Functionalism

• Family


  A universal institution that exists in all societies and has universal functions
• Nuclear family


  • Murdock believed it existed in each of the 250 societies he studied worldwide
• Functions of the family (according to Murdock)

  • Sexual
  • Economic
  • Reproduction
  • Education
• Sexual function


  Controlling the sexual behaviour of adults, promoting heterosexuality to enable reproduction
• Economic function


  Providing economic support for children, with the man providing work and the woman often doing unpaid domestic labour
• Reproductive function

  Ensuring society continues to develop by creating new members, through gender socialisation
• Educational function


  Teaching children the correct norms and values, as well as traditional gender roles, through primary socialisation
• Criticisms of Murdock's views

  • Feminists criticise the traditional nuclear family with the male as breadwinner
  • Marxists criticise the ignoring of capitalism's influence in reproducing the next generation of workers and controlling their ability to challenge the ruling class
• Parsons


  Another functionalist who discusses universal functions of the family
• Universal functions of the family (Parsons)

  • Stabilisation of the adult personality
  • Primary socialisation
• Stabilisation of the adult personality

  Families helped to prevent adults from behaving in disruptive or dysfunctional ways, instead encouraging them to conform to social norms, especially at times of stress. The family provides emotional support to its members.
• Primary socialisation

  Families taught children social norms and values associated with their family and/or community, while other institutions taught children the universal norms and values of wider society
• Warm bath theory


  The support offered to the male breadwinner by his family, where he can return to destress from the stresses of working life in industrial society
• Gender roles (Parsons)


  • Instrumental leader (male's role as breadwinner and paid work)
  • Expressive leader (female's role of providing emotional support, domestic work, childcare)
• Fit thesis


  The nuclear family emerged in industrial societies because it was a good fit for the new way that the economy operated
• Criticisms of Parsons


  • Ethnocentric view based on American ideals unlike Murdock
  • Feminists criticise traditional gender roles, which have changed in many societies
• Evaluation points


  • Functionalism is outdated, Parsons died in 1979
  • Functionalists are heavily criticised for not adapting to social change, they don't look at how the nuclear family has changed and adapted