Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Key debate 1: is the
Nuclear family
Universal?
- Argument For
- George Peter Murdock
- States that family is a
'social group characterised
by common residence,
economic cooperation and
reproduction'
- It includes adults of both
sexes, at least two whom
maintain a socially
approved sexual
relationshsip
- One or more children,
own or adopted, of the
sexually cohabiting
adults
- He studied 250
societies
- Said he found Nuclear families
in all of them
- Necessary for
a smooth
running of
society
- Claimed the family
was a universal
institute because of
his findings
- Argument against
- Felicity Edholm (1982)
- Argues that there is
nothing normal or natural
about the Nuclear family
- States that the Nuclear family
and kin relationships are
socially constructed
- 1) Not all
societies have
nuclear
families
- Kathleen Gough (1959)
Nayar from southern India
- Girls married to
husband, once
puberty is reached,
they can visit a
number of husbands
- They can only have 12
- Men can have more
than 12 wives that he
can visit
- No long life unit
- Men have no duty
towards wives
- Husbands do not
live with the wives
or chikldren
- 2) Murdock ignore the importance of
extended families
- Extended family is...
- Includes blood or
marriage relation
beyond nuclear
family
- Uncles,
grandparents,
aunts, cousins
- Can be very
important in bringing
up children, financial,
care of elderly
- may live together or
close by
- Extended kinship
network - live apart
but keep contact
- 3) some families do
not include two adults
- Lone parent family
- Headed by one
parent, 9/10 by
female
- Female-headed
families/Matrifocl
families
- headed by
female with no
significant male
- Common among African
Caribbean families in the
UK
- Nancie Gouzalez (1970)
- Believes matifocl
families are a well
organised social
group
- Adapted to living on low income
- Mothers of 10 get strong
support form female
relatives
- Friends help them
raise a family
- Yanina Sheeran (1993)
- Believes female core
(mother + children)
- Basic family unit
- Argues this
family Unit is
universal
- Criticism
- falls to allow
for
male-headed
lone parent
families
- 4) Some families
do not have adults
of both sexes
- Gay families
- Some same sex families
may include children from a
heterosexual relationship
- Adoption or IVF
- Sydney Callaham (1997)
- believes gay or lesbian
households with children
should be regarded as
families
- Civil Partnership
- Similar legal rights and obligations to marriage.
- Implies social
acceptance of same sex
relationships
- 2012 'marriage' debate continues
about potential legalisation of marriage
of ss. partneship