Download The Functions of the Family

Starter: Guess which school of thought we are revising today?
What gave it away? What sociologist do you link this image with
and why?
Functionalism
Exam success Ladder…
To
&
what
functionalism is.
To
&
the
functions of the family.
To
the
functionalist approach
to explaining the family
using sociologists’
names and studies.
5 minutes: Answer the following question
How does Society compare to a Human Body
and it’s Organs?
How will you know if you are successfully
preparing for your mock
By the end of the lesson you will …
ED
Be able to describe the functionalist view of the family, according to
both Murdoch and Parsons.
D
Be able to explain the functionalist view of the family, according to both
Murdoch and Parsons and offer basic criticism of the approach.
CA
Be able to evaluate the functionalist view, and offer criticism from other
schools of thought. How well you do this will determine your grade
Functionalism
• Argue that society is based on a value consensus:
– Set of shared norms and values
– Allows individuals to cooperate harmoniously to meet
societies needs and achieve shared goals
• Society is made up of parts that depend on each
other (social institutions or agents!) e.g. the family,
education system and the economy. Functionalism
looks at how these structures in society work
together to make things run smoothly
Functionalism
Social Institutions or
agents, including the
family…
Functionalism
Re-Cap
Is Structural or Social Action
theory? Why?
Is it Conflict or Consensus?
Why?
Functions of the Family
Functionalists argue that the family is a particularly important
subsystem – a building block for society.
• We will now look at the role or purpose of
the family and what it does for its members
and society
• What are the functions of the family?
Functions of the Family
What are the Functions of the family? How to they help society?
Look at the four pictures
in front of you…
What are the functions
that they represent?
Functions of the Family (Murdock)
Think about Murdock’s Functions. Answer the following:
1) What is the function? Describe it?
2) How does it benefit individual members of society?
3) How does it benefit society as a whole?
4) Which other social groups/agents/institutions could
perform this function? How?
Extension: Try and condense Murdock’s Functions down to 2 of the
most important. Then condense these 2 down to 1. Which is the most
important function and why?
Functions of the Family
George Murdock (1949) argues that the family performs 4 essential
functions to meet the needs of society.
1) Sexual- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
Functions of the Family
George Murdock (1949) argues that the family performs 4 essential
functions to meet the needs of society.
2) Reproduction of the next generation
Functions of the Family
George Murdock (1949) argues that the family performs 4 essential
functions to meet the needs of society.
3) Meeting the economic needs of it’s members
Functions of the Family
George Murdock (1949) argues that the family performs 4 essential
functions to meet the needs of society.
4) Education
Functions of the Family
-Murdock studied 250 societies of different
cultures. (Good breadth of study!)
-Murdock saw that in each of these societies
the nuclear family existed.
-He saw the nuclear family as providing these
4 important functions!
Functions of the Family (Murdock)
Now use your table to see if
you can find anything
wrong with Murdock’s
arguments.
How could we criticise his
functions?
Criticisms of functionalism
• Some argue they could be performed equally
well through other institutions or a nonnuclear family.
• Is the family always harmonious and full of
consensus? Or is this a rose-tinted view?
Criticisms of Murdock
• Marxists and feminists argue that
functionalism neglects conflict and
exploitation
– Feminists
• See the family as serving the needs of men
– Marxists
• Argue it meets the needs of capitalism, not those family
members or society as a whole
To Finish:
How far do you agree with the Functionalism view of the family so far?
Why?
Strongly
Disagree
In the Middle
Strongly
Agree
Talcott Parsons’ Functional Fit Theory
The family may meet other needs:
◦ Welfare, military, political, religious functions
The functions it performs will depend on the
social construction
Parsons (1955) argues there are two types of
family structure:
◦ Nuclear family
◦ Extended family (three generations living under
one roof)
Parsons’ Functional Fit Theory
• Two basic types of society
– Modern industrial society
– Traditional pre-industrial society
• The nuclear family fits the needs of industrial
society and is the dominant family type in that
society; the extended family fits the needs of
the pre-industrial society
• Post industrial revolution (late 18th C onwards)
- extended  nuclear
Industrial society has two different essential needs:
1. A geographically mobile workforce
◦
◦
People need to move to where the jobs are
Parsons argues it is easier for the compact twogeneration nuclear family, with just dependent
children, to move
Industrial society has two different essential needs:
2.
◦
◦
◦
A socially mobile workforce
Modern industrial society is based on constantly
evolving science and technology so requires
skilled technically competent workforce
Essential that talented people are able to win
promotion and take on the most important jobs
Status is achieved  makes social mobility
possible
• Parsons argues that the nuclear family is
better equipped than the extended family to
meet the needs of industrial society
• The result of this is the mobile nuclear family
which is structurally isolated from its extended
kin without binding obligations towards them
(unlike the pre-industrial extended family)
Loss of Functions
 The pre-industrial family was a multi-functional
unit
◦ A unit of production
◦ A unit of consumption
 Therefore more self-sufficient
 Parsons argues that when society industrialises
the family not only changes its structure but also
loses some of its functions
◦ Family ceases to be a unit of production
◦ Family becomes a unit of consumption only
◦ Loses most of its other functions to other institutions
such as schools and the health service
As a result:
• The modern nuclear family comes to
specialise in performing just two essential or
‘irreducible’ functions:
– Primary socialisation
– Stabilisation of adult personalities
Criticisms!
1. Functionalists have been accused of idealising
the family.
2. Ignoring conflict and abuse within families
3. Ignoring gender inequality within families
4. Ignoring the rising divorce rates
5. Ignoring growing family diversity