functionalist views of the family Flashcards
George Murdock (1949)
- 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.
Murdock criticisms
- 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)
stable satisfaction of the sex drive benefits the individual because…
- controls sexual urges
- less promiscuity, responsibility
- promotion of hetero
- socialisation into gender appropriate roles
stable satisfaction of the sex drive benefits society because…
clear inheritance lines
reproduction of the next generation benefits the individual because:
- gender socialisation prepares children to have their own children once in a stable relationship
- man and woman procreate in a family setting
reproduction of the next generation benefits society because:
- chilren know who their parents are
- prevents stagnation of society and strain on older members of society
socialisation of the young benefits the individual becuase:
- children learn norms and values of society
- allow children to fit into society
socialisation of the young benefits society becuase:
- cheaper than schools doing it
- ensures children contribute to harmonious society.
meeting the economic needs of family members benefits the individual because:
-
meeting the economic needs of family members benefits society because:
- generates income for country, benefitting the social welfare system
criticism:
gov money makes rich richer instead of making welfare more effective = capitalism
gendered roles of socialisation:
- 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
gendered roles of economic function of the family:
- the man is the breadwinner
- the woman does unpaid housework and childcare
Talcott Parsons (1955)
- observed a growing and changing industrial world
- functional fit theory
- structural approach
- argued for 2 irreducible functions
What were Parsons’ two irreducible functions of the family?
- primary socialisation of children
- stabilisation of adult personalities - ensures adults function well in society through physical and financial support
Parsons’ functional fit theory definition
the family type is moulded by what society needs
functional fit theory
- 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
functional fit theory: pre-industrial family
- 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
functional fit theory: industrial family
- 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
warm bath theory
the job of the woman is to produce a calm atmosphere for stressed husband
instrumental role
male role
expressive role
female role
polyandry
multiple husbands
polyigomy
multiple wives
matricfocal
woman-focused family
patrifocal
man-focused family
primogeniture
a system in which things are inherited to the first born (son)
