Functionalist views on the family Flashcards
What are the general functionalist views on the family?
Functionalists focus on the positive functions of the nuclear family.
The functionalist theory believes in a ‘fit thesis’, that the nuclear family has developed to suit the needs of modern industrial society.
What are Parsons’ views on the family?
He suggests that the characteristics that make the nuclear family suitable for modern society are that people are no longer relying on wider family networks for survival and they’re geographically mobile.
Studying the typical American family in 1950, he argues that the family fulfils two vital functions for society:
-The socialisation of children.
-The stabilisation of adult personality.
Primary socialisation of norms and values, through reinforcing positive values and sanctioning undesirable values, teaches children appropriate behaviours in social situations.
The ‘warm bath theory’ is the belief that family life provides emotional security for adult members, enables adults to indulge childish tendencies through child interaction and these actions stabilise personalities and provides a sense of fulfilment.
Parsons suggested that roles in the family were divided based on biological characteristics and gendered socialisation.
Men take an instrumental role and women take an expressive role.
What are Chester’s views on the family?
Chester suggested that despite families appearing to have changed since Parsons, this was simply a surface level change.
He described the neo-conventional family, a dual-earning family in which both partners work.
What are Murdock’s views on the family?
Murdock studied families in a variety of cultures and claimed that the family had four functions:
-Control of sexual behaviour of adults.
-Economic support for children.
-Reproduction of society through new members.
-Education of family members.
The nuclear family provides economic support, by the man working and providing for the family, and the women providing an unpaid domestic role.
Sexual urges are stimulated, and the promotion of a heterosexual relationship ensures reproduction for the next generation of society.
Education refers to the socialisation of children, being taught the norms and values of society, alongside gender roles which are crucial for the harmonious functioning of society.
By producing the next generation of society, stress is taken off of the elderly.
What are the evaluations of Parsons’ views on the family?
Feminists criticise Parsons for stereotypical views of female role expectations.
Nuclear family is argued not to have evolved due to industrialisation.
Parsons views are seen as outdated – criticised by more contemporary research that states decline in functions of the family.
Parsons has an ethnocentric view based on American views and is theoretical rather than research based.
What are the evaluations of Murdock’s views on the family?
Feminists argue that Murdock’s functions ignore that the most universal unit is mother and children.
Marxists argue that Murdock ignores the influence of capitalism in reproducing the next generation of workers and controlling the ability of workers to challenge the ruling class.
Murdock’s ideas might be outdated, failing to acknowledge changing gender roles and greater diversity of family types.
What are Willmott and Young’s views on the family?
Willmott and Young take a march of progress view; that the family has developed through a number of stages in history.
They argued that families had become more symmetrical – that men and women performed similar roles in contrast to Parsons.
They also found that men, women and children spent more time together in the home, rather than separately outside the home.
They also discussed a stratified diffusion, arguing that changes in norms and values tend to start among the wealthy and then others start to behave in the same way.
What are the evaluations of Willmott and Young’s views on the family?
Some argue that women experience a glass ceiling and were unable to gain promotions, despite working in similar industries.
Oakley disagrees, arguing that women now had a dual burden.
