Assess The Contribution Of Functionalism To Our Understanding Of The Family Essay
Sociology
Samantha Lowe
Using Materials from Item A and elsewhere assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of families and households.
Functionalism focuses on the positive roles played by different institutions of society, the main one being the family. Functionalism see family as a vital organisation in all societies, they are needed to meet basic needs. Functionalism stresses the positive role of the family, and its great importance for society. Functionalists argue that the family has essential functions which it must perform to meet the basic needs of society and its members. Murdock argues that this makes the family a universal institution. In performing these functions the family links up with other …show more content…
Marxists and Feminism reject its resumption.
“Marxists and Feminisms reject its consensus assumptions about who benefits from the family”. Functionalists are criticised because of their very positive approach, functionalism has been accused of ignoring the possible conflicts and negative effects of family life. Feminists argue that functionalist don’t look at what could be happening, if there is domestic violence or abuse going on inside the house, families are not always happy.
Marxists believe that in the family the dominant interest is of capitalism. Children plead with their parent’s for new and stylish items, the parent’s give in and allow the child to have the item, and this is a typical example of capitalism. A view of Murdock’s which can be explained well is,
“The nuclear family is universal because of its sheer practicality in performing four essential functions”.
The quote explains that the nuclear family is the easiest family to move around, where as in the past the extended family was much more known, as family members used to stay in the same house, and work together (in farms, etc), and would have been much harder to move around because of the amount of people living
Samantha Lowe
Using Materials from Item A and elsewhere assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of families and households.
Functionalism focuses on the positive roles played by different institutions of society, the main one being the family. Functionalism see family as a vital organisation in all societies, they are needed to meet basic needs. Functionalism stresses the positive role of the family, and its great importance for society. Functionalists argue that the family has essential functions which it must perform to meet the basic needs of society and its members. Murdock argues that this makes the family a universal institution. In performing these functions the family links up with other …show more content…
Marxists and Feminism reject its resumption.
“Marxists and Feminisms reject its consensus assumptions about who benefits from the family”. Functionalists are criticised because of their very positive approach, functionalism has been accused of ignoring the possible conflicts and negative effects of family life. Feminists argue that functionalist don’t look at what could be happening, if there is domestic violence or abuse going on inside the house, families are not always happy.
Marxists believe that in the family the dominant interest is of capitalism. Children plead with their parent’s for new and stylish items, the parent’s give in and allow the child to have the item, and this is a typical example of capitalism. A view of Murdock’s which can be explained well is,
“The nuclear family is universal because of its sheer practicality in performing four essential functions”.
The quote explains that the nuclear family is the easiest family to move around, where as in the past the extended family was much more known, as family members used to stay in the same house, and work together (in farms, etc), and would have been much harder to move around because of the amount of people living