Sociology family functionalists

• Functionalist sociologists believe that the nuclear family is best suited to meet the needs of individuals, society, and the economy.
• In the past, extended families were common as they provided support for elderly members who could not work or care for themselves.
• Nuclear family 


  Two parents that have biological children that are living in one household
• Reconstituted family 


  Two partners that are living in one household and are sharing parental duties for one or more children but only one parent is biological
• Murdock 4 functions of the family

  Educational, sexual, reproductive and economic
• M/ educational 


  Socialisation of the young and teaching them the norms and values of a society
• M/ sexual 


  Stable satisfaction of the sex drive that are within monogamous relationships - to prevent jealousy
• M/ economic 


  Meeting the members economic needs e.g producing food and shelter
• m/ reproductive 


  Biological reproduction of the next generation - society can not continue without this
• cirque of murdock - feminists 


  Argue that the traditional family structure serves an idealogical function, a disadvantage to women. (having more of a set role that women have to perform)
• Critique of Murdock - research and culture

  Anthropological research had shown that there are some cultures that appear to not have ‘families‘ e.g. nayar tribes
• Parsons 2 functions of the family 


  Primary socialisation

  stabilisation of adult personality
• Parsons - primary socialisation 


  Like murdock, parsons had agreed that families are teaching the adequate norms and values.

  if socialisation has been carried out efficiently girls adopt ‘expressive role’ and boys are adopting ‘instrumental roles‘.
• Parsons - stabilisation of adult personalities 


  Argued that being in a family meant that it had prevented adults to act in dysfunctional ways of behaviour and are instead encouraged to conform to the social norms
• parsons (1951)


  Argued that in a modern western societies some functions can be performed by other institutions such as schools.
• Expressive role 


  Female provides personality stability, emotional support and child rearing.
• Functionalist understanding


  The mass function in the family
• Tao is for discipline and provide economic support for the family
• Warm bath theory 


  Family can be seen as a comfort and a stable full back for the stresses of work (normally males) and the women are meant to use their emotional support to comfort and soak up the stresses
• Critique of parsons - Peter laslett (1972)

  Found that the most common family in the pre- industrial is not the extended family but the NF
• Critique of parsons - micheal Anderson (1971)

  had looked at households in preston in the midst of rapid industrialisation and urbanisation and he had found an Increase in households that are made up of extended families.
• Eva- ignores the role of conflict (-)


  Family is not always safe and warm e.g. domestic abuse and oppression of women and fran ansley example of “women Are takers of shit”
• Eva - ignores family diversity(-)


  Assumes that all families are better off in a nuclear family setting but modern days any family structure can be fulfilling
• Eva- determinstic (-)


  Assumes that members that are in a society are automatically taking on the responsibility of the norms and values
• Eva- out of date (-)


  Women are now going out to work and the biological roles that are set by parsons no longer apply as clearly