became more isolated and home-centred. The husband and wife had become more symmetrical
Marxism
They don't believe the family is positive for society, and that it benefits capitalism.
Eli Zaretsky :star: says that revolution doesn't happen because workers are persuaded that fulfilment and happiness lie in family life. The 'cult of private life' means that people close their eyes to the unfairness of capitalism and focuses on their families
Consumerism keeps capitalism going because they need the family to survive, so they target families through advertising.
Feminism
They say that the family is organised in a way that benefits the man, and women are oppressed in the family.
Delphy and Leonard :star: argue that the family is patriarchal because men and women have different roles in the house (these roles are called conjugal roles Ann Oakley :star: says we are teaching this to our children and we are socialising them into their gender roles.
Another way that men dominate women is through violence. According to the Office for National Statistics in 2015, two women are murdered each week by a current or former partner. However abuse can also be in psychological, sexual or financial
Sylvia Walby :star: says that the domestic violence that was allowed in the Victorian era is the result of women being unequal and considered inferior.
Delphy and Leonard :star: argue that control over women goes from parents to boyfriends and husbands.
New Right
The only proper and effective family type is the nuclear family, along with the traditional gender roles that go with it.
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Charles Murray :star: says that children from a lone-parent family are more likely to commit crime, because they won't be socialised properly.
Post Modernism
They argue that family diversity is good because families can choose what form they want to take. Families are no longer influenced by strict social norms or economic factors that in the past had moulded the family.