Functionalist view of the family Flashcards
Functionalist perspective
Functionalists see the family as a particularly important sub system, a basic building block of society
Functions of the family according to Murdock
He argues that the family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
- Reproduction of the next generation
- Socialisation of the young
- Meeting it members economic needs
Criticisms of Murdock
Murdock accepts other institutions are able to fulfill the functions the family performs. However he think the nuclear family is practical to fulfill these needs. Other sociologists agree that these functions are important, but believe other institutions are able to perform the just as well or by non nuclear families. Feminist argues the family does not meet the needs of all its members and this it meets the needs of men and oppresses women. Marxists argue it meets the needs of capitalism not the family.
Parsons. “Functional fit theory”
He believes the functions the family perform depend on the kind of society it is found in.
The nuclear family of just parents and their dependent children. The extended family of just three generations living under the same roof.
He believes that the structure of the family will fit the needs of society which it is found in.
He believes there are two types of society, the traditional pre industrial society and modern industrial society. He believes the extended family fit the needs of pre industrial society and the nuclear family fits the needs of the modern industrial society.
First essential need industrial society needs according to Parsons
- A geographically mobile workforce.
Parsons argues that in the modern industrial society industries constantly decline spring up in different parts of the country, because of this people have to move constantly this is easier for the nuclear family as there is only two generations of the family than the extended family. Parsons argues that the nuclear family is better fitted to the need that modern industry has for a geographically modern workforce.
The second essential need industrial society needs according to Parsons:
- A socially mobile workforce
Modern industrial society is based on constantly evolving science and technology and so it requires a skilled, technically competant workforce. It is therefore essential that talented people are able to win promotion and take on the most jobs, regardless of their background. In modern society an individuals status is achieved by their own efforts and ability. The son of a labourer can become a doctor or lawyer through hard work. Because of this, Parsons argues the nuclear family is better equipped to meet the needs of industrial society.
Parsons, stabilisation of adult personalities
The Warm Bath theory.
When a man came home from a hard day at work, he could relax into his family like a warm back and it would take away the stress and refresh him for the next days work, while the wife maintains the household.
Loss of functions
The pre industrial society was a unit of production in which family members worked together and unit of consumption feeding and clothing its members. The family has become a unit of consumption only. It lost some of its functions to other institutions such as school and health service. According to Parsons, when society industrialised, the family not only changes its structure from extended to nuclear, it also loses many of its functions. In Parsons view as a result of the loss of functions, the modern nuclear family comes to specialise in performing just two essential functions
What is the primary socialisation of children?
To equip children with values and skills valued by society, to enable them to cooperate with others and begin to intergrade them into society
What is the stabilisation of adult personalities?
The family is a place where adults can relax and release tensions, enabling them to return to the workplace refreshed and ready to meet its demands. This is functional for the efficiency of the economy
Peter Laslett
He conducted a study of English households from 1564 to 1821 found that they were almost always nuclear. A combination of late childbearing and short live expectancy meant that grandparents were unlikely to be alive for very long after their grand children were born, unlike Parsons claims.
Willmott and Young
Argue that the family did not become nuclear in early industrial society and the hardship of the early industrial period gave rise to the mum centred working class extended family based on ties between mothers and their married daughters, who relied on each other for finanical, practical and emotional support
