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…

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 … E - D Be able to describe the functionalist view of the family, according to both Murdoch and Parsons. DBe able to explain the functionalist view of the family, according to both Murdoch and Parsons and offer basic criticism of the approach. C- A 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 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? Functionalists argue that the family is a particularly important subsystem – a building block for society.

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 non- nuclear 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 18 th 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 two- generation 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