Nuclear family Flashcards
Who is the nuclear family
Two (heterosexual) adults and one or more children
Who came up with a cereal packet family
Leach (1967): The male breadwinner/female housewife with 2 kids prominent in media advertising.
Who said the nuclear family was still conventional
Oakley (1984 Feminist)
Who explained the negatives of the nuclear family
Barrett and McIntosh (1982):
The ideology of the nuclear family devalues alternative ways of living and makes the people following different routes seem inadequate.
Highlight the negative elements which does not always live up to the idea that is presented. Can be an institution on abuse and neglect.
Who said monogamy created a stable society
Smart (1999):
Argues that the monogamous married couple is still seen as the core element for achieving a stable society.
Murdoch’s functions of the family
Primary socialisation Economic fuction Emotional function Reproductive function Sexual function
Functionalist view of the family
Murdoch (1949) studied 250 societies and found some form of family in all of them. He called the family a universal institution.
women= expressive, men=instrumental.
Functionalists say that gender roles are biologically determined
Criticisms of functionalism
Feminists say that women learn how to become mothers. (It is socially constructed)
Doesn’t explain how male/female roles are more shared now.
Neglects to explain negative aspects of the family. Downplays conflict
Out of date.
Marxist view of the family
The family is one of many institutions that works to serve and maintain the economic system.
In the industrialised West, family development has centred around meeting the demands of capitalist modes of production.
Capitalism stems from importance placed on private property.
Marriage is based on monogamy: One man, one woman.
Family, therefore, is the most efficient way for a man to ensure property and wealth are inherited through legitimate offspring.`
Criticisms of Marxism
Diversity of family forms not really accounted for.
Whilst some positive aspects of the family are recognised, Marxist focus mainly on the negative aspects.
Other perspectives view Marxist views on family as over- critical and undermining.
Some radical Marxists might seek to abolish the family, but there is no clear alternative (ref: attempts to abolish family in Soviet Union).
Symmetrical family
3 main features:
1) Married couple & children are centred on the home. 2)Extended family doesn’t mean as much and nuclear family means more.
3) Roles of men and women have become less segregated and more balanced.
Postmodern view on the family
Variation is normal.
Because identify is fragmented and individualised, family relationships have too.
Stacey (1996) argues that families are diverse and that there is no dominant type of family in contemporary society.
Based on choice. People choose how to live, roles are negotiable.
Pakulski and Waters (1996) say that contemporary family roles are chosen. These roles interact with consumption and media.
The New Right view on the family
Similar to functionalism, see Nuclear family as the ideal family type.
Critical of other family types.
They say the ‘Overly generous’ welfare state are to blame for the rise of single parents, and single parents can socialise their children properly.
Cohabitation undermines the idea of life long relationships.
Dennis (1993) argues that social control exercised by the family has weakened. Boys who don’t have a male role model will become delinquent.
Criticisms of the New Right
Biased towards traditional family structures.
Intolerant of family diversity.
Shifts blame from structural factors to the individual, in terms of social problems and their causes.
Feminist view of the family
Generally argue that relationships between men and women are still patriarchal.
Generally want equality between men and women but differ in terms of their explanations of the causes of women’s oppression in the family.
Somerville (2000) argues that women have more choice now and social policies can help parents work. Liberal feminists say that the way forward for women is legislation.
Radical feminism say sexism is embedded in the system and patriarchal ideology presents the women’s work within the family as normal.
