The Family Is an Ideological Construction That Perpetuates Patriarchy. Discuss.

The family is a repressive and ideological construction that perpetuates patriarchy. Discuss. Families could be described as champion of the most raw material forms of loving organisation. Look almost anywhere in the world and you will find some form of family unit. This has happened arguably through and through re merchandise, humans suck up drives and sexual needs which result in the domain of a new heart, which to begin with, is completely helpless and dependant for a long period of time. The family is almost universal the only exception to this would be communes.Functionalists agree that the family is a primary social organisation and that it does serve the target of integrating further generations into companionship with cultural values and norms. Functionalists study that the family harbor out the role of socialisation, which is the backbone of most societies. This leads to an efficient economy and social order. Functionalists evidence that the family satisfies the basic physical and emotional needs of humans. Murdock (1949) claimed that the family performs four basic functions in each(prenominal) societies sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic.He cerebrated that no anformer(a)(prenominal) institution matches the competency of the nuclear family and thitherfore contri just nowes to its universality. Talcott Parsons surroundd that primary socialisation of children and the stabilization of the adult personalisedities were universal to the family in all societies, not just Ameri great deal. There are criticisms of the functionalists fool on the family. Functionalism ignores alternative family structures, and ignores functional alternatives to the family. Further to this Marxist, Feminists, and Post Modern Sociologists do not accept that the family performs particular functions on its receive in closing off of other institutions.Marxists say that the family is a major prop for the capitalist economy. They believe that wo custody reproduce future generations of workers alongside providing unpaid domestic labour. Wowork force are very much watch outn as servants to capitalism. Traditionally they stay at home and instigate children to study and enter employ handst. Further to this families are the central units of consumption in modern font societies. We buy houses, cars, material possessions, and holidays. Zaretsky (1976) argues that in modern capitalist society the family creates the illusion that the mystic breeding of the family can be separated from other aspects of life like economy.He believed that the family cannot provide for the mental and personal needs of individuals. It cushions the doings of capitalism on individuals while perpetuating the remains. However this cannot compensate for the ecumenical alienation and lack of fulfilment produced by capitalism. Modern Marxist accounts of the family punctuate not only its structural qualitys, however withal its function in socialising child ren into the ideology of society. Marxists believe that this is simply a way of continue the narrow standards of capitalism.Where functionalists like Murdock and Parsons see this socialisation process in the family as a healthy adjustment to the surrounding social descents, the Marxist tends to see it as the manipulation of the childs personality to ensure that it remains in line with the social and economic system. The family is both the institutional and psychological model for social organisation associated with an unequal distri andion of wealth and effect and the domination of one section of society by another. Marxism offers an explanation for the maturation of women by men.This is that the family affords opportunities for men to compensate for their real lack of power in capitalist society by exercising domination over their households and their distaff partners. The role of the male in the family disguises the exploitative nature of the economic system as a whole. Marx ists recognise the development of women in marriage and family life but emphasises the relationship between capitalism and the family rather than the familys effect on women. Feminism stresses the exploitation of women as a key feature of family life. Feminism has had the most influence on the study of the family since the 1960s.They are extremely critical of the family and emphasize the harmful effects of family life upon women. It is argued that through the production of labour power the family produces and rears cheap labour at minimal be to capitalists, as well as acting as an emotional support, enthralling frustrations of working in the capitalist system, therefore reducing the revolutionary potential. cornerstone feminists describe the family as an economic system characterised by the domination and exploitation of women by men. It typically features a male full stop of household who has crowning(prenominal) control of family resources and is the final decision-maker.Wo men assume by far the greater righteousness for household tasks as unpaid labourers, provide sexual services for the head of household and bear and rear his children. In addition, they assume the overwhelming circumstances of tasks like caring for old and disabled family members. The contributions made by women to family life are thus far greater than those made by men. charge where the woman happens to be the breadwinner she bears a disproportionate burden of housekeeping and is responsible for providing emotional support to the male head of the family.There is a expert deal of common ground among feminists, though the ideology is characterised by disagreement, but most feminists agree that sexual inequality is not simply natural, it is also highly political. Female oppression operates in all walks of life, including conditioning in the family, the result of stereotyping. So the traditional divide between public man and private woman is unacceptable. Gender is a significant so cial aspect, like class, race or religion. It is caused by patriarchy, the dominance of men over women in a relationship of power.The dominance of men in the family symbolises male supremacy in all other institutions. Sex and gender should not be confused. Biologically, only women can be mothers, but they dont have to accept the responsibilities of motherhood nurturing, educating and raising children by devoting themselves to home and family. Sex refers to unavoidable biological deviations gender, on the other hand, is a cultural term and refers to the different roles that society gives to men and women. The overall goal of feminism is the overthrow of patriarchy and the ending of discriminatory oppression.Liberal feminists place the emphasis upon legal and political equality for women. They have pursued an equal rights agenda, and oecumenically in a very prosaic way. They want women to be able to compete on equal terms with men in every area of public life there is no questi on of women being superior or entitled to aureate treatment. Hence the stress is on female emancipation, equal rights and opportunities. Socialist feminists argue that these equal rights mean little unless women also enjoy social equality. This substance that they address issues such(prenominal) as the ownership of property, the differences in pay and mployment opportunities for men and women, and the distinction between wages labour and unwaged labour for women. So difference is linked to patriarchy, seeing it as a manifestation of oppression and subordination. Radical feminists believe the personal is the political. They are primarily concerned with equality in family and personal life. Equality must therefore operate with respect to childcare and other domestic responsibilities, as well as with respect to control of ones own body, and individual sexual expression and fulfilment.The stress is more on difference than on equality the very idea of equality is misguided since it im plies that women would hence be male identified in that they define their goals in terms of what men are or what men have. Women should instead recognise and celebrate the typical features of the female sex the stress is on womens liberation. Clearly, if feminists invite to make invariable long-term changes with respect to the position of women in this society they lawsuit the scrap of creating new values with respect to gender and passing these values on to their children.But it is not so clear what the values are that feminists would wish to pass on to their children. An easy answer would be to say general ideas of gender equality. But the deeper we probe, the more complex this issue becomes. What are the unique(predicate) values that feminists wish to pass on to their children about the structure of the family? be feminists willing to say that the enemy is patriarchy? And if so, what exactly does this mean, both as a theoretical and a practical matter? The word family cov ers such a broad spectrum of different things, and is victim to cultural relativity.I would say that the nuclear family was definitely an ideological construction. Ann Oakley (1982) said that the conventional family is nuclear families dispassionate of legally married couples, voluntarily choosing the parent hood of one or more children. I think Oakleys idea of the family is very ideological. peel (1967) called this the cereal packet image of the family. Advertisers cling mercilessly to family imagery for exchange all kinds of products. The constant use of women in adverts for cleaning products is a grievous example of repression.Adverts often show fathers coming home from work to a beautiful wife, immaculate home, well behaved children, and a hearty meal on the table. I think this view is archaic in many senses, but also rings very true in millions of households today. Some women drive to this dream we all know that life isnt quite like the adverts, the problem being that we d ont find that out trough afterwards The family is to some extent a repressive and ideological construction, but as long as there is male dominance in other social institutions, this will continue. I would say that the family isnt as repressive today as it once was.In most modern societies, women can have children and have a career, although this is still somewhat of a blurry area with negative stigma. Further to this there has been a acuate rise in the number of single parent families, which are preponderantly headed by women. I do believe the family is ideological it cant always be as clear cut because people face different personal circumstances. Households will continue to be male prevail for hundreds of years to come, men are seen as more economically rich than women, and this can be seen in salary differences.Until the world and media extinguish the attempt of family propaganda through the media, our children, and perhaps even our childrens children will grow up with the n otion of a patriarchal society. References 1. Sociology Themes & Perspectives (seventh edition) Haralambos & Holborn 2. www. sociology. org. uk 3. Psychology- The Science of mind and behaviour Richard consummate(a) 4. www. wikipedia. co. uk 5. Class Notes 6. http//www. educationforum. co. uk/sociology_2/FamilyDiversitycauses. htm