Functions of the family

Functionalist view

All institutions in society have important roles to play, this includes the family
The family has important functions both for society and the individuals
educational
Primary socialisation
economic
The family provides economic security by pooling resources
reproductive
Produces the next generation of society
sexual
Ensures that adult' sexual relationship is controlled and stable

Talcott parson argued that in a modern western society the state could provide education and could perform an economic function but the family had 2 irreducible functions
Primary socialisation
Parsons argued that families taught children the social norms and values, however he argued that families specifically taught the values associated with their community while other institutions such as schools taught the universal norms. Parsons calls this primary socialisation and secondary socialisation
Stabilisation of adult personalities
Parsons also argued that families helped to prevent adults from behaving in disruptive ways. They provide emotional support for their members. Parsons calls this his warm bath theory where after a man came home from work he could relax into his family like a warm bath

evaluation of functionalism

Conflict theorists say that this view paints a too idealistic view of family life - families cause stress as well as relieving it
Conflict theorists also argue whether the roles that the fam play benefit society as a whole or just those within. For example feminists argue that families largely exist for the benefit of men
Ansley who is a Marxist feminist argues that instead of the warm bath theory the women are "takers of shit" so men may have stress relieved coming home from work but that is only by dumping it on their wives
These vies can be seen as incredibly out dated

marxist view

The family do play a role but it is for the bourgeoise (ruling class) not the family members
Engels 1884
Zaretsky 1976
Engels argued that family had a clear economic function for capitalism, by ensuring that wealth remained in the hands of the bourgeoise
Family relations, based on clear legal contracts facility inheritance and therefore when rich people die it is their children who keep a hold of the wealth
For Engels the family is all about bloodlines and proof of parenting
A variation of parsons warm bath theory, zaretsky argued that family life gave proletarian men something they could control and a space where they could be the boss. This provided a clear function for capitalism because it meant that workers would tolerate the powerlessness and frustration of being exploited at work because they had a private domain where they could take out their stress' and frustrations . Ties in with Ansley's Marxist feminist perspective that women are takers of shit

The Marxist system weaken the position of individual workers in relationship to the god
When a worker has to take dependants into account they are much more likely to not strike

evaluation of marxist views

Engels theory is not a very romantic take on marriage
Despite various experiments even in communist community's people have continued to live in family groups
Its outdated

feminist view

Feminists argue that the family is also an institution that preserves the social order
They argue that families preserve, support and embed patriarchy
Liberal feminism
They focus on striving for legal equality. Th family has long been a clear source of inequality. Marital rape was not formally recognised as a crime until 1991. divorce laws have been reformed on many occasions to make them more equal but it used to be much easier for a man to get a divorce than a women
Liberal feminists argue that most of these battles for legal equality have been won, however there is clearly still inequality between sections. They put this down to the need to also change cultural values in society
As such while families currently play a part in the oppression of women they do not have to: it is possible to have family life and gender inequality
Radical feminism
Radical feminists do not believe that changing the law will ever be enough on its own to end the oppression of women. They argue that men will always oppress women and the family is a vehicle for that oppression. As such women should find alternative ways of living where they are not subject to male oppression. This has led to some radical feminists to favour gender separatism
Radical feminists argue that girls are socialised to believe that oppression and inequality is normal and therefore they accept it. They even dream and work for it
Marxist feminists
Marxist feminists area that family's help to preserve both capatalism and the patriarchy. They point out that the capatalist system gets the benefit of unpaid female work as their workforce and the next generation are fed, looked after and kept happy

evaluation of feminism

Feminists may paint too negative and gloomy of a picture. While some families are like this nit all families are
Some people criticize feminists for being too passive in allowing the patriarchy to push them down
This is out of date in some ways as many women work now

new right view

Argue that the nuclear family is the bedrock of society.
The nuclear family is also known as the cereal packet family
Charles Murray 1998 Murray argues that welfare policies has undermined the nuclear family and given perverse incentives for people to start single parent family or to end their marriages and form single parent families He argues that the welfare state has led to a dependency culture where an underclass of people live of benefits and have no aspiration to work for a living He further argues that while Murdock suggests that the family had an economic function for underclass families this function is now carried out by the state

New Right Evaluation

"blaming the victim" theory -
Not a sociological theory but a political position, merely an ideological justification for capatalist policies