• Different conceptions of the relationships of the family to the social structure, with particular reference to the economy and to state policies.

This looks a scary load of jargon and hard words, doesn't it? But the meaning is really quite simple. What this topic is about is the different ways that different sociologists see the family. One very important idea to grasp on this course is that there is not one "standard" sociological view on topics like The Family, Religion, Poverty, Crime, Disability, etc. Instead, we can group sociologists into a number of different and competing perspectives, which tend to see the world in their own different ways, concentrate on their own special issues, and use their own special words and concepts.

The main perspectives are:

• Functionalism
• Feminism
• Marxism
• The New Right

At first, it might seem tedious that Sociology as an academic discipline has these different viewpoints or theoretical perspectives. But you will soon get used to them, as they run through all of the topics that we will be looking at over the two year course. In addition, they are really good for evaluating or debating issues. We can argue along the following lines: "The Functionalists say such-and-such about Divorce, but this is criticised by the Feminists, who say blah-blah-blah" Or "The Marxist approach to poverty can be challenged by the New Right, who say...", and so on.

So, each of these perspectives is made up of a loose group of like-minded sociologists, who tend to see the whole of society in broadly similar ways, and use similar technical terms and concepts to describe and explain it. Applying this to "Families & Households", we see that Functionalists tend to see families in one way; Feminists tend to see them in a different, competing way; Marxists tend to see them in another way, and so on. Narrowing the focus more, we see that Divorce, for example, or Housework, or Maternity Benefit, are all viewed differently by the different perspectives.

Functionalist View of The Family The Functionalist view is that the family is an important and beneficial institution within society. Families perform important functions for the wider society, and for the individual members of the family. They keep society going by maintaining value consensus, which is when members of society all agree on the key norms & values. The family has a harmonious relationship with other areas of society, supporting institutions such as the economy, religion, and education, and in turn being supported by them. And individuals within families are helped and supported by their families.

The Functionalist G.P. Murdock, for example, said that the family is universal because it performs four functions:

1. Reproductive (making babies to replace members of society who die)
2. Sexual (providing a stable setting for people to meet their sexual needs)
3. Educational (raising children and giving them society's norms & values)
4. Economic (working).

Similarly, Parsons, another Functionalist, said that there were two "Basic and irreducible functions" of the family, that no other institution in society could perform. These are:

1. Primary Socialisation (giving children the norms & values required for social living: language, for example, and morality, and customs, and gender roles. This makes children social, and also shapes their personalities for later life.)
2. Stabilisation of adult personalities (keeping adults stable and happy through their ability to "be themselves" and express themselves within the family. Especially important is the conjugal [marriage] relationship, which sexually and emotionally fulfils the couple.)

You should also be able to evaluate the perspective. Does it give an accurate picture of the modern family? What does it leave out? Is it dated? What would the other perspectives say?

Feminist Perspectives on the family Feminists would fiercely disagree with the Functionalists. They are primarily interested in the position of women within the family, and tend to dislike the "happy families" picture which the Functionalists paint. Feminists stress the inequality and oppression which women tend to suffer within the family. Domestic violence ("wife-beating"), for example; economic dependency; unequal division of domestic labour (housework); the false ideology of romance, love and maternal fulfilment which traps women in the family.

Oakley, for example, has carried out research into the unequal sharing of household tasks; Dobash & Dobash did research which found out that domestic violence was much more common than most people believed, and was nearly always perpetrated by the male; Duncombe and Marsden found that women carry the burden of "emotion work" within the family; DeVault explored the problems women face in feeding their families; and so on. Feminists say that society tends to be patriarchal - based around the political, economic, and personal domination of women by men. They say that the family is a "site of patriarchy": a place where this domination takes place, and often where it is perpetuated or reproduced through gender socialisation. The family socialises children into oppressive gender roles and gives people an ideology of domesticity: a set of falso beliefs that a woman's place is in the home, that women are naturally more submissive, maternal, caring, etc.

Again, you should be able to apply the feminist perspective to various sociological topics. What would it say about divorce? The C.S.A.? Single parenthood? marriage? working women?

And again, you should be able to criticise the feminist viewpoint. What are its strengths, and what are its weaknesses as a theoretical position?

The Marxist Perpective