Fuctionalist View Of The Family Flashcards
Murdock’s 4 functions of the family
Sexual - The family allows adults to fulfil their sexual needs, preventing a free for all/rape.
Economic - The family as collective is able to satisfy the economic needs e.g food, money, a home etc.
Reproduction- The family provides a stable environment for producing and looking after children, which is essential for society to exist.
Educational - The family teaches children the values and norms of what is acceptable in society.
Nuclear family
Two generational social group - two parents and one or more children living together. “Ideal family”
Extended family
A family that extends beyond the nuclear family and may include aunties, uncles and grandparents all living together in the same residence.
Functionalist view of the nuclear family
Functionalists see the nuclear family as functioning for the greater good of society. Maintains social order and stability. Also maintains an effective economy.
George Murdocks study
Functionalist Murdock compared the family set-ups of over 250 societies worldwide. He concluded that the nuclear family was universal as it existed in every known society and therefore functioned for the good of society.
Murdock’s criticisms
Murdock’s theory is outdated, fails to take into account the challenges to the effectiveness of the family.
E.g -
1) reproduction- size of family has declined due to women’s attitudes to marriage, for example women getting married and having children in the 21st century is now seen as optional.
2) Sexual - a more secular society means that sex before and outside of marriage is now the norm.
3) socialisation- concerns how the mass media, television and computer games are having an effect on children and have become more influential on children.
Parsons’ theory of the family
Focused on examining how the social and economic change associated with the industrial revolution shaped family structures and relationships
How did the extended family preform the following functions for its members?
1) extended family functioned as a unit of production to supply food, shelter and clothing for survival.
2) the extended family equipped it’s members with the basic skills and education needed for labour. Socialisation rarely extended to literacy and numeracy.
3) extended family functioned to maintain the health of its members.
4) extended family functioned to proved care for its members. E,g family members who were at old age would be cared for.
Primary socialisation of children
Parsons believed that the family was the main centre of primary socialisation. Teaching and learning of the attitudes, norms and values of society, that occurs mainly during childhood and prepares a child to take their place as an adult in society.
Stabilisation of adult personality
Parsons argued that the second major function of the family was to relieve stress of work for adults and provide emotional support.
Warm bath theory
Parsons claimed the nuclear family could act as a ‘warm bath’ relieving men’s stress and a chance to take their anger out and refresh him for the next days work.
Steel and Kidd (2001) - family does this providing “in the home a warm, loving, stable environment.”
Criticisms of the functionalist theory of the family
Fletcher (1988) argues that Parsons was wrong and argues that the family had three unique and crucial functions. including:
1) satisfying the long-term sexual and emotional needs of parents
2) raising children in a stable environment
3) provide a home to which all family members can return to after work and school.
4 changes the industrial revolution brought about - parsons
Geographically mobile workforce - people are required to move to where their job are. Parsons argues that the nuclear family fits better with this.
Social mobility - the movement between individuals between social classes
Emergence of specialised agencies - families don’t need to provide much anymore such as education and healthcare due to the emergence on agencies such as the NHS and free schooling.
Change of functions of the family - parsons believes that family structures change along with society so that each type of family is created to ‘fit’ society at the time.
