Functionalism
Family Diversity
Believes all institutions do positive things for society and work together to keep society running smoothly
“Body” analogy – society is like a body, needs all parts working together to be healthy
Murdock (1949):
Family provides 4 vital functions...
Sexual - healthy sex life prevents affairs, natural parents
Reproductive - making next generation
Economic - man provides food/shelter, woman raises child
Educational - socialise the child
Parsons (1959):
Primary socialisation of child
Stabilising adult personality, “warm bath” theory, stresses/strains soaked away in family
Expressive and instrumental leaders
Primary Socialisation:
Cheal (2002):
Parents have the responsibility of making sure the child grows up happy, strong, confident and articulate
Fletcher (1988):
Other agencies also help with socialising children eg health clinics, social workers, teachers
Gender role socialisation:
Need male and female role models, behaviour is learned, socially constructed
Chapman (2004):
Girls learn though play to be the homemaker and mother
Boys are taught to tone down emotionality and the right kind of skills neeeded for work
Stabilisation for adult personality:
Steel and Kidd (2001):
Family provides a warm, loving and stable environment where adults can be themselves and feel a sense of stability/responsibility as children supervised/socialised
Social control:
Child learns morals and receives punishment, maintains values in society, ensure children grow into law-abiding citizens, sexual morality learned from two monogamous parents
Criticisms:
Outdated
Ethnocentric
Murdock assumed “the” family = nuclear family, too narrow
Ignores negatives of family
“Body” analogy – society is like a body, needs all parts working together to be healthy
Murdock (1949):
Family provides 4 vital functions...
Sexual - healthy sex life prevents affairs, natural parents
Reproductive - making next generation
Economic - man provides food/shelter, woman raises child
Educational - socialise the child
Parsons (1959):
Primary socialisation of child
Stabilising adult personality, “warm bath” theory, stresses/strains soaked away in family
Expressive and instrumental leaders
Primary Socialisation:
Cheal (2002):
Parents have the responsibility of making sure the child grows up happy, strong, confident and articulate
Fletcher (1988):
Other agencies also help with socialising children eg health clinics, social workers, teachers
Gender role socialisation:
Need male and female role models, behaviour is learned, socially constructed
Chapman (2004):
Girls learn though play to be the homemaker and mother
Boys are taught to tone down emotionality and the right kind of skills neeeded for work
Stabilisation for adult personality:
Steel and Kidd (2001):
Family provides a warm, loving and stable environment where adults can be themselves and feel a sense of stability/responsibility as children supervised/socialised
Social control:
Child learns morals and receives punishment, maintains values in society, ensure children grow into law-abiding citizens, sexual morality learned from two monogamous parents
Criticisms:
Outdated
Ethnocentric
Murdock assumed “the” family = nuclear family, too narrow
Ignores negatives of family
Social Policy
Takes a positive view
Like Welfare State - allows family to concentrate on its main functions, removes pressure
Like free healthcare/education - does job for family and provides secondary socialisation
Dislikes that divorce is now easier
Like Welfare State - allows family to concentrate on its main functions, removes pressure
Like free healthcare/education - does job for family and provides secondary socialisation
Dislikes that divorce is now easier
Gender Roles
Domestic Labour:
“Natural” for men to be the breadwinner, Parsons – “instrumental role”
Women caring and emotional work, Parsons – “expressive role”
Like segregated conjugal roles – believe the best set-up, men more suited for work, women naturally more nurturing
If women responsible for just one “shift”, then both feel fulfilled
Willmott and Young (1973):
Roles changing, becoming more egalitarian, both engage equally in paid and unpaid work
“Natural” for men to be the breadwinner, Parsons – “instrumental role”
Women caring and emotional work, Parsons – “expressive role”
Like segregated conjugal roles – believe the best set-up, men more suited for work, women naturally more nurturing
If women responsible for just one “shift”, then both feel fulfilled
Willmott and Young (1973):
Roles changing, becoming more egalitarian, both engage equally in paid and unpaid work