"No society...has succeeded in finding an adequate substitute for the nuclear family...it is highly doubtful whether any society will succeed in such an attempt"
Murdock, Social Structure, New York
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Murdock (1949)
Murdock (1949) looked at 250 societies in different cultures
Argued that the family performed four basic functions:
Sexual - provides a stable sexual relationship for adults
Reproductive - provides new babies - new members of society
Economic - the family pools resources and provides for all its members
Educational - family teaches children the norms and values of society
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Talcott Parsons (1950s)
Talcott Parsons - 1950s
Argued that the family has two basic and vital functions:
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