functionalism

Question 1

what is functionalism?

Answer 1

• functionalism is a perspective that is based on the view tat society is made up of independent parts, each of which contributes to the functioning of society as a whole
• functionalists tend to argue that men and women have separate social roles that are based on biological differences and that these different roles contribute- to the smooth running of society
• functionalists suggest that since women give birth and nurse a child, it is natural that they will take care of it
• this leads to a division of labour between men and women in which women are more involved in domestic activities such as preparing meals and maintainuing a home
• men therefore act as breadwinners and other economically dominant roles

Question 2

What did Murdock (1949) say?

Answer 2

-Murdock (1949) studied gender roles in over 200 societies and found that women were located in the home because of their biological function of bearing children and beause their physique meant hat they were less evident in all of the societies he studied and therefore universal because ethey were functional

Question 3

what did Parsons (1955) say?

Answer 3

• parsons (1955) referred to men as having the instrumental practive role while women have theexpressive caring role
• these separate roles are seen as contributing to the smooth running of society but they also explain why men and women have different experiences in the labour market and elsewhere in the public sphere

Question 4

what is human capital theory?

Answer 4

• human cvapital theory contends that the wage gap and other employment related differences can be explained by the amount of human capital an individual or group of workers develop through the knowledge and skills they have obtaines, often through education and training
• it is argued that personal incomes vary according to the amount of investment that is made in developing human capitral

Question 5

what did Rastogi (2002) say?

Answer 5

• Rastogi (2002) sees human capital as knowledge competency, attitude and behaviour embedded in an individual
• the theory has been used to support functionalist views on meritocracy with the argument that men and women serve different roles and functions in society and are rewarded in different ways
• men are work oriented and committed to their jobs whereas women choose to prioritise their roles as homemakers and caring for family over their careers
• as a result gender inequalities in the workplace arise and are a legitimate outcome as women develop lower levels of human capital than men

Question 6

what is the evaluation of functionalism?

Answer 6

• feminists such as Oakley have shown that gender roles are socially constructed rather than based on biological differences
• human capital theory ignores the structural constraints in society that may disadvantage women
• the functionalist perspective is criticised because it has not kept pace with social changes in gender roles
• functionalism tends to refer to the experience of white middle class people and neglects other social groups