Functionalists say the family is good for society

Functionalism is a conflict theory

Durkheim says the family acts like a warm bath

Parsons says the family acts like a warm bath to relieve the stresses and strains of life

According to Functionalists; the family has evolved from extended to nuclear as a result of industrialisation

Parsons claims that the family is a successful institution because it contains an expressive male and instrumental female

Murdock claims the nuclear family is universal because it carries out 4 key functions

Marxism is a conflict theory

Engels, Zaretsky, Althusser, Lasch and Donzelot are the Marxist theoriest who claim the family works to support the dominance of the ruling class

Engels claims the family is an ideological state apparatus

An ideological state apparatus is a tool used by the state to transmit their dominant ideology e.g. according to Marxists the family is used to teach children to work hard and respect authority.

Feminism is a conflict theory

Fran Ansley said women should babystrike in order to avoid the childcare responsibilities that held them back

Feminists say that the family should be used to promote patriarchy

Delphy and leonard say that women are ultimately responsible for the emotion work in families. They now have a triple shift.

Feminists think family diversity is negative for society and that the ideal family type is nuclear

Anti psychiatrists believe the family is bad for individuals and causes mental illness due to the stress and pressure it causes,

Postmodernists say there is very little diversity in families today

Interactionists or social action theorists want to look within individual families to see how people interpret and experience their role.

All sociological theories agree on the role of the family in society