functionalist view on F & H

Question 1

-see family as a _____ ______ in maintaining the body of society
-family produces _______ _______
-family responsible for _______ & ________ _____

Answer 1

vital organ
primary socialisation
reproduction & economic support

Question 2

murdock (1949) argued that there are 4 main functions of family, what are they?

Answer 2

-sexual, family regulates expression of sexuality, morally acceptable forms of expression happen within family, incest adultery & homosexuality are social disapproved
-reproduction, family provides stability to create & rest children
-socialisation, primary socialisation, children learn societies norms, values & customs from parents, they internalise it (become what society expects)
-economic, family provides economic support (eg food shelter clothing)

Question 3

what are positives of murdocks beliefs about family ?

Answer 3

-his findings are based on his travels & 250 different societies
-found nuclear family exists in some form or another in most societies
-simplifies family to help sociologists understand the role of family in society

Question 4

what are negatives of murdocks argument about families?

Answer 4

-assumes societies operate like american society, known as ethnocentrism
-morally presumptuous, assumes there is a right and wrong in society
-theory is now dated, doesn’t take into account recent development in modern society (eg family size, sexual attitudes, mass media)
-family can have negative effects therefore not filling its social functions

Question 5

what did parsons (1951) say the two things that united all families were?

Answer 5

-primary socialisation of children
-stabilisation of human personalities

Question 6

parsons said, society has a number of ways in which adults can be ______ (money, stress, work, success)
—> the family acts as a _____ influence on adults, stablishing them & contributing to ________ ________

Answer 6

established
calming
societal peace

Question 7

parsons said men and women have different family roles, men are the ______ _______, provide money, food etc in doing so they’re exposed to higher levels of stress & anxiety as women, known as the _______ ________

Answer 7

bread winners
instrumental role

Question 8

parsons said women in family are nurturing & caring, they provide support for children & partners
this is called the ________ ______

Answer 8

expressive role

Question 9

what is parsons warm bath theory?

Answer 9

when a man gets home from a hard day at work family acts like a warm bath & calls them & prepares them for the next day

Question 10

who discovered the family fit theory?

Answer 10

-parsons
-murdock
-young & wilmott (1973)
-fletcher (1966)

Question 11

what is the family fit theory?

Answer 11

parsons said that family is adapting to the needs of society

Question 12

what were pre industrial families like?

Answer 12

-most people lived in extended families
-extended family served as an economic unit of production
-high infant mortality rates so large family units acted as a safety net against loss of children
-more children = more workers
-primary socialisation and education provided the skills to support the family but no more beyond that

Question 13

what was pre industrial britain like (<1970) ?

Answer 13

-largely rural & poor
-no formal education
-jobs often small scale, community work (eg baker)
-duty & obligation to family
-land owned by extended families

Question 14

why does the industrial revolution link to the family?

Answer 14

-geographical mobility ( families need to move and taking the entire extended family was not possible so only took wife and kids (nuclear family comes about)
-increased social mobility ( people within same family began to have different levels of education and jobs, which weakens family ties)
-increased role of the state, structural differentiation, (functions which were previously part of the family like education and healthcare were provided by the state, gave extended family less use)
-growth of meritocracy (previously, family connections were the most important factor in getting work, however people began to compete based on skills)
-within family conflict (competing priorities of rural/urban life, as well as an increasing diversity of jobs and lifestyles in turn weakened kinship ties, links with extended family becoming more optional )

Question 15

what is the privatised nuclear family?

Answer 15

a nuclear family that is largely cut off from extended kin, neighbours & community life in favour of being a home centred unit
-happened as the commitment to the community became less important

Question 16

the family 1950- present?

Answer 16

Increasing diversity of family units & the dominance of the nuclear family is decreasing

Question 17

1950-present, why is the nuclear family decreasing?

Answer 17

• Increased wealth and health further reduces the need for extended family links.
• More women entering the workforce and longer life expectancy means fewer children are born.
• Increased secularisation as religion becomes less important in society
• Rising divorce rates and decreasing (and delayed) marriage rates.
• Liberalisation of society meaning more acceptable forms of family e.g. same-sex couples.
• Advances in technology lead to less need for co-located families.
• Improved social mobility decreases reliance on family.
• Increasing individualism (postmodernism) and increasing choice

Question 18

what did laslett (1972) argue?

Answer 18

he challenged parsons view of the family
-research into church parish records suggests that the nuclear family already existed on mass before the industrial revolution
however his research was based on parish records which do not provide details on family life, just household numbers

Question 19

what did anderson (1971) argue?

Answer 19

his studies in preston suggested the extended family continued to exist throughout the industrial revolution

Question 20

supporting evaluation for functionalists view on families?

Answer 20

-they view accounts for why the nuclear family can be found in nearly all societies around the world
-whilst the nuclear family isn’t the most common family type, it is still highly desirable in society (serial monogamy)
-many government policies are based on functionalist view on family (eg shared parental leave)

Question 21

what are the four criticisms of the functionalists perspective on families?

Answer 21

-downplaying conflict
-very out of date, irrelevant to our society
-ignores the exploitation of women
-doesn’t discuss harmful effects of family

Question 22

criticism:
downplaying conflict

Answer 22

-both murdock and parsons paint very positive pictures of family life, however they downplay conflict, particularly the darker side of family life, such as violence against women and child abuse
-children may become emotionally disturbed by conflict between parents & children may often be used as scapegoats by parents

Question 23

criticism :
being out of date

Answer 23

-parsons view of instrumental & expressive roles of men & women is very old fashioned ( may be truthful in 1950 when women were full time housewives)
-now both partners likely to be posting expressive and instrumental roles at various times, especially if men are taking in greater responsibilities for childcare
-roles now more fluid