FAMILY+HOUSEHOLDS - Functionalists and family Flashcards
Who are the two main functionalist sociologists with views on family
- Murdock
- Parsons
Murdock
- What did he find in his study across 250 societies
- That family is a UNIVERSAL and inevitable INSTITUTION across the world - particular the NUCLEAR family
Murdock
- What does he argue are the 4 suctions of the family, and explain what these mean = how they benefit society as a whole
- Stable satisfaction of the SEX DRIVE - With the same partner = preventing social disruption
- REPRODUCTION of the next generation - having children = continuing society
- SOCIALISATION of the young - primary socialisation = knowing the shared norms and values and smoothly transition
- Meeting its members’ ECONOMIC needs - food, shelter, etc. = avoiding destitution and instability in society
Murdock - criticisms
- Marxists + feminists
- Feminists
- Marxists
- Modernisation Outperformance
- Outdated
- Diversity?
- Anthropological research findings
MARXISTS + FEMINISTS: ‘rose tinted’ approach that the family meets both society and its own needs and is undeniably harmonious
FEMINISTS: ‘Family is essential’ is ideological because typical family structures usually disadvantage women
- Ignores the dark side of the family
MARXISTS: Meets the needs of capitalism, not the family or society
MODERNISATION / OUTPERFORM: other institutions and family types can perform these roles
OUTDATED - is an older theory, not applicable to todays families
DIVERSITY - Ignores diversity of different types of families
ANTHROPOLOGICAL: Research shows there are some cultures that don’t have families - like Nayars for example
Parsons
- Explain what the functionally fit theory means
- Give an example of where this has happened
As society changes, to adapt, the type of family (its structure and functions) will change as well
- Moving from pre-industrial to industrial society, families changed from extended to nuclear as a more mobile workforce was needed
Parsons
- What 2 essentials does industrial / modern society need
- First essential
- Why does this lead to a greater need of nuclear families - Second essential
- Why do extended families cause problems with this
- What is the solution for this then
- A geographically mobile workforce:
Pre-industrial - modern society, work was in the same villages - industries sprang up in different parts of the country = requirement for moving
= because nuclear families are smaller its easier to move them around the country - A socially mobile workforce:
- Modern society has increasing use of technology and science = skilled and competent workforce
- Also an era of increases achieved statuses = making social mobility possible as anyone from any background can take up a job
- Extended family relies on ascribed statuses which may change in different institutions (e.g. father has higher status than son at home, but at work, son may have a higher status - job - than father) = conflict
- Solution = sons to leave and make a nuclear family of their own = encouraging social and geographical mobility
Parsons
- Define what a mobile nuclear family is
Is a nuclear family that is structurally isolated from its extended kins
Parsons
- Why does he argue there has been a ‘loss of functions within the family’
- talk about each type of family individually - keywords
- Pre-industrial family = MULTI-FUNCTIONAL unit and are a UNIT OF PRODUCTION
But because of industrialisation, the family structure and functions have changed and lessened - Industrial family = they are now a UNIT OF CONSUMPTION + loses its functions to other institutions like school and health services
Parsons
- Because of this ‘loss of functions’, what does Parsons argue are the 2 ‘irreducible’ functions of the family
- Primary socialisation - Basic skills to cooperate and integrate into society
- stabilisation of adult personalities - ‘Warm bath’ Family should bee a place where adults can relax and release tensions to go back to the workplace and meet its demands = demands for economy
Parsons Instrumental and expressive roles - What Warm bath theory - What
Instrumental - The Male breadwinner role
Expressive - The Female domestic role
Warm bath theory - Where the male can come back from work to relax and gain emotional support from his family members, in order to enter work the next day calm and ready
Parsons - What are some sociological criticisms of the functionally fit theory - Laslett - Young + Willmott -- Exchange theory Positive eval. -- Anderson
LASLETT: Found church records to show only 10% of households were extended before industrial revolution = the family were already nuclear before industrialisation
YOUNG + WILLMOTT: extended kin networks still strong in britain as late as the 70’s + pre-industrIal families were nuclear
- EXCHANGE THEORY: Individuals break off or maintain family ties because of costs or benefits involved
ANDERSON: Found popularity of WC extended family in pre industrial era because of harsh conditions as they’re bigger can provide more help
Parsons
- What are some general criticisms
- Darker side
- Outdated
- Women
- Deterministic
- Downplays conflict - ignores the darker side of family
- Out of date - Nowadays both males and females take part in INSTRUMENTAL and EXPRESSIVE roles
- Ignores exploitation of women - Women still end up being the primary child carers in 90% of families
- Deterministic - Children can create their own personalities and resist the indoctrinarian of societies values
Other writers
- William J. Goode
What was his study
What did he find
Goode:
STUDY: studied family trends around the world
THESIS: Theres a universal trend towards a monogamous nuclear family in response to claims there was a diversity of families
Parsons - Theory criticisms
- Feminism
FEM: Ansley - women are takers of shit, directly criticising the warm bath theory
