Family

Question 1

Marxism

Answer 1

• Sees the family as a means of production and cheap labour

- Say that the family performs roles for capitalism and the ruling class (bourgeoisie) only

Question 2

Functionalism

Answer 2

• The family performs several essential functions for society:
  •Socialises children
  • Provides emotional and practical support for its members
  • Helps regulate sexual reproduction
  • Provides it’s members with a social identity
• Sudden changes in the family structure or processes can threaten its stability and weaken society

Question 3

Conflict

Answer 3

• The family contributes to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality by reinforcing patriarchy
• The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members.

Question 4

Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 4

• The intention of family members and intimate couples involves shared understandings of their situations.
• Social class affects the expectations that spouses have if marriage.
• Romantic love is the common basis for American marriages and dating relationships
  • Much less common in other contemporary nations

Question 5

New right

Answer 5

• Favours the nuclear family as the ideal family for society
• They believe that factors such as a more liberal attitude towards factors such as line parenthood, cohabiting etc are evidence to the decline of the nuclear family

Question 6

Feminists

Answer 6

• Believe that gender is socially constructed
  • This means that gender roles are learnt rather than determined by biology.
  • The most significant institution where we are socialised into our appropriate roles is in the family