Functionalism

• What are Murdock's 4 functions of the family? (Functionalist)

  - Sexual: In a socially approved context

  - Reproductive: next gen

  - Socialisation: primary socialisation

  - Economic: food & shelter
• What are Parsons 2 basic functions of the family? (Functionalist)

  - Primary Socialisation of children

  Internalisation of society's culture, norms and values

  
  

  - Stabilisation of adult personalities

  Family relieves pressures of the industrial societies that threaten to destabilise personalities

  family is stabilised through the sexual division of labour- instrumental and expressive role
• What is Parsons warm bath theory?

  When a man comes home from a long stressful day at work, his family provides him with stress relief and relaxation
• What is Willmott & Young's Symmetrical Family ? (Functionalists)

  Family is becoming less patriarchal

  More equal:

  - Household chores

  - Childcare

  - Decision making

  - Wage earning
• What are the 6 main reasons for the decline in extended family? (i.e. rise in privatised nuclear family)

  1. Need for geographical mobility: ppl move to where their skills are required

  
  

  2. Higher rate of social mobility: Family members with different occupations and values about education and employment will weaken relations

  
  

  3. Development of welfare state: reduced dependencies on kin

  
  

  4. Growth in Meritocracy: No about who you know anymore, more about what you know= family members cant offer you jobs as easily

  
  

  5. Needs to avoid family conflict: Different lifestyles of extended family members living together may cause conflict

  
  

  6. Need to protect family stability: Increasing dependency between married couples because of lack of support from kin in isolated nuclear family
• Criticisms of the functionalist perspective

  - Downplays Conflict - "Dark side" of the family

  
  

  - Out of date

  
  

  - Ignores exploitation of women

  
  

  - Ignores harmful effects of family - Leach (1967) Nuclear family has become isolated leading to emotional stress which generate conflict within the family

  
  

  - Exaggerates the "loss of functions" of the family- Fletcher (1966) argues that functions that Functionalists say the family has "lost" were not apparent in pre-industrial times either
• How does Marxists criticise Functionalists view on families

  Family can be destructive and exploitive and can limit the development of individuality and leads to unquestioning obedience to authority in later life