Functionalist View

What is a family according to functionalists?

• A social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction.

What is a nuclear family?

• A household consisting of two parents (mother and father- traditional) and their biological children.

What did Murdock say about the nuclear family?

Murdock claimed the Nuclear Family is universal?

How many societies did Murdock study before deciding the nuclear family was universal?

250

What are the 4 main Functions of the Nuclear Family (Murdock)?

• S- Stable satisfaction of the human sex drive.

• E- Educational transmission of norms and values.

• E- Meeting the ECONOMIC needs of the family.

• R- Reproduction of the next generation.

Criticism of Murdock’s ideas of the Nuclear Family?

• We can meet the different aspects of the functions outside the traditional family

• Reproduction can come from IVF or the NHS

• Economics can come from welfare state such as the child benefit.

• Education can come from early years intervention intervention such as sure start centres.

• The feminists would argue the family is a reinforcement of patriarchal values and expectations and forces oppression upon women.

• The “dark side of the family”: The negative experiences of family members within the family, including sexual assault, physical assault, emotional manipulation, coercive control as well as financial abuse.

• ¼ women face domestic abuse

• A woman is murdered on average every 2.5 days by a current or former partner.

• Murdock also assumes the nuclear family is the best type of family, to the ignorance of other types e.g. extended family, single parent families etc.

What is a household?

• Different from the family as it can include individuals living alone, for example because of choice, bereavement or being divorced.

• Alternatively, a household can refer to a group of people with a common goal/s living together without necessarily being related, married or committed to each other.

• E.g. Accommodation housing

What is Parson’s view of the family?

• The family can perform many functions. The functions change to fit the needs of the society. This is known as functional fit theory.

• Functional Fit theory: Suggests the family adapts and changes to meet the needs of a society at a particular stage of development.

• E.g. during agricultural revolution, the family were an extended multi-generational family that supported each other internally. As members of society began to move into cities for work opportunities, during the Industrial Revolution, there was an increase in the nuclear family.

• This was since family members, such as grandparents were usually left behind due to their lack of geographical mobility.

What are the two main roles of the family?

• Primary socialisation

• Stabilisation of adult personalities

What is the stabilisations of adult personalities?

The idea that families, particularly in a nuclear family structure, provide emotional support and stability for adults, helping them cope with the stresses of work and life.

What is the 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 and it would take away the stress and refresh him for the next day’s work.

What is the instrumental role?

The husband achieves success at work, financially supporting the family, does DIY, provides discipline.

What is the expressive role?

The wife is nurturing, caring for children, looking after the house, cooking and cleaning.

Criticisms for Parsons:

• Corporal (physical) punishment can have a negative impact on children’s well being.

• Changes in the law have encouraged more women into the workplace and into male dominated industry (1970 Equal Pay act)

• Men are equally capable of looking after children

• Women are equally capable of disciplining children