functionalists

what was George Murdock theory

he suggested the family preforms 4 functions

stabilising the sex drive

socialising children

economic

biological reproduction

what is Talcott Parsons theory

family can preform many functions the function depends on the needs of society. the functional fit theory

pre-industrial family- extended family

industrial family- nuclear family

what is Talcott Parsons ‘warm bath theory’

he believes family is like a warm bath. when the man comes home from work his family are like slipping to a warm bath as he walks through the door as if his family are like a warm hug, everyone is happy.

what is a criticism of the warm bath theory

that Talcott Parsons is ignoring the dark side, assuming people even come home to a house. he ignores the domestic violence and that some families don’t get along

what are strengths of the functionalist perspective

it acknowledges family can be a place of after

acknowledges the importance of socialisation for children

demonstrates a positive view on society

what are weaknesses of the functionalists perspective

it ignores the dark side like domestic violence

supports gender roles and lacks understanding of more contemporary roles for men and women

what is the esxpressive role

caring, loving , weaker than a man

what is the instrumental role

breadwinner, decision maker

what is willmott and young’s theory

the symmetrical family makes family more equal and fair because of balance between men and women’s chores in and out of the house. they split burdens such as employment, household work, emotional work making the family equal for men and women

evidence of symmetrical family

women gaining employment in a place that’s considers male dominant

surveys showed couples wanting equal partnerships

nuclear families have to rely on eachother

what is a criticism of the functionalists

Marxist feminists- women are the takers of shit

what are the 2 functions of family that Talcott Parsons said

primary socialisation

stabilisation of adult personality’s

how do functionalists look at the world

they see things as if they are wearing rose tinted glasses- they ignore negatives

how do they see family

like a heart in the body, functionalists believe that the family enables society to function. society is like a biological organism like the human body. the body is made up of organs that functions together this is what they think of society, things function together

what do they think about the nuclear family

that it’s the ideal family and that if everyone was in a nuclear family society would function better

what is emile Durkhiems theory

the theory views society as more than just a collection of individuals- it’s a system guided by social facts, or shared norma’s and values that shape behaviour.

what are functionalist concepts

• collective conscience-shared set of values and beliefs

• social solidarity- group based on shared interests

• value consensus- fundamental functionalists concept

why do we have the symmetrical family now

• since the 1960s increase of women in work force(dual income)

• more respect, acceptance and flexibility around women in gender roles in households (cultural shift)

• without grandparents help, parents help with childcare, housework and emotional work (decrease in extended families)

• both partners have more time for emotional work( technology like microwaves and online delivery)

what is the Pew research centre

• proportion of fathers being primary care givers has risen, fathers spend more time on childcare than previous generations

• increase of flexibility-working hours, paternity leave for men

• during covid surveys show that men and women spent more time on housework and childcare