Functionalism

- Functionalists see family as a positive thing.

- Using the organic analogy, they describe the family as a vital organ,
i.e. the heart of society.
- They are interested to see how the family contributes to the functional
prerequisites of society.
They examine 3 main aspects of the family:
- Functions: What is the purpose of the family?
- Structure: Whos in the family? How is it organised and structured?
- Roles: What responsibilities do people have within the family?



- Functionalism is a sociological theory.
- It is a consensus theory, which means it believes that there is generally
a lot of agreement in society.
- Functionalists think society is based upon value consensus and on each
institution having a separate role and all institutions working together
for the benefit of the whole. They also think that bad things can
eventually be beneficial as they point out things that could be
improved within society.
- Functionalists study society as a whole they dont really care about
individual experiences.


Functionalist Approaches to the
Family













Functionalist Sociologists


George Murdock (1949)


Murdock identified 4 functions of the family:
- Economic: Provision and co-operation.
- Education: Primary socialisation.
- Sexual: Expression and control.
- Reproduction.
He said that the nuclear family is universal, which means that its found
throughout time and history in all societies.
Murdock completed a comparative study of the family structure in 250
societies. This included both contemporary and historical societies, ranging
from simple nomadic to complex industrial.
He argues that his evidence showed that the nuclear family existed in all
societies, either on its own or as part of an extended family.
Murdocks definition of the nuclear family includes these criteria:
- Common residence.
- Economic co-operation.
- Reproduction.
- Adults of both sexes.
- Socially approved relationship.
- 1 or more children.
Other sociologists have identified some problems with Murdocks ideas:
- Hes too focused on the nuclear family (reductionist).
- The idea of an ideal nuclear family is outdated.
- Gay and lesbian families with children could be seen as nuclear.
- He ignores how families go through lifecycles (Allan and Crow).














Talcott Parsons (1955)


Parsons identified 2 basic and irreducible functions of the family:
- Primary socialisation.
- Stabilisation of the adult personality.
He said that the nuclear family emerges with industrialisation and extended
families exist before this. However, other sociologists argue that this is untrue
because nuclear families did exist pre-industrialisation, particularly in middle class
families, and his theory ignores extended families being involved but not necessarily
living together.
Parsons said that the nuclear family consists of 2 generations - parents and children.
Adults take responsibility for the children who are either their own or adopted.
He thought that the extended family served the needs of pre-industrial society but
the nuclear family is the best fit for industrial society. With industrialisation, the
family lost many of its functions to other institutions, which is known as structural
differentiation.
Lost functions include things such as caring for sick family due to the introduction of
the NHS in 1946, education due to free education since the 1900s, childcare due to
nursery schools, and more.
On the topic of gender roles, Parsons believed that men have an instrumental role
and women have an expressive role due to their innate tendencies and this is part
of the stabilisation of adult personalities. According to Parsons, stabilisation of the
adult personality means men and women providing each other with emotional
support but also indulging their childish side when playing with their children.
He also came up with the 'Warm Bath Theory', which suggests that women should
act as a metaphorical warm bath and welcome her husband home after a hard day
at work and should look after his needs.
Parsons is effectively 'armchair theorising' because he didn't actually carry out any
empirical research his theories and ideas just came from his brain with no
evidence to back it up.


Evaluation of Functionalism

- Murdock and Parsons both present a 'rosy' image of the family life because their
description is too idealistic. They don't like to talk about the darker sides of the family in
things like domestic violence and child abuse, and act like it barely exists.
- Parsons' view of instrumental and expressive roles is out of date because families are now
more symmetrical (men and women have equal, shared roles) and there are also more
house-husbands now than there ever have been.
- Functionalism ignores how women have been exploited in the home.
- Functionalism also ignores the harmful effects of the family. Edmund Leach, a well known
anthropologist, said that the family has become more inward looking and more privatized.