Functionalist views of the family July 18 Functionalism Functionalist views of the family SRO 2011

July 18 Learning Objectives To understand the view that functionalists have of the family To evaluate the view of functionalists Important Sociologists: George Peter Murdock Talcott Parsons Emile Durkheim Key terms/concepts: Functionalism Nuclear family Socialisation Extended family Pre-industrial society Industrial society SRO 2011

July 18 Starter Mini-whiteboards: As I read out a part of the human body you need to write on the mini-whiteboard the function that the organ carries out What function does the family have for society? SRO 2011

How do Functionalists view the family? July 18 How do Functionalists view the family? Just like an organ in the human body, functionalists believe that the family enables society to function. Society, according to functionalists, is made up of sub-systems that depend on each other and help society to work. The family is the basic building block of society which helps to maintain social order and social cohesion. SRO 2011

George Peter Murdock (1949) July 18 George Peter Murdock (1949) The family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members: Stable satisfaction of the sex drive Reproduction of the next generation Socialisation of the young Meeting its members’ economic needs Murdock recognises that other institutions could perform these functions but argues that the nuclear family is universal (in the 250 societies he studied) because of its ‘sheer practicality’ in performing the four essential functions. SRO 2011

July 18 Criticisms of Murdock Other institutions and family types can carry out the functions Murdock has a ‘rose tinted’ harmonious consensus view Feminists: the family serves the need of men and oppresses women Marxists: the family meets the needs of capitalism, not the needs to family members and society as a whole SRO 2011

Which of the following statements are functionalist, Marxist or both? It fulfils the needs of its individual members It is important in socializing children Its structure is determined by economic factors It provides consumers to buy goods It provides a safety valve away from work It fulfils its functions for society It is universal and necessary everywhere I has an important reproductive role It keeps women under patriarchal control It performs its functions

Two main functions a. Socialisation: The family is an integrating mechanism in society: b. Social Order: The family as a unit of stability: SRO 2011

July 18 Talcott Parsons (1955) The family can perform many functions. The functions that it performs will depend on the needs of society. This is known as the ‘functional fit’ theory Pre-industrial society = extended family Industrial society = nuclear family As society changed, the ‘type’ of family that was required to help society function changed. Industrial society has two essential needs which requires a nuclear family to work: A geographically mobile workforce A socially mobile workforce SRO 2011

July 18 Loss of functions Parsons also argues that the family in modern society has lost many of its functions as it has become a unit of consumption only (rather than also being a unit of production) This means that in modern society the nuclear family has just two essential or ‘irreducible’ functions: Primary socialisation of children Stabilisation of adult personalities SRO 2011

Talcott Parsons His theory has often been branded the ‘warm bath theory’ – why do you think this is?

July 18 Criticisms of Parsons Other sociologists and historians have produced evidence that contradicts Parsons’ claim of the ‘functional’ fit between the extended family in pre-industrial society and the nuclear family in industrial society. Young and Willmott (1973) & Laslett (1972): the pre-industrial family was nuclear, not extended Young and Willmott: hardship of the early industrial period gave rise to a ‘mum-centred’ working-class extended family Hareven (1999): extended family not the nuclear was the structure best equipped to meet the needs of early industrial society There is some support for the claim that the nuclear family has become dominant but the extended family has not disappeared SRO 2011

Emile Durkheim “it is the idea that the family has varied infinitely since the origin of humanity…” The family is a moral not just biological association Society places moral demands of parents to ensure that they accept the child into the family The family contributes to social solidarity and the passing on of norms and values

Fletcher a. Procreation and Child-Rearing: The family structure provides a legitimate arena for the bearing and raising of children. Given the relative helplessness of children at birth, parental nurture and care is seen as vital - and the family provides a solid basis for such care and support in the early years of a child's social development.   SRO 2011

Fletcher b. Regulation of Sexual Behaviour: Family structure serves to limit and contain "petty" sexual jealousies and by defining the limits of sexual freedom, the family structure limits the chances of potentially damaging sexual relationships developing. The family is a primary institution for the provision of love, care and emotional support for both children and adults. In short, it provides a sense of belonging and serves to clearly-define role relationships between men and women.   SRO 2011

Fletcher C) Provision of a Home: This idea expresses the assumption that people find comfort and security within primary social and sexual relationships. The "home" not only provides physical shelter, it also serves as the focal point of family existence - clearly demarcating the division between various wider-social roles, for example  SRO 2011

Robert Merton Functional alternatives: Institutions like religion and the family can be replaced with alternatives such as ideologies like communism and he argued that  they would still be able to perform the same functions in society.

Write a paragraph explaining… Collective conscience Social solidarity Value consensus SRO 2011