Functionalism

What do functionalists think about the family?

Functionalists think that the family has important functions for both society and for individuals

Who are the two functionalist family sociologists?

• Murdock

• Parsons

What does Murdock say about families?

Murdock looked at families from across the world and found four functions that were common to all of them:

• Educational

• Economic

• Reproductive

• Sexual

What is the educational function of the family according to Murdock?

Children are taught the norms and values of society (primary socialisation)

What is the economic function of the family according to Murdock?

The family provides an economic function to all of its members by pooling resources and ensuring all members have what they need

What is the reproductive function of the family according to Murdock?

The family produces the next generation of society

What is the sexual function of the family according to Murdock?

The family ensures that adults sexual relationships are controlled and stable

What does Parsons say about the family?

Parons updated Murdocks theory. He argued that in modern, western societies, the state provided education and could perform an economic function but that the family still had two irreducible functions:

• Primary socialisation

• Stabilisation of adult personalities

What is the primary socialisation function of the family according to Parsons?

Parsons agreed that the family teaches children social norms and values. However, he argued that it taught children norms and values associated with their family or community while other institutions such as school, the media and religion taught children the universal norms and values of wider society (primary and secondary socialisation)

What is the stabilisation of adult personalities function of the family according to Parsons?

Parsons argued that families helped to prevent adults from behaving in disruptive ways and instead encouraged them to conform to social norms, especially at times of stress → family provides emotional support to its members (warm bath theory)

What is Parsons warm bath theory?

The idea that when a man came home from a hard day at work, he could relax into his family like a warm bath that would take away the stress and refresh him for the next day of work

What are criticisms of the functionalist views of the family by feminists and marxists?

Marxists and feminists argue that the functionalist views of the family paint a too idealistic picture of family life. Families aren’t like that for everyone and many people have negative experiences of family life

Conflict theorists also question whether the roles families perform really benefit the whole of society or just benefit the powerful groups within it → feminists argue that families exist largely for the benefit of men

Marxist-feminist Ansley describes women in the family as “takers of shit” because men coming home from work dump their stress onto their wives

These theories are outdated and suggest that families are all traditional nuclear families with men going to work and women in domestic roles → no longer the case anymore