functionalist views of the family

Question 1

George Murdock (1949)

Answer 1

• functionalist
• studied 250+ societies/cultures
• argued for universal nuclear family
• 4 things family does in society: economic, sexual regulation, education & reproduction
• these family functions are necessary to meet the needs of society.

Question 2

Murdock criticisms

Answer 2

• assumes nuclear family is the best version
• other institutions perform these functions just as well
• women are exploited (feminism)
• meets the needs of capitalism rather than society (marxism)

Question 3

stable satisfaction of the sex drive benefits the individual because…

Answer 3

• controls sexual urges
• less promiscuity, responsibility
• promotion of hetero
• socialisation into gender appropriate roles

Question 4

stable satisfaction of the sex drive benefits society because…

Answer 4

clear inheritance lines

Question 5

reproduction of the next generation benefits the individual because:

Answer 5

• gender socialisation prepares children to have their own children once in a stable relationship
• man and woman procreate in a family setting

Question 6

reproduction of the next generation benefits society because:

Answer 6

• chilren know who their parents are
• prevents stagnation of society and strain on older members of society

Question 7

socialisation of the young benefits the individual becuase:

Answer 7

• children learn norms and values of society
• allow children to fit into society

Question 8

socialisation of the young benefits society becuase:

Answer 8

• cheaper than schools doing it
• ensures children contribute to harmonious society.

Question 9

meeting the economic needs of family members benefits the individual because:

Answer 9

-

Question 10

meeting the economic needs of family members benefits society because:

Answer 10

• generates income for country, benefitting the social welfare system

criticism:

gov money makes rich richer instead of making welfare more effective = capitalism

Question 11

gendered roles of socialisation:

Answer 11

• the woman provides emotional support and primary socialisation
• the man requires support due to the burden of work
• this upholds traditional values of nuclear family

Question 12

gendered roles of economic function of the family:

Answer 12

• the man is the breadwinner
• the woman does unpaid housework and childcare

Question 13

Talcott Parsons (1955)

Answer 13

• observed a growing and changing industrial world
• functional fit theory
• structural approach
• argued for 2 irreducible functions

Question 14

What were Parsons’ two irreducible functions of the family?

Answer 14

• primary socialisation of children
• stabilisation of adult personalities - ensures adults function well in society through physical and financial support

Question 15

Parsons’ functional fit theory definition

Answer 15

the family type is moulded by what society needs

Question 16

functional fit theory

Answer 16

• in pre industrial society, the family is a unit of production EXTENDED
• due to urbanisation and industrialisation, the family became a unit of consumption in industrial society NUCLEAR

Question 17

functional fit theory: pre-industrial family

Answer 17

• large families allow more jobs to get done
• no birth control- many children
• many children required as infant mortality rates are high due to poor healthcare
• family can take care of the sick with enough people to work still.
• low social mobility (agency) as the family generations work together on the same land
• less dense populations

Question 18

functional fit theory: industrial family

Answer 18

• cramped households result in family size smaller + dense population
• laws on children working and leaving school age higher- this means that they are now an economic liability.
• health crisis results in families being more pressured to care for the young and sick, women take on home duties as all people in lower classes typically work causing illness
• good geogrgaphic mobility for nuclear, but bad social mobility due to socioeconomic factors
• work benefits- healthcare

Question 19

warm bath theory

Answer 19

the job of the woman is to produce a calm atmosphere for stressed husband

Question 20

instrumental role

Answer 20

male role

Question 21

expressive role

Answer 21

female role

Question 22

polyandry

Answer 22

multiple husbands

Question 23

polyigomy

Answer 23

multiple wives

Question 24

matricfocal

Answer 24

woman-focused family

Question 25

patrifocal

Answer 25

man-focused family

Question 26

primogeniture

Answer 26

a system in which things are inherited to the first born (son)