Marxists and Feminists argue Murdoch's theory by saying that it ignores conflict and exploitation within society. Marxists' say that the family serves the needs of Capitalism and not the needs of the famliy members. Whilst Feminists say that society is patriarchal and that the family serves the needs of the men in the household. Parsons says that there are two types of society; pre and post-industrial. Parsons says that when Britain became industrialised from the 18th century onwards the extended family had no use in society.
Alternatively, there are Marxists, such as Karl Marx, that believe that institutions are creating by the ruling class in order to control the working class. Marxists believe that the functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the ruling class. This view contrasts sharply with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and the individual members of the family. Some Functionalists, such as Murdock, argue that there are 4 functions of the family that only the nuclear family can teach. Teaching of sexuality and gender roles, Murdock says that the nuclear family teaches people to express sexuality in a socially approved context, it teaches that heterosexuality is the norm and that other types of relationships are 'abnormal' eg.
Marxists and Feminists say that functionalism rejects conflict and exploitation. Feminists see the family as being patriarchal and serving the needs of men. Marxists argue that the family meets the needs of capitalism and not family members or society. Parson’s argues that the particular structure and functions of a family type will ‘fit’ the needs of society in which it is found. According to Parsons’ there are two types of society; industrial and pre-industrial society.
For example, other needs such as reproduction and sex can also be met by sperm donors, and ‘escorts’. Marxist and Feminist sociologists have criticised Murdoch’s theory. They say that Functionalism ignores conflict and exploitation within society. Feminists see the family as being patriarchal and serving the needs of men and Marxists see the family as meeting the needs of capitalism and not the needs of the family members. According to Parsons there are two types of society; pre and post-industrial.
However, some sociologists disagree with Murdock’s functions of the family and have criticised him. Some argue that these functions could be performed in other institutions equally as well as in the family, or by non-nuclear families. Marxists and Feminists reject his 'rose-tinted' harmonious consensus view that the family meets the needs of both wider society and all members of the family. They argue that functionalism neglects conflict and exploitation: Feminist see the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women. Marxists argue that it meets the needs of Capitalism and not the needs of family members or society as a whole.
Although to maintain this utopia, a single innocent child suffering from malnutrition and neglect must be locked away from society so the others may enjoy their freedom. Like “Omelas,” Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is also a science fiction story depicting an imaginary society where a single restriction is responsible for maintaining balance. “Harrison Bergeron” chronicles a family living in a futuristic American society based on equality in that no one is smarter, better looking, stronger, or faster than anyone else. The equality is strictly reinforced by the United States Handicapper General who maintains the equilibrium of the American people. Both stories depict extreme utilitarian societies and explore universal themes of freedom and equality while posing questions about the use of suppression, ignorance, and apathy to maintain their societies.
However, Radical Feminists would disagree and say that the function of the family is used to maintain patriarchy, meaning that men are dominant within the family and society, and so possessions are passed on from father to son. The New Right would disagree with Functionalists view and argue that the function is in decline. Contemporary society shows that people do not remain faithful to their partner. It also shows that society has a more Post-Modernist view, which believes there is no single truth, so there cannot be a correct type of family because we all have the freedom to make our own choices. I agree with contemporary society's view because it is what society is actually like and how we live today.
He argues that without social solidarity, social life would be impossible as everyone would pursue their own selfish desires and not work together to get what they want out of life. The education system helps to create this social solidarity by transmitting society's ideas from one generation to the next. For example, Durkheim argues that teaching of a countries history instil a sense of a shared heritage and commitment to the wider social group. However Marxists argue this social solidarity is just brainwashing students into thinking that everyone in society today is equal and that we are all part of society, while we are really just getting exploited by the bourgeoisie. People are just being led into a sense of false class consciousness and are being persuaded into thinking they have the same values of everyone else when they actually haven't.
This definition of the family is popular with right wing sociologists who believe it is the ideal type of family unit that every should want to have. They argue this because they believe the nuclear family is the best type of family for individuals and for society as a whole. They believe that it is the nuclear family that conducts primary socialisation the best out of all the different family units, making the nuclear family the best. However, functionalists tend to see the family as harmonious but this is clearly not the case in society today. Feminist criticise the functionalist view on the nuclear family by arguing that the nuclear family doesn't suit everyone within the family unit and can be more damaging than it is beneficial.
Our behaviour is controlled by the rules of society into which we are born; the result is we don’t have to be told that what we are doing is socially unacceptable- we already know and feel uncomfortable if we don’t conform to social norms. He wrote about American society (1951) and argued that the family had two basic functions: * Primary socialisation of children. * Stabilisation of adult personalities. The main criticism of functionalism as an approach is that I does not address areas of conflict (which are found in all societies) and paints a rosy picture of institutions, implying that organisations always run smoothly and co-operate well with each other. Some groups have more wealth and power than others and may impose their views on less powerful groups Marxism- Marxism is the theory that society is in a constant state of conflict between the rich and poor, society uses a system called capitalism to keep