Sociological perspectives

Question 1

Describe functionalism

Answer 1

functionalists see society as being made up of institutions (education , family , religion etc) that all work together to create a society where there isn’t a great deal of conflict.

Functionalists believe that people’s actions are strongly shaped by society and they view this as a good thing as it creates a stable order in society.

Question 2

What are the criticisms of functionalism

Answer 2

• They ignore the conflict that exists within society between particular groups e.g rich and poor , men and women
• According to wrong functionalists are over-deterministic he criticises functionalist for painting a picture of members of society as over-socialised individuals. He rejects the idea that all social behaviour is moulded by the social system.

Question 3

Outline and explain two criticisms of the Functionalist view of society (10)

Answer 3

1) Conflict theorists (Marxists and Feminists) point out that Functionalists have a rose tinted view of society – they focus too much on the positive functions that institutions perform, ignoring the negative ways in which institutions and socialisation can have on certain people. Feminists for example argue that the traditional nuclear family, which is seen as necessary by Parsons, oppresses women, as they are expected to fulfil the housewife role, which ultimately makes women dependent on men for an income, and ends up benefitting men who benefit from women’s emotional and domestic labour. They also ignore the really ‘dark side of family life’ – domestic violence.

2)Interactionists criticise Functionalism for being a deterministic theory – human behaviour is portrayed as being shaped by the social system, as if individuals are programmed by social institutions, being the puppets of social forces.There is a considerable amount of evidence against this view – for example despite most people being socialised into traditional gender norms, many people today develop LGBTQ identities; despite being socialised to obey the law, self-report studies show high levels of minor criminality

Question 4

Strengths of the functionalists perspective

Answer 4

• it highlights the importance of various institutions in society e.g education , family
• it provides a clear explanation as to why most people conform to the norms and laws of society
• it recognises that people’s norms, values, and behaviours are influenced by broad social structures.

Question 5

Describe the Marxist perspective

Answer 5

They believe that society is based on conflict between two groups
1)Business elite/bourgeois
2)Workers

Marxists argue that the ruling class control the institutions of society - education , religion , media etc
That these institutions teach people that its normal for there to be gaps in wealth between the wealthy and the workers and they keep society the way its organised.

Question 6

Criticisms of marxism/marxist perspective

Answer 6

Marx’s theory ignores other factors which can contribute to social inequality, such as a person’s race and religion. A person’s gender is also mostly ignored by Marxism. Feminists would suggest that gender provides a greater social division in society rather than social class

Marxism can be criticized for being overly simplistic in the idea of society being split into two social classes. There are different levels of wealth in society, so it is more likely that there are several social classes

, Post-modernists would argue that social
structures such as class are in decline as individuals shape their identity
through more than just their economic situation, but rather through media,
interactions with peers and education – limited the usefulness of Marxism in
contemporary society

overlooks the positive functions that institutions play

Question 7

strengths of the marxist perspective

Answer 7

It shows the relationship between the state and its people and more importantly demonstrates the ability of the state to influence the people and individual groups

Question 8

Describe the feminist perspective

Answer 8

They believe that society is based on conflict between male and females

they argue that society is organised to serve the needs of men and is patriarchal
. Patriarchy is found in all the institutions in society e.g family , education , media etc women are systematically disadvantaged and oppressed

there are 3 types of feminism ;
-Liberal feminism
-Marxists feminism
-Radical feminism .

Question 9

Describe Liberal feminism

Answer 9

this approach seeks to bring about equal opportunities for men and women

Question 10

Criticisms of liberal feminism

Answer 10

liberal feminist view is ethnocentric – it only really reflects the experiences of white, middle class women.

Question 11

Describe Radical feminism

Answer 11

This approach focuses on patriarchy as the cause of women oppression

They argue that society is patriarchal – it is dominated and ruled by men – men are the ruling class, and women the subject class.

radical feminists believe they will not be free until patriarchy is abolished

Question 12

Criticisms of radical feminists

Answer 12

It focuses too much on the negative experiences of women, failing to recognise that some women can have happy marriages for example.

It tends to portray women as universally good and men as universally bad, It has been accused of man hating, not trusting all men.

Question 13

Describe marxist feminist

Answer 13

A feminist approach which combines feminism with marxism to argue that women are exploited by both capitalism and patriarchy

Question 14

Criticisms of marxist feminism

Answer 14

Postmodernist feminists argue that there are more complex issues feminism needs to deal with surrounding gender and culture which Marxist feminists dismiss as just ideologies of capitalism

Marxist feminism is too narrowly focused on issues of the economy and work and downplays issues which are not economic in nature.