Families and Households

Functionalism

George Murdock

The family exists in all societies because it meets a number of functional prerequisites.

Sexual à Marriage provides the best opportunity for the socially controlled expression of the sex drive.

If the sex drive were allowed ‘free play’ this could have disruptive effects on social order.

Sex between husband and wife unites and strengthens the family.

Reproduction à Marriage and the family provide the necessary stability for the reproduction and bringing up children.

Socialisation à The family is the most important agent of primary socialisation.

Within the family, children learn the important values and norms of society and so the value consensus is reinforced and passed down from generation to generation.

Socialisation within the family ensures that children will be prepared for their adult roles.

Economic à The family provides economically for its members by, for instance, providing food and shelter.

For example, the husband goes out to work, receives a wage and so can provide for his family.

Criticisms of Murdock…

Murdock assumes that these functions can only be provided by the family- critics argue that alternative institutions could meet these needs.

Morgan argues that Murdock’s notion of the family is too positive- too good to be true.

Morgan says à “Murdock’s nuclear family is a remarkable harmonious institution where the husband and wife have an integrated division of labour and a good time in bed.”   

Talcott Parsons’ 

He argues that there are two main kinds of family structure…

Nuclear family à parents and children (industrial society)

Extended family à three generations living together (traditional society)

Before industrialisation….

People lived in large extended families which provided each other with support.

However, modern industrial society…

Requires the nuclear family to be more isolated from wider kin as this is more functional for modern capitalist society.

Functionalists refer to this as the ‘isolated nuclear family’

Nuclear families are not tied down to one area by kinship obligations and so they can move to different areas for work.

It is socially mobile

The nuclear family is socially mobile because status in industrial society is achieved, adult sons can now achieve higher status than their fathers.

Breaking away to set up their own nuclear family unit removes the status conflict that would result if they stayed.

In what ways has the family lost some of its functions?

Parsons has suggested that modern day families have lost some functionalists but have specialised in those they kept.

Much of the support provided by the family has been taken over by other institutions.

Its teaching function to education institutions.

Its entertainment function to media institutions.

Parsons argues that the family has two… basic and irreducible functions

Socialisation à Parsons argue that within the warm, secure and supportive institution of the family, children learn their culture. As a result, the family produces conforming children and adults who accept the value consensus and obey the norms of society. As a result, social order is maintained.

Stabilisation of adult personalities à The family is considered…