Functionalist Views

Question 1

Murdock(1949)

Answer 1

Nuclear families perform 4 main functions for society:
Sexual- who you can and cant have sex with.
Reproductive- society would die quickly without it
Economic- family member share money and food to ensure survival
Educational- socialise family members.
EVALUATION - Murdock only looked at 250 societies which is not enough to make generalisations from - family life is different across different societies.

Question 2

Talcoff Parsons (1959)

Answer 2

Two functions of the family:
Primary socialisation- basic norms and values being taught.
Stabilisation of the adult personality- to help people fit into society and for society to remain stable.
EVALUATION- Families are not always perfect - feminist says there is a “dark side” to family life, like domestic violence and child abuse.