Outline and Evaluate the Sociological Views of the Family

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Outline and evaluate the sociological views of the family. There are many different views of the family depending on the sociological theory. In this essay i will be evaluating the viewpoint of 3 main sociological theories. (Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism). One view of the family could be taken from Functionalism. Functionalists believe that the Nuclear family is the perfect family structure. They believe the family is similar to the human body - The Organic Analogy. This means the family works in harmony with all the other agents of socialisation just as the organs work together harmoniously within the human body body. If on organ ceases to function correctly the body would shut down, similarly if one agent of socialisation was to stop functioning society would break down in terms of socialisation. However, this theory is criticised for being outdated as many households do not live in a nuclear family structure. In contemporary Britain, there are many other structures such as Beanpole, Extended, Single parent, civil partnerships etc. These children are still adequately socialised to interact with the world. Another view of functionalists is Seer, this is the idea that the family have different roles. Sexually - to fulfil sexual desires, Educationally - educate their children, Emotionally - support teach other emotionally and Reproductively - to procreate. Functionalists believe the nuclear family fulfils all these needs and is there fore perfect. However their is an argument to this claim by feminists. They argue about the Dark Side of the Family, this includes domestic abuse, something functionalists tend to ignore. The idea that the family is a secretive place an not much information about your own family is shared to others so such things world not be found out by others. Marxists also have a view on the family. They believe the family is a

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