A functionalist perspective on the family

Question 1

What’s the nuclear family?

Answer 1

Mum, dad and children

21st century - parents (either sex) and children

Question 2

According to Murdock (1949) what is the reproductive function of the nuclear family?

Answer 2

Nuclear family enables reproduction - children need to be born into secure, married households

Question 3

According to Murdock (1949) what is the sexual function of the nuclear family?

Answer 3

Allows people to satisfy their sexual needs without having multiple partners

Question 4

According to Murdock (1949) what is the educational function of the nuclear family?

Answer 4

Primary socialisation - parents teach children society’s values and behaviours

Question 5

According to Murdock (1949) what is the economic function of the nuclear family?

Answer 5

Parents (fathers) are motivated to be productive workers because they have sole responsibility for their families

Question 6

What are some criticisms of Murdock’s (1949) beliefs of the functions of the nuclear family?

Answer 6

• Ignores that there are other communities: culturally situated
• Parents feel responsible for their children’s education

Question 7

Before industrialisation, what did the family look like?

Answer 7

There were extended families with many more people living with/near each other so they could look after each other if needed and teach each other skills

Question 8

According to Parsons (1951), how did industrialisation reduce the size of the family?

Answer 8

Reducing the size of the families made it easier to…

Question 9

How did the reduction in the size of the family make it necessary for the state to provide education and health care?

Answer 9

Extended families made it easier to rely on each other if someone was sick - nuclear family can’t just do that and won’t get education of skills needed that would have been taught by their other members (e.g. farming)

Question 10

According to Parsons, the nuclear family performs two main functions:
What is The primary socialisation of children?

Answer 10

Parsons thought that nuclear families acted as personality factories - they just passed on their skills and characteristics to their children (and so on).

Question 11

According to Parsons, the nuclear family performs two main functions:
What is The stabilisation of adult personalities?

Answer 11

The nuclear family acts as a warm bath as it relieves stress from any outside problems like work when you come home.

Question 12

What are some criticisms of Parsons’ views on the functions of the family?

Answer 12

• Children are seen to think for themselves and have their own, unique personalities which means that they don’t act exactly like their parents.
• The ‘warm bath’ doesn’t include those toxic nuclear families where there may be abuse which means that coming home from work could be far from relieving.

Question 13

Young and Wilmott (1957, 1975) disagree with Parsons’ claim that industrialisation brought about the rise of the nuclear family. Why?

Answer 13

Because they believe that city-based extended families existed far into the 20th century.

Question 14

According to Young and Wilmott, what two factors brought about the rise of the nuclear family in the 1960s?

Answer 14

• Slum clearance led to families being rehoused (working class)
• The welfare state and full employment reduced need for extended families to provide economic support for each other.

Question 15

Young and Wilmott argue that by 1975, the symmetrical family was the norm in Britain. Explain what is meant by a ‘symmetrical family’.

Answer 15

• 2 parents and their children
• ‘Privatised’ ~ infrequent contact with extended family
• Dual-career and egalitarian

Question 16

What is a criticism of Young and Wilmott’s view on the symmetrical family?

Answer 16

Research shows that women still perform much more housework than men - even in a full time job.