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Functionalism and the family - Coggle Diagram
Functionalism and the family
Murdock: 4 functions of the family
Stable satisfaction of the sex drive - prevents social disruption caused by a sexual 'free for all'
Reproduction of the next generation
Socialisation of the young - into society's shared norms and values to maintain stable society
Meeting its members' economic needs - such as food and water
Without these functions
Lead to anomie
Inadequate socialisation
Lose social cohesion
Unstable families
Sexual free for all
Criticisms
Feminists question the need of the family (ideological)
Traditional family disadvantages women
Other institutions can produce those functions (schools, religion)
May not be universal - some cultures don't appear to have families
Marxists argue that the family meets the needs of capitalism rather than meeting the needs of its members
Parsons' functional fit
Parsons distinguishes between the nuclear family and the extended family
Argues that the function of the family depends on which society it is found in
As society changes, the type of family that fits that society and its functions changes
As society has industrialised, the main family type has changed from extended to nuclear
The nuclear family fits the more complex industrial structure, but performs a reduced number of functions
In pre-industrial times, the family was entirely responsible for the education of the children, producing food, and caring for the sick
In industrial society, the isolated nuclear family becomes the norm, as society needs a geographically and socially mobile workforce
Socially mobile workforce
Society functions more efficiently if the best people get the best roles
Constant evolving tech requires skilled workforce
Sons often out succeed fathers when they start earning, causing conflict / friction, so son moves out and starts his own nuclear family
Geographically mobile workforce
Nuclear family is much more suited for moving to different places for a job
Easy to move 2 generations than 3
Structural differentiation
Society has specialised institutions that take care of roles once performed by the family
For example, education, healthcare
Parsons: 2 functions of the family
Primary socialisation
Learning the first set of norms and values
Children are socialised by family
Stabilisation of adult personalities
Sexualised division of labour
Mother takes on expressive role (nurturing, housework)
Father takes on instrumental role (breadwinner)
Father can come home and relax
Woman's job is to ease tension in the family
Warm bath theory
Rest of society can work more efficiently
Takes mind off work
Provides stabilisation (reduces crime, helps socialisation and family)
Criticisms of functionalism
Downplays conflict
Ignores dark side of family (not providing 2 functions)
Child abuse, domestic violence
Outdated
Parson's view of instrumental and expressive role is old-fashioned
Majority of women today work
Blurring of gender roles
Both partners take on both instrumental and expressive role
Ignores exploitation of women
Ignore the way women suffer from the sexual division of labour
Women still end up being the primary child carer in 90% of families
Suffer from a burden of extra work
Gender roles are socially constructed, not biologically
Too deterministic
Children have autonomy over their lives
Don't have to accept the norms and values of their parents
Extended family in industrial revolution
Anderson
W/C often relied on elderly family members for childcare
Adopted orphaned relatives as a source of income
Willmott
Dispersed extended families
Still have an impact on families
No extended family in pre-industrial revolution
Laslett
Study of English households from 1564 to 1821
Found that families were almost always nuclear
Due to late childrearing and short life expectancy, grandparents were unlikely to be alive after birth of their grandchildren
Too privatised - emotional stress
Leach
Too isolated
Not helping its members
Decline in birth rate
Less children, less important for primary socialisation
Nursery / childcare becomes more afforable