Sociology Lecture: The Family

Presenter

• Facilitator: Georgia Crawford Williams

Key Topics Covered

1. Definition of Family

   • Importance of knowing the definition verbatim for exams.
   • George Peter Murdock's Definition:
     • Family is a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction.
     • Includes adults of both sexes in a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children.

2. Theories of the Family

   • Murdock's Theory:
     • Family has four functions.
   • Talcott Parsons:
     • Nuclear family fits modern industrial societies due to its characteristics.
     • Family has two core functions.

3. Functionalist Perspective

   • Murdock and Parsons believe the nuclear family is the only good, functional, universal family.
   • Critics:
     • Edmund Leach and R.D. Laing argue the extended family is ideal for providing love and support.

4. Feminist Views on Family

   • General Consensus: Women are exploited.
   • Radical Feminists (Leonard and Delphi):
     • Family as an economic unit led by men.
     • Women perform domestic labor for men.
     • Boys treated better than girls reflecting a patriarchal society.
   • German Greer:
     • Family as a den of abuse.
     • Women should escape nuclear families and live in female communes.
   • Ann Oakley (Modern Feminist):
     • Modern women more exploited than ancestors.
     • Critique of Young and Wilmott’s 'symmetrical family.'
     • Women face a triple burden: economic, domestic, and emotional.

5. Matrifocal Families

   • Definition: Female-headed single-parent families.
   • Reasons for Emergence:
     • Melville Herskovitz: African retention and cultural norms of polygamy.
     • M.G. Smith: Historical impact of slavery and plantation society.
     • Oscar Lewis: Culture of poverty leads men to abandon families.
     • Nancy Gonzalez: Financial sense for women to have multiple partners contributing to the household.

6. Critique of Theories

   • Criticism of Oscar Lewis: Excusing male abandonment.
   • Criticism of Nancy Gonzalez: Accusations of promoting prostitution; Gonzalez argues it reflects women's expectation of male support.

Important Names to Remember

• Sociologists and Theorists:
  • George Peter Murdock
  • Talcott Parsons
  • Edmund Leach
  • R.D. Laing
  • Leonard and Delphi (Radical Feminists)
  • German Greer (Radical Feminist)
  • Ann Oakley (Modern Feminist)
  • Melville Herskovitz
  • M.G. Smith
  • Oscar Lewis
  • Nancy Gonzalez

Note: Understanding the different perspectives and theories is crucial for examining the family structure and its implications in modern societies.