Evaluate the usefulness of structural approaches to our understanding of families and households.
[20 marks]
Functionalists argue that the family is the cornerstone of society. Parsons believes that the nuclear
family performs two essential functions which helps society to function effectively. One of these key
functions is the socialisation of children into the value consensus which allows society to remain
functional. During primary socialisation, the family members are taught the expected patterns of
behaviour which allows them to make effective contributions to society. They are also taught about
the expected gender roles which women and men perform. Functionalist thinkers believe primary
socialisation is an essential function of the family, which is why the family structure must be able to
execute it. They claim that the ideal structure to do so is the nuclear family. Another key function is
the stabilisation of adult personalities. The nuclear family prevents dysfunction and instability in the
adults' lives because they support each other and meet each other's emotional needs, especially
during stressful times. This prevents dysfunctional and disruptive behaviour such as adultery.
Parsons' Warm Bath theory suggests that when a man comes home from a busy day of work, his
family provides him with stress relief and relaxation; just as a warm bath would. This ensures the
emotional needs of the breadwinner are met. However, some sociologists argue that the functionalist
perspective is that it is outdated and is no longer applicable to the current form of society. For
example, postmodernists would argue that society has now become increasingly fragmented and
diverse. Evidence of this change can be seen in the steady decline of the nuclear family, in recent
years. In today’s society, it is argued that key functionalist concepts such as social solidarity and
integration are no longer relevant due to greater diversity in society. Due to the increased
fragmentation, it is much harder to maintain and adopt social solidarity; a concept that functionalists
claim is pivotal to all institutions working together in consensus. Therefore, it could be argued that
the functionalist perspective of society is no longer useful when explaining family in today’s society
because it is no longer relevant to the current fragmented state of society.
Marxists argue that the family helps to maintain the capitalist superstructure of society. According to
Marxists, the family supports the economy by acting as a unit of consumption. The proletariat are
exploited for their labour making consumer goods in factories. These commodities are then sold to
the proletariats at a surplus value than they were paid to produce them. Marxists believe that
capitalism creates ‘false needs’. This includes items such as the latest clothes or technology to
demonstrate social status in a society divided by class. Marxists argue that the family generates
profits for the bourgeoisie by targeting advertising at children who then use their ‘pester power’ to
persuade parents into buying commodities at the surplus value. As well as this, society has fostered a
culture of “keeping up with the Jones’s” in which individuals consume the latest consumer products.
This benefits capitalism by lining the pockets of the bourgeoisie. However, Postmodernists often
concentrate on micro-level interactions and personal experiences rather than macro-level social
structures. They argue that Marxists tend to overlook the everyday experiences and subjective
realities of individuals within families. Therefore, the Marxist perspective's contribution to
understanding family structure in a postmodern society may be limited. Postmodernists stress the
importance of understanding personal narratives, emotions, and lived experiences in studying family
dynamics. This is because postmodernist theorists claim that family is unique for everyone, and that
family dynamics or interactions cannot and should not be generalised.
Feminists argue that the family supports patriarchy by reproducing its ideology. According to feminist
sociologists, the nuclear family socialises children into adopting certain characteristics that align with
traditional beliefs about gender and gender roles. These ideas reinforce gender inequality and
restrict women's opportunities and autonomy. Therefore, Feminists would argue that the
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