Different groups have different views on how beneficial the family is to society. Functionalists, who traditionally dominated the sociology of the family, feel that the family is necessary for the running and continuation of an integrated society. It is assumed by functionalists that if there is the existence of a social institution, then it must have a purpose or a function. Functionalists therefore see the family as beneficial for society. To functionalists, society is an 'organism' that contains different segments which come together to keep society running smoothly.
AS Sociology Terms Test Family Define the following term * Embourgeoisement, is the process through which the working class becomes more like the middle class by achieving relatively comfortable levels of financial security and material well-being. * Expressive Role, people who tend to pay attention to how everyone is getting along, and take care of things in the social group. * Extended Family, a family group of more than two generations of the same kinship living either within the same household or, very close to one another. * Family, a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. * Fit Thesis, is the thought that the family is functional fit for society.
Man vs. Woman III. Interactionist IV. Functionalist Family is a set of people related by blood, or marriage or some other agreed upon relationship who shares the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society. So when you start a family you are going to have functioned and interaction, but what comes with that is conflict. Functionalist is what you start the family off with.
The family for example contributes a lot toward society as it is the main route of reproducing the population and teaching them the important lesson of socialization as they grow. Functionalists believe that the family introduces traditional culture to the new members of society and creates well joined members of society. The family is seen to provide important statuses that will be well known in society and recognised statuses such as lower class and higher class along with defined background history to new members. The family is seen to be responsible for replacing and reproducing new family members when the older generation pass away. Furthermore functionalists believe that families offer material and emotional security and provide care and support.
In sociological terms, the traditional definition of a ‘Family’ is; a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of two married parents and their children. Although in modern times, there are many accepted variations of families and social groups within the household. I shall be focusing on two traditional families well-known within society: the currently reigning, British royal family and the Simpson’s; a televised, fictional cartoon family. By means of comparison, I will analyse both family groups through a sociologist’s perspective and evaluate my findings accordingly. The British royals are a government-funded extended family.
Outline and Explain the Functionalist Perspective on the Family The meaning of family is usually a group of people that are related by marriage or blood. The founder of Functionalism was Emile Durkhiem. Functionalists share the same ontological view of Marxists, this view is the belief that man is weak, man is passive and society is strong. Functionalists believe that society is something that is based on value consensus (meaning a set of shared norms and values). Within the society, it socialises with its institutions and this gives the ability to meet the needs and goals of society.
Murdock saw the family, the nuclear family in particular, an absolute need for society and he considered the four basic functions of the family to be the sexual, the reproductive, the socialisation and the economic. He carried out a study all over the world and said that the family is a universal thing and these are universal functions that everyone else follows too. Without the family, we wouldn't have food and shelter otherwise life itself would cease. Parsons believes that without the family we would have primary socialisation and stabilisation of the adult personality, furthermore, without culture and the shared values passed on from generations to generations- society wouldn’t exist
This essay is going to discuss what is meant by the term social context and how society today and its services benefit families in this term. It will identify relevant skills, principles approaches to the assessment process, explore the stages of this process and how these key services and findings from the article will help benefit the family in a social context. It will explore the findings of Morawska et al 2011 on his research on parenting programmes and culturally diverse families and if the findings from his research were valid. The term social context refers to the social and physical setting in which people live in or where something develops. This can include the culture in which an individual lived or was educated in as well as people or organisations they interact with.
Power relations within a household refer to the control of decisions, finance and the families direction, and whom they are controlled by. This power can be held by either partner, or both, or both partners may control different parts of the power, such as one controlling finance, and the other deciding accommodation etc. Despite this, traditionally, men have control of the power within the family. However, the march of progress (Young & Willmot 1973) decrees that power relations and the domestic division of labour are slowly becoming more equal for all members of the family. In a study conducted by the Future Foundation (2002), Young and Wilmot's theory was backed up by the conclusions that 75% of women now did less housework than their mothers, and that similarly, 60% of men did more chores than their fathers.
Examine the role and function of the extended family over time (24 marks) Functionalists view society in a positive way and the family has to work in functions to make society function. According to Parsons, in pre-industrial times, the family lived as a unit of economic production – meaning that the family worked and lived together on a farm for example. The extended family also offered help, employment and protection. Parsons also stated that the family had two irreducible functions: primary socialisation – the family teaches the children to accept the norms and values of society. The stabilisation of adult personalities – the family offers adults the emotional support to cope with the everyday stresses of life.