Review of Parsons
1. Subject matter
•
Macro theory
–
Three subsystems functionally related to one another
2. Assumptions about social action
•
Human behavior is predictable
–
Pattern variables create regularity of action
3. Methodology
•
Deductive theory of social systems
4. Theoretical Objective
•
Primarily description of a system
Lecture Map
•
•
•
•
•
Scottish Enlightenment and Utilitarianism
Rational Choice Theory
Becker’s Model of the Family
Sociobiology
Feminist Perspectives on the Family
Learning Objectives
• Compare Parsons’ Volunteeristic Model of Action
with Becker’s Rational Choice Model
• Be able to apply both to a family process
– Ex. how a couple decides how many hours a the wife
will work
• Know the difference between Feminist models at
the theoretical level
• Know how they relate to Becker and Parsons’
models of the family
Theories of the Family: Gary
Becker
And Feminist Critiques
Placing Becker into the Theory Scheme
1.
2.
3.
4.
Subject matter
Assumptions about social action
Methodology
Theoretical Objective
Intellectual Background: Utilitarianism
• Utility has been used as a measure of the
morality of society
– The maximum utility for the maximum number of
people should be achieved
– The maximum good for the worst off (the
individual achieving the lowest utility)
Adam Smith: Markets
1.Markets teach sensible behavior by rewarding
those who buy cheap and sell dear and
punishing the opposite
2.Markets lead people with different goods or
skills to exchange
3.Markets do this without regulation – they
work as though led by an invisible hand
Rational Choice Theory
• “All human behavior can be viewed as
involving participants who maximize their
utility from a stable set of preferences and
accumulate an optimal amount of information
and other inputs in a variety of markets.”
– Becker (1976)
Maximizing Behavior
• People act as though they are seeking to
maximize utility
• They need not be consciously weighing costs
and benefits
• Imperfect information does not result in
irrational decision making
Markets
• Market equilibrium
• Market instruments (prices):
– Allocate resources
– Constrain desires
– Coordinates action
Stable Preferences
• “The assumption of stable preferences
provides a stable foundation for generating
predictions about responses to various
changes, and prevents the analyst from
succumbing to the temptation of simply
postulating the required shift in preferences to
“explain” all apparent contradictions to his
predictions.”
Becker’s Model of the Family
Market Human
Capital
Market
Comparative
Advantage
Market
Specialization
Market Experience/
Education
Household
Human Capital
Household
Experience/
Education
Optimal Productivity
in both market and
household sectors
Household
Comparative
Advantage
Household
Specialization
Productivity
• Productivity is a direct function of experience
and investments into capital
Specialization Increases Productivity
If two household members have the same
investments and comparative advantages
both... “could be made better off if the
member now specializing in the household did
not invest in market capital and increased his
investment in household capital.”
Theory of Comparative Advantage
• The resources of members of a household (or
any organization) should be allocated to
various activities according to their
comparative or relative efficiencies
– All differences in comparative advantage can be
related to different experiences and other
investments in human capital
Comparative Advantage in the Family
marginal products in the market
marginal products in the household
Becker’s (Gendered) Model of the
Family
Market Human
Capital
Market
Comparative
Advantage
Market
Specialization
Market Experience/
Education
Household
Human Capital
Household
Experience/
Education
Optimal Productivity
in both market and
household sectors
Household
Comparative
Advantage
Household
Specialization
Sector Participation over the Lifecourse
Comparisons with Parsons’ Model
1.
2.
3.
4.
Subject matter
Assumptions about social action
Methodology
Theoretical Objective
Is Becker’s Model Falsifiable?
• Household work is assumed to have at least the same
marginal productivity as market work
– Else the household labor would be applied to the market
– The theory yields consistent predictions concerning the
returns to household and market labor (i.e. When marginal
utility of the market is increased female household labor
will decrease) but is there any way that behavior could be
inconsistent with the theory (since he’s really not
measuring productivity in either sphere)
– Is it a useful framework?
Sociobiology
• Sexual differences are rooted in biology
– They are often exaggerated by culture
– Rigid social control could minimize differences
Feminist Theories of Families
• Diverse Perspective on the Source of
Oppression and the Role of the Institution of
Family
– Liberal Feminism
– Radical Feminism
– Marxist and Socialist Feminism
– Social Feminism
Liberal Feminism
• Upper class feminists
• Sought education, productive employment,
political enfranchisement, legal and civil rights for
women
• No radical changes to the structure of the family
– Rather gainful employment, civil responsibility and
intellectual development would allow women to
develop their reasoning faculties and be better
mothers and wives
• Mixed results
First Wave Liberal Feminists
• Mary Wollstonecraft
• John Stuart Mill
Second Wave Liberal Feminists
• Betty Friedan
• Gloria Steinem
Liberal Feminist Critiques
• Sociobiology
• Becker
• Parsons
Radical Feminism
• Sexism permeates all social structures
– Women’s oppression is rooted in control over their
bodies
– Female sexuality has been constructed to serve men
• The heterosexual family is inherently a locus of
oppression for women
– Reproduction
– Sexual division of labor
• The role of childbearing is more ambiguous
Radical Feminist Critiques
• Sociobiology
• Becker
• Parsons
Marxist Feminism
• Women reproduce the workforce
• Marriage is prostitution
– market inequality causes dependence
• The collective should replace the family
– Reproductive work is a civic duty rather than
personal sacrifice
Marxist Feminist Critiques
• Sociobiology
• Becker
• Parsons
Social Feminism
• Focuses on the strengths of women’s roles
rather than deficits compared with men
– “Maternal” virtues: peace, protection, nurturance
Social Feminist Critiques
• Sociobiology
• Becker
• Parsons
Classifying Gender Theories:
Subject Matter
Micro Process
Liberal
Radical
Marxist
Social
Macro Process
Classifying Gender Theories:
Assumptions about social action
Predictable
Creative
Liberal
Radical
Marxist
Social
Norms
Liberal
Radical
Marxist
Social
Interests
Classifying Gender Theories:
Methodology
Deductive
Liberal
Radical
Marxist
Social
Inductive
Classifying Gender Theories:
Theoretical Objective
Predict
Liberal
Radical
Marxist
Social
Explain
Reading Question for Thursday
Assignment 5
Do you think marriage rates are a good
measure of social distance? Do you think a
macro theory can explain who marries whom?
Why or why not?