sociological perspectives Flashcards
what organ is the family referred as?
The heart, vital for the functioning of society
Murdocks 4 main functions of the family.
sexual
reproduction
socialization
economic
The primary socialization of children
Parsons (1951) - primary socialization, learning the basics of society. Families are factories producing human personalities and the family provides the emotional warmth and security to achieve this.
Stabilization of human personalities
Industrial societies provide emotional hardships and the family is used as a way to stabilize this by the sexual division of labour in the fam e.g. expressive role and instrumental role.
Fit between nuclear family and contemporary society
Parsons, young and Wilmott, fletcher suggest classic extended family has disappeared and privatised nuclear family or modified extended has emerged. These families are self-contained, self-reliant and home centred, focused only on the wellbeing of the family unit. They are ‘structurally isolated’.
six reasons for the decline of extended family life.
need for geographical mobility
higher rate of social mobility
growth in wealth and income and development of welfare state.
growth in meritocracy
need to avoid possibility of economic and status differences.
protection of family and its stability.
changing functions of the family
functions like health care and education now have their own institutions e.g. NHS. Parsons calls this structural differentiation.
Criticisms of functionalist perspective
Downplaying conflict - rose tinted glasses.
out of date
ignores exploitation of women
ignoring the harmful effects of the family.
case against the loss of functions of the family
Fletcher 50 years ago suggested that the family now has more responsibilities. Families more concerned with health of children because of NHS and social departments have the ability to intervene in disrupted families. Plays an economic role as a unit of consumption, by being concerned with living standards.
