Theories and Research

Elisabeth Roberts

The Oral History of Working-class Women.

Elisabeth Roberts interviewed 160 mothers and grandmothers in Lancashire in 1996.  She detailed the lives of ordinary working women between 1890 and 1940, from these interviews. (what sort of perspective would encourage interviews as research?) She does not support the feminist analysis that working-class families were patriarchal institutions run by, and being benefited by, men. She concludes that women blame poverty rather than men for their situation.  The women felt that they had power of a sort - in the household and family.  The mother/daughter bond was the foundation of the family and women gained a sense of achievement from household management like the family budget, education of children and upholding family (and local) traditions. (What perspective might argue that the women had an important role in socialising the next generation?)


How do you think Feminists and Functionalists would respond to this study?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of oral histories?

 

 

 



Young & Wilmott

Empirical research of family in Bethnal Green

Young & Wilmott studied working-class families in the 1950s in the East End of London.  The evidence was collected by observation and interview. Young & Wilmott argue that the move from extended family to nuclear family was not as fast as Parsons suggests.  Rather, they posit that extended families were in evidence in the 1950s - a late stage of Industrialisation.  The extended kinship network - based on emotional attachment and obligation - offered working-class families assistance with childcare, money, jobs and advice. Young & Wilmott argued that the extended family started to disappear in the 1960s when working-class families were rehoused in new towns and on Council estates after slum clearance. 

 

 

You can find out more about this study here.

 

Read this article and follow the links to find a whole treasure trove of information!

 

 

Marcuse

False needs

 

Marxists might argue that the working-class are not aware that they are being exploited by the ruling class (false class consciousness).  People believe they are keeping up with their neighbours, purchasing the latest model of something and living the life everyone else is when, in fact, they are being manipulated and 'sold to' by the capitalist-friendly values of consumerism and materialism.  Marcuse (1964) asserts that the nuclear (working-class) family is encouraged to fulfil 'false needs'; having the lastest consumer goods and judging themselves and others on the basis of what they can buy and what they own.  He argued that this serves capita;lism very well. People are buying the goods which are being produced (making a nice profit for whom?) and they are distracted from the struggle to gain equality and justice.

 

 

This blog post is a very nice description of consumerism and false needs.

 

A little post with lots of links - The Frankfurt School and Commodity Fetishism

 

And - if you're interested... The first video of five of Marcuse talking about The Frankfurt school.  



Family and Functionalism. Homework.

Welcome to your first 'Family' homework!  You will often be directed to this blog to revise concepts, answer questions or be given group work to complete before your next lesson. A lot of the responsibility for investigating will be given to you.  You are A Level students now - your next step is University - you must be ready to be responsible for your own success! You might want to see if you can work out, over the coming weeks, which Sociological school might argue that point!

This post will offer very basic outlines of what Functionalists might argue about the family.  You will find links to information about studies and theorists.  It is here because it is all useful to you. The more you read, the more you know!




General 'Family' and Household' background
The City of Norwich School has some great background information here.

Functionalists    

Durkheim. The Father of Sociology.  A Functionalist.  This picture comes from this page.  A study which is more interesting than useful to you at this time!

Broadly speaking, the functionalist perspective has focused on the functions of the family in society and for its members. In other words, it looks at how the family, as an institution, helps in maintaining order and stability in society, and the significance of the family for its individual members. Two well-known functionalists who have written about the family are George. P. Murdock and Talcott Parsons...
This is an introduction to Functionalist theories from this webpage. You should also look at this site.  Have a closer  look at the theorists and studies mentioned.

Talcott Parsons A very brief overview

Talcot Parsons.  Functionalist.  American.  This picture comes from this site which will give you an insight in Parsons' contributions to Sociology. Don't click the link for 'Read More' - they will want to sell you access to the site!

A much more in depth analysis can be found here.

This photo taken from a Science website noting
the births and deaths of notable Scientists.
Sociologists still have problems with the
Scientific community viewing them
as credible peers.

A brief description of George Murdock's Four Functions of the Family can be found here. The article goes on to discuss other theories and studies.

Your Task

Read all the information on this page.  Follow links and follow up on anything interesting to you on those pages. Make notes. You might want to make revision cards for Functionalism.

                                Answer the following questions 

 (please answer these questions on a sheet of lined paper to hand in at your next lesson)

1. What is 'socialisation'?
2. What are Murdock's Four Functions of the Family?
3. What is the difference between 'Primary socialisation' and 'Secondary socialisation'?
4. Why does Parsons think Family is important for adults?
5. What do you think about Functionalist theories of The Family?  Give reasons and examples where you can.