Similarly the operation of any society is dependent on its social institutions as they provide vital functions which maintain harmony, stability and solidarity within a society. G P Murdock and Talcott Parsons are the main Functionalists of family. According to Talcott Parsons the family has lost many of its functions, but still has two important functions. The primary socialisation of children: children learn norms and values in their society from their parents, who teach them what is right and what is wrong. Murdock argued that the nuclear family was a universal social institution and has four important parts to play in keeping society functioning: reproductive, economic, sexual and education function.
George Peter Murdock found that nuclear families are universal. He also believed in 4 function of the family. These included of the nuclear family supplying a sexual function, as being a couple stabilises satisfaction of the sex drive with a constant partner and prevents social disruption, too supplies a reproductive function as being a family ensures new members of society to keep society going and an educational function as parents socialise their young into the norms and values of society. Also, he believes that the family have an economic function as they meet the economic needs of food and shelter. However, Murdock’s view of the nuclear family eliminate any other family structures, which too are able to supply these functions, and also neglects the conflict and exploitation of family.
Murdock argues that the nuclear family is the most practical institution in performing all four functions as well as it being wholly universal. However, criticisms of Murdock’s functionalist theory include the fact other institutions are able to perform these functions adequately. For example, the socialisation of the young could be achieved through school and education. Furthermore, Murdock is criticized for his ‘rose-tinted’, overly optimistic, harmonious consensus view that the nuclear family meets the needs of both wider society and members of the family. Feminists and Marxists recognise the conflict and exploitation in a family and wider society.
Murdock – argues that the family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and it members. 1) Stable satisfaction of the sex drive – with the same partner, which prevents a social disruption 2) Reproduction of the next generation – without which society wouldn’t continue 3) Socialisation of the young – into society’s shared norms and values 4) Meeting its members economic needs – such as food and shelter Murdock argues that these four factors explains why having a nuclear family is universal Criticisms of Murdock Other sociologists argue that other institutions or non nuclear family structures could equally performs these functions, not just nuclear families. Feminists argue that they see the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women. Parsons functional fit theory Parsons distinguishes two family structures Nuclear family – just parents and dependent children Non Nuclear family – three generations living under the same roof Parsons argues that the particular structure and functions of a given type of family will ‘fit’ the needs of the society in which it is found. According to Murdock there are two basic types of society -Modern industrial family: nuclear family -Pre industrial family: extended family A geographically mobile workforce -Parsons argues that it is easier for the nuclear family to move.
Marxist and feminist sociologists have criticised Murdock's view. They argue that functionalism ignores conflict and exploitation within the society. For example, Marxists view the family as meeting the needs of capitalism and not the needs of its members. Feminists view the family as being patriarchal and oppressing women. According to Parsons, the family has two basic functions which are primary socialisation, and stabilisation of adult personalities.
Functionalists see the family as an important sub-system. George Peter Murdock (1949) says that the family is universal, always has been and always will be. Murdock argues that the family has four functions that are needed in order to meet the needs of society and its members. Firstly, he believes that there is a function within the family that is called, Stable satisfaction of the sex drive – this is with the same partner and is the prevention of social disruption which is ultimately caused by a sexual ‘free-for-all’. Secondly, Reproduction of the next generation – without this essential function, society would seize to exist.
Assess the functionalist contributions to our understanding of the family Functionalists believe that parts of society exist for a function and are all part of the organic analogy. If these parts work together to pass on norms and values it creates a collective conscience, hereby creating social order. From the item we can see that Murdock saw the family as fulfilling the function of reproducing the next generation and socialising them into the shared culture. They believe the nuclear family is the most effective family for its function and is the most able to pass on the norms and values to create a collective conscience for the next generation. Murdock, a functionalist sociologist, says that the nuclear family is universal.
According to Barbara Miller, the nuclear family defined refers a domestic unit containing one adult couple married or partners, with or without children (2007 p. 218). As globalization continues to change the physical make up of modern society, so does the cultural make up of the
They are both structuralist theories, the individual is viewed with less importance than the social structure or organisation of society. Functionalists see society as being made up of interdependent sections, which will work together to fulfil the functions necessary for the survival of society as a whole. They see shared norms and values as being fundamental to society. Functionalists believe that society can be compared to a living organism, in a way that all interdependent parts (organs) must function together in order for the greater society/body to function. Functionalists see society as a group of institutions.
Parsons explains the four basic problems that a society must confront in order to survive. The four basic problems are adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latent pattern maintenance. Within the family, adaptation is described as “resources are allocated within the family to support family involvement, including dependent children” (Morimoto, 2013). With goal attainment the family has priorities that ensure the goals are met. Essentially, the father will obtain the resources needed to survive for the family and the mother will support the father’s ability to do so (Morimoto, 2013).