1. The Functions of families; Functionalist theories on the family

Question 1

Murdock (1949) - the family performs four essential functions

what is the first essential function that the family performs and how does it benefit the individual and society?

Answer 1

Provides a stable satisfaction of the adult sex drive - it is based upon a monogamous relationship, which therefore prevents the social disruption caused by a sexual ‘free for all’.

• Individual - have confidence yout partner isn’t cheating with someone else
• Society - reproduce (have children), not a ‘sexual free fall’

Question 2

Murdock (1949) - the family performs four essential functions

what is the second essential function that the family performs and how does it benefit the individual and society?

Answer 2

Reproduces the next generation - without which society would not continue

• Individual - carries on the family tree, children can look after you when you get older
• society - more children, provides a better workforce, developing the economy

Question 3

Murdock (1949) - the family performs four essential functions

what is the third essential function that the family performs and how does it benefit the individual and society?

Answer 3

Socialisation of the young - into society’s norms/values

• individual - allows children to gain confidence and social skills, able to fit into society (learn the norms & values)
• society - everybody knows how to behave in public and work spaces

Question 4

Murdock (1949) - the family performs four essential functions

what is the fourth essential function that the family performs and how does it benefit the individual and society?

Answer 4

Meets its members’ economic needs - food, shelter etc

• individual - we all need to be healthy and have clothing, shelter, care
• society - if people are healthy and look good, means that we have workers and a good society

Question 5

Murdock

which family does Murdock belive is the best for the 4 functions and what family structure is it called?

Answer 5

• Nuclear family is the most effective
• Called a ‘universal’ family structure

Question 6

is there any evidence to suggest that the nuclear family is no longer universal?

Answer 6

yes, as even though the most dominant type of family is a nuclear family (67.7%) but there is more of a variety such as lone parent families (15.4%) and a lone person household (30%). New family forms are increasing

Question 7

A03

is it really the case that the nuclear family is the best institution to meet these needs? what other families/households might do as good a job?

Answer 7

• homosexual won’t feel satisfied sexually in a heterosexual relationship
• with child birth there are new technologies and developments that help same sex couples have children

Question 8

Critsisms of Murdock

how would feminists criticise Murdock?

Answer 8

• they would say that most women don’t want marriages due to men being abusive
• technologies such as being a surrogette allows for people who don’t want a partner but wants a baby. gives them the chance to have a baby
• a nuclear family benefits the man the most

Question 9

Parsons - ‘functional fit’ theory

define ‘functional fit’

Answer 9

the way in which institutions adapt themselves to fit the needs of society

Question 10

Parsons

what are the two types of society’s according to parsons?

Answer 10

1) pre-industrial society (1700’s)
2) modern industrial society

Question 11

Parsons - pre-industrial society

why would the extended family have met the needs of the pre-industrial family?

Answer 11

the extended family is a unit of production due to most families being farmers/blacksmiths and this would allow the children to carry on these jobs

Question 12

Parsons - pre-industrial society

define unit of production

Answer 12

the family had to perform all the functions themselved such as being a doctor/ carer/ giver/ ensuring resources and food for the family. Making the extended family the most useful as then there are more people to do those jobs

Question 13

Parsons - modern industrial society

which type of family fits the modern industrial family and why?

Answer 13

• the nuclear family, which is why it is the dominant family type.
• when britain began to industrialise from the 18th century onwards, the extended family began to give way to the nuclear family, because society’s needs changed, so a new family structure was needed

Question 14

Parsons

according to parsons, what are the two essential things the industrial society needs?

Answer 14

1) a geographically mobile workforce
2) a social mobile workforce (meritocratic workforce)

Question 15

Parsons - geographically mobile workforce

what is a geographically mobile workforce and why is the nuclear family best suited for it?

Answer 15

• in modern industrial societies, industries are constantly springing up and going into decline in different areas of the country, therefore people need to be able to move
• the nuclear family is the best suited being geographically mobile as the family is better connected with each other meaning that is would be easier to move around areas and be comfortable then the entire extended family

Question 16

Parsons - socially mobile workforce

what is a social mobile workforce and why is the nuclear family better for this then the extended?

Answer 16

• it means being able to move up the class system as most forms of status are achieved
• in an extended family, adult sons would live in their fathers house, with the father having a higher status in the household while in work the son may have a higher achieved status then the father which could cause tention. However in a nuclear family, the family works together as a unit meaning that both the father and son would congratulate each other for their sucess without there being a problem of tension

Question 17

parsons - relationship with kin

why is the mobile nuclear family seen as being “structurally isolated” from extended kin? and why do we have less duty to look after out relatives today than in the past?

Answer 17

It may keep in contact but has no binding obligations unlike in pre-industrial society when relatives in the extended family had an overriding duty to help each other

• everyone is trying to focus on their own lives and families
• more independent people
• focused on career

Question 18

parsons - high costs of comtemporary/capitalist society

why might having a family cost more now?

Answer 18

• the rising cost of comfortable housing
• inflation
• health and medical care costs are increasing
• baby essentials are more expensive

Question 19

critisms of Parson’s functional fit theory

was the extended family dominant in pre-industrial society?

Answer 19

Young and Willmott (1973)
- the pre-industrial family was nuclear, not extended, with parents and children working together

Peter Laslett (1972)
- study of English households from 1564 to 1821, found that they were almost always nuclear
- a combination of late childbearing and short life expectancy meant that grandparents were unlikely to be alive for very long after the birth of their first grandchild

Question 20

critisms of Parson’s functional fit theory

did the family become nuclear in early industrial society?

Answer 20

Young and Willmott (1973)
- argued that the hardship of the early industrial period gave rise to the ‘mum-centred’ working-class extended family
- this is based on ties between mothers and their married daughters, who relied on each other for financial, practical and emotional support

Exchange theory: the idea that indiviuals break off or maintain family ties because of the costs or benefits involved

Michael Anderson (1980)
- study of mid-19th century Preston uses exchange theory to explain the popularity of the working-class extended family
- shows the harsh conditions of the time: poverty, sickness, early death and the absence of a welfare state.
- this meant that the benefits maintaining extended family ties greatly outweighed the costs
- these benefits included using older kin for childcare while parents worked, and taking in orphaned relatives to produce extra income and help towards the rent

Question 21

critisms of Parson’s functional fit theory

is the extended family no longer important in modern society?

Answer 21

there is partial support for Parsons’ claims that the nuclear family has become the dominant family type today

Young and Willmott (1973)
- argued that, from about 1900, the nuclear family emerged as a result of social changed that made the extended family less important as a source of support
- these changes included higher living standards, married women working, the welfare state and better housing

However, the extended family has not disappeared. Studies show that it continues to exist because it performs important functions, for example providing financial help, childcare, and emotional support

Question 22

Parsons

according to Parsons, what were the roles for men and women in the new modern nuclear family

Answer 22

• the man was the ‘instrumental’ leader (responsible for the economic welfare of the family)
• the women was the ‘expressive’ leader (responsible for the childcare and looking after the emotional needs of the family)

Question 23

Parsons - warm bath theory

explain the term ‘warm bath’ theory

Answer 23

the idea that when a man came home from a hard day at work, he could relax into his family like a warm bath and it would take away the stress and refresh him for the next days work

Question 24

Parsons

explain irreducible functions

Answer 24

due to the process of structural differentiation (when society develops lots of different institutions), the nuclear family ends up specialising into two ‘irreducible functions’ (cannot be adequately fulfilled by other Institutions)

Question 25

Parsons - irreducible functions

what are the two irreducible functions and explain them?

Answer 25

• Primary socialisation of children - to equip them with basic skills and to teach key social norms and values. This allows them to learn how to cooperate with others, and to begin to integrate into mainstream society.
• Stabilisation of adult personalities - the family is a place where adults can relax and release tensions. This enables them to return to the workplace refreshed and happy, which helps the economy as they are then more effective workers.

Question 26

Weakness of functionalism

what is a weakness of functionalism?

Answer 26

• it ignores the ‘dark side of the familym such as: abuse (physical and verbal), mistreatment, arguing, violence
• it also ignores how the family can actually be dysfunctional and have farmful effects on wider society

Question 27

Weakness of functionalism

what would feminists say about how the nuclear family has harmful effects on women in wider society?

Answer 27

• the man recieves the most benefits in the family and are mostly the dominant one
• the man can sometimes be very abusive to the woman, decreasing her confidence and making her afraid
• some men prevent from their wives from working or telling them to quite their job, discouraging women from persuing their career

Question 28

Weakness of functionalism

what are critisms of functionalist views of the family?

Answer 28

• Murdock argues that the family is universal, which ignores the extent of family diversity in contemporary society
• marxist theory is critical of the warm bath theory as if the nuclear absorbs tentions and stresses, which maintians a happier workforce, this will stop workers from rebelling against their exploitation