Explain and assess the functionalist view that the nuclear family ‘fits’ the needs of society. [25] Flashcards
for; the nucelar family fits in the modern industrial society against; diverisity in family - extended family is still present
introduction ; functionalists theory of the family
- many sociologists have argued that the coming of the industrial revolution brought about huge changes in the society, including changes to the structure of family and kinship networks. functionalists stress the relationships between the institutions in society and how there is changes in other aspect of the societies. For example, the economy will bring changes in other institutions including the family. they therefore see that family as changing and responding to the need of the society before and after industrialization. they argue that most pre - industrial societies existed in a patriarchal extended family. functionalists therefore argue that the nuclear family mainly developed as a result of industrialization.
talcott parsons : march of progress thesis
parsons claims that the modern isolated nuclear family fits the needs of the modern industrial society. his approach to the family become known as the march of progress thesis. parsons suggested that there was a close link between the kinship system and the economic system. as the society becomes more urbanized, industrialized and modernized, the extended kinship networks found in pre - industrial societies would break up and be replaced by isolated nuclear family.
Fletcher
Fletcher also suggested that the structurally isolated nuclear families has become the main family form in contemporary Britain society.
the main reasons why nuclear family fits the need of the society :
(1) the need for geographical mobility
- specialized division of labor
- different occupations….
- to be able to move around….
- leaving relatives behind…..
(1) in contemporary industrialized societies has a specialized division of labor with a wider range of different occupations, with different incomes and lifestyles. this means that labor force needs to be geographically mobile - to be able to move around the country to areas that where their skills are required in order for them to improve their education or gain rpomotion. this often involves leaving relatives behind and weakening and breaking up the traditional extended family life. therefore, the isolated nuclear family ideally suited in the modern industrial society because it is small in size and they are not tied down by any responsibilities.
(2) the higher rates of social mobility weaken kin links
- move up and down the social ladder
- different jobs with different….
- weaken ; less in common
- social mobility means that people were able to move up and down the social ladder compared to the family they were born into. higher social mobility may mean that different member of the extended family will find themselves in different jobs with different incomes, lifestyles, education, opportunities and so on. these differences weaken relations between kin as they have less in common
(3) reduced family functions
- the welfare state has taken away…..
- structural differentiation
- reduced dependence
- two irreducible and basic functions
- people are much better off today without families because the welfare state has taken away a number of functions of the family. such as education, health care and welfare. parsons referred to this a s structural differentiation. this has reduced the dependence on kin for support in times of distress. this further weakens the extended family and consequently, the isolated nuclear family is left with two irreducible and basic functions which is the primary socialization of children and the stabilization of adult personalities
(4) the needs to protect family stability by strengthening the bonds between married couples
although there is lack of support from kin in the isolated nuclear family, parsons argue that this actually helps strengthen family relationships by increasing mutual dependency between the partners. this increases the stabilization of adult personalities which are under particular stress in fighting for higher status, wages, promotions at work to support the consumer led lifestyle in the contemporary society. Parsons claim that the new nuclear unit provided a husband and wife ; each with clear social roles whereby husbands would take the instrumental role, responsible for the economic welfare of the family and he goes out to work and earn wages. meanwhile the role of a women is an expressive role whereby she is responsible for the socialization of the children and the emotional care and support of her family members. parsons comes very close to suggesting that the sexual division of labor is nature for both wives and husbands, each contributing to the maintenance of the family stability
CRITICISMS:
(1) feminists ;
feminists such as Oakley suggest that the functionalist view of the family ignores the experience and the significance of women and in fact offers a justification for their oppression in that functionalists thinks its good for the society. Oakley showed how women moved from being equal partners when family was a pre-industrial unit of production to being increasingly constricted and confined to the home y industrialization and factory legislation. she suggests that these changes resulted in the mother housewife role becoming the dominant role for women in industrialized societies.
(2) Diversity
DHJ Morgan ;-
- no classes, ethnic,,,,
- parsons used teh cereal packet family……
- diversity in family forms and households
there are no classes, regions, religious, ethnic or status groups in Parsons analysis of the family. Parsons only used the American middle class family of the 1950s as a stereotype and suggested that all families would follow this stereotype of a cereal packet family. as a result of some developments of industrial societies, diversity in family forms and household has now become a strong argument that undermines Parsons’ analysis although he was writing this since 1940s nad 1950s, he could not have expected to anticipate some of the developments in family structure.
(3) Michael Young and Peter Willmott Symmetrical Family
Michael Young and Peter Willmott had a different although still functional account to explain changes in family structures. In their book The Symmetrical Family (1973) the two sociologists examined the development of the family from pre-industrial period to 1970s as occurring through four distinct stages.
Stage 1 – the pre-industrial family -the family is a unit of production with all family members working as a team in order for the family unit to survive. They agree with the idea this type of family was superseded by the industrial revolution. (this type of family hasn’t disappeared as some farming families still work this way.
Stage 2 - the early industrial family – was an outcome of the industrial revolution, the family ceased to be unit of production as individual members were employed as wage earners. The difficulty for families was factory wages were very low which was made worse by significant periods of prolonged unemployment. According to Young and Willmott this encouraged families to create ‘insurance’ by inviting relatives beyond the nuclear family into its network.It weakened the conjugal bond in favor of greater ties between mother and married daughter to create an organised and informal network between women which excluded men. Young and Willmott study found men had been eased out of the female circle to find ‘comfort’ in the pub.
Stage 3 - in the early 1970s, young and willmott conducted a large scale social survey in which 1,928 people were interviewed in the Greater London. Life for the Stage 3 nuclear family is largely home centered, particularly when children are young. free time is being spent doing chores and odd jobs around the house and leisure is mainly home based. the conjugal bonds between husband and wife are increasingly compassionate as they shared their work and their time.
(3) Young and Willmott
the reasons why symmetrical family rose
the reasons why there is a rise in symmetrical family;
(1) the reduction in the number of children per family from an average of six to five children to just over two in 1970, providing greater opportunities for women to work. this in turn led to a more symmetrical family since both spouses are more likely to be wage earners and to share financial responsibility for the household.
(2) since living standards rose, the husband is more attracted to home as it is filled with better amenities and greater range of home entertainments, thus being close to the family circle
(4) Marxist perspective on the family ; ideological conditioning
Marxists emphasizes the relationship between capitalism and the family. It involves the reproduction of the attitudes essential fro an efficient workforce under capitalism. Thus, David Cooper argues that the family is an ideological conditioning device in an exploitative society. Within the family learn to conform and to submit to authority. The foundation is therefore laid fro the obedient and submissive workforce required by capitalism.
(5) Peter Willmott (1988) ;
the dispersed extended family
on the basis of the research carried out in London in the 1980s, Peter Willmott claimed that the dispersed extended family is becoming dominant in the Britain. it consists of two or more related families who cooperate with each other even though they live some distance apart. Contacts are fairly frequent, taking place on average perhaps once a week, but less frequent than they were among extended families who lived close together. cars, public transport and telephones makes it possible for dispersed extended families to keep in touch. Willmott views each nuclear family unit as only partially dependent upon extended kin. Much of the time nuclear family is fairly independent but in time of emergency the existence if the extended kin might prove invaluable. Thus, Willmott characterize contemporary British families, he agrees that dispersed extended family remains important in the modern industrial society other than the nuclear family.
conclusion ; postmodernism
postmodernists such as Lyotard believe that the contemporary society is rapidly changing and full of uncertainties. Society is undergoing fragmentation into a mass of individuals making their own choices and how they lived their daily lives. In a postmodernist society, people are no longer bound by traditional ideas and expectations about marriage, parenthood and family life. they are adopting new lifestyles rather than being constrained by traditional norms. there are changes in family life such as the decline in family size and marriage rates, the rise of divorce rates, increasing number of lone parent family and single person household and same marriages. It is therefore not relevant to discuss which type of family that is dominant or best suits the society because family form have become too diverse
