The Contemporary Family as More Democratic and Equal Essay -- Sociolog

The Contemporary Family as More Democratic and Equal In the course of this essay I shall be looking at the role of the family. In doing so I shall be examining various studies carried out, showing what the role of the family should be. This will include views by Willmott and Young, and contrasting ones of such authors as Ann Oakley, a feminist. The family is often looked upon as a social institution, a bond that joins individuals into families. This bond is reinforced by marriage, economic co-operation and sexual activity leading to the eventual conception of new life. This is typical of the viewpoint taken by functionalists such as Murdock, who saw that each member of the family had a role to play in order for it to be a success. This was a positive outlook for the family, however feminists such as Oakley believed this was not the case. From the late nineteenth century until the 1950’s traditional relationships between a man and his wife could best be described as male dominated. This â€Å"Patriarchy† was based around the view of this era that the father was the undoubted head of the household. Whatever his viewpoints, values and needs were these would always be listened to and met. The views of women on the other hand were very much repressed. Fletcher, pointed out that both women and children were frequently exploited both inside and outside the family and conditions within the home were deplorably inadequate. (â€Å"The family and marriage of Britain†) Women therefore were regarded as inferior to men and their main roles were as housewives looking after the home, mothers looking after the children, and as wives looking af... ... available. This is why this important issue is being recognised more and more. In contemporary society too, let’s not forget the fact that family life is moving further away from what was the norm, being the nuclear family consisting of a male and female and their children. Nowadays the rise of divorce rates, pregnancy outside marriage and co-habiting are all major issues in contemporary family life. Also the more recent upsurge and proliferation of gay and lesbian relationships and marriages cannot be ignored. All these issues show how family life in the twenty-first century has radically changed. BIBLIOGRAPHY PAUL TAYLOR ,SOCIOLOGY IN FOCUS JOHN J MACIONIS AND KEN PLUMMER, SOCIOLOGY, A GLOBAL INTRODUCTION FLETCHER, THE FAMILY AND MARRIAGE OF BRITAIN OAKLEY, HOUSEWIFE, 1974 WWW.SOCIOLOGY.ORG