Family and Household

Functionalist perspective: The Family

Functionalism: Domestic division of labour
     - Division of labour refers to the roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and
 paidwork. Sociologist are interested in whether men and women share domestic task equally.

Parsons traditional view of the nuclear family consist of a male the breadwinner (intrumental role) and women the housewife (expressive role). He claims that the roles between the two spouses are segregated.

Instrumental role: Geared towards achieving success at work and provising the family financially. He is the breadwinner.
Expressive role: Geared towards meeting the family emotional needs through primary socialisation for the children. She is the the homemaker/housewife rather than the wage earner.

Parsons argue that the domestic division of labour is biological that women are naturally suited to the nurturing role and men the provider. This benefits men at women expenses. Young and wilmott argue that men benefits from womens sole responsibilities where as, feminists argue that the domestic division of labour is natural in society.

Criticisms:

• Some societies don't have traditional families
• Ingores 'dark side' e.g. domestic violence, sexual abuse
• Feminists argue men benefit more than women
• Feminists view this as patriarchal and sexist
• Ingores evidence of non-dominance of extended family in the pre-industrial era and decline of nuclear family and increasing family diversity

Feminists theory of the family:

• There are several different types of feminist theory, but all of them share certain characteristics in common:
• There is a fundamental division in society between men and women
• That women are to some extent exploited by men
• That society is patriarchal which is used by feminists to indicate that men have more power than women and the interests of men largely shape how societies run 

Feminists sociologist say:

Radical Feminist: Radical feminists believe that the family plays a major role in maintaining the oppressions of women in patriarchal, male-dominating society.

Marxist Feminist: Marxists Feminists believe that the family benefits from capitalist system and in doing so to exploit women.

Marxist Perspective:

- A conflict perspective which sees society to have a social divide:the capitalist class and the working class.
- Marxist argue that the nuclear familyis concerned with teaching its members to submit to the capitalist class.
- They believe that when children are being primary socialised they are being taught what the capitalist teach, and this discriminatesagainst the working class.

Criticims:
- Marxists ignore other benefits to individuals and society.
- Marxism assumes that the worker is male and that women are housewives.