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Summary AQA Sociology Paper 2 ALL OF Families and Household
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Includes: Theories Social Policy Childhood Couples Family Diversity Changing Family Patterns Demography
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The Functionalist Perspective of The FamilyCONSENSUS
Society is held together by a shared culture. Sharing the same culture (norms, values and beliefs) integrates people into society, giving them a sense of social solidarity.
Agreed goals gives us value consensus (harmony and agreement) which are reinforced in institutions such as religion, ethnicity, education, family, etc..
Functionalists believe that society is held together by value consensus. ‘Function’ means everything benefits society.
Functionalism is basic to Durkheim’s sociology, he focused on the problem of order and the positive effects of social institutions, explaining their existence in terms of their functionally necessary
contributions.
➔ Structural theory - society is above the individual, it has higher importance than the individual and thus, control the actions and behaviours of individuals.
➔ Consensus theory - believes society is a positive and beneficial entity that operates like a human body, with each institution performing a vital role.
The Three ‘S’ of Functionalism
● Social stability – maintain balance and prevent instability, chaos, and revolution occurring.
● Social harmony - process of valuing, expressing and promoting peace, harmony, respect, and trust amongst society.
● Social cohesion - the bond and glue that holds society and individuals together.
Consensus Structuralism:
Durkheim (1858-1917):
Society works like a human body, known as the "organic analogy".
● The body has vital organs while society has vital institutions
● These "organs/institutions" work "interdependently".
● All the small units of the body/ society work as one in order for overall survival & function.
Durkheim believes society is much more important than any individual, therefore it is everyone's job to ensure it functions and survives. It is essential society is built on consensus.
Value Consensus & Social Solidarity
Social solidarity emphasizes the interdependence between individuals in a society, which allows individuals to feel that they can enhance the lives of others. These must be constantly reinforced so
that that the Value Consensus does not ‘atrophy’’ (waste away/ erode). In order to do this, individuals are subjected to positive and negative sanctions.
Functionalism emphasises harmony, unity & integration between all parts of society. Everything ‘Pulling in the Same Direction’.
If society is not functioning efficiently and effectively, people will live in a state of anomie.
Criticisms:
○ Doesn't take into account social changes in society. The impact consumerism and globalisation (businesses/organisations operating on an international scale). People are not "puppets on a
string," individuals choose different experiences
○ Too ideological - Durkheim views society through ‘rose tinted glasses.’ Not everyone is socialised in the same way and not everyone will conform and not everyone has agreed goals (some
individuals form subcultures and some experience neglect). For example, feminists see the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women. Similarly, Marxists argue that it
meets the needs of capitalism, not those of family members or society as a whole.
○ Biased - Durkheim focuses too much on the positive functions that institutions perform and he ignores the negative impact institutions and socialisation has on individuals.
○ Functionalism neglects the issues of conflict and exploitation.
, The Nuclear Family/The Cereal Packet Family:
Murdock (1949):
The nuclear family:
➢ Husband - Instrumental role, breadwinner
➢ Wife - Expressive role, houseworker
➢ Children - Dependents
Studied over 200 societies and found a nuclear family type in all of them. The nuclear family is universal making it an essential building block in society. The nuclear family performs four functions:
1. Stable satisfaction of the sex drive - ensure adults commit to one partner and therefore satisfy their sex drive in an ordered manner, this prevents social disruption and conflict.
2. Reproduction of children - essential to reproduce the next generation to prevent society from atrophy (wasting away).
3. Socialisation of the young - to socialise, teach children values and norms, parents are loving and nurturing teaching children how to function in society.
4. Meeting its members economic needs - provides food, shelter and heat, etc.
Criticisms:
● Feminists see the family as serving men and oppressing women.
● Marxists argue that it meets the needs of capitalism, not those of family members or society as a whole.
● Other family structures can equally perform these functions.
● Many theories believe Murdock's approach is rose-tinted, ignoring all negative aspects of the family, the "dark side of the family".
The Dark side of the Family:
Radical feminists such as Dworkin state that domestic violence and rape suppress women and affect the whole family:
○ Approximately, 85,000 women and 12,000 men experience rape every year.
○ 76% of all victims of domestic homicide were female.
○ Half a million children experience abuse every year in the UK.
, Parsons (1955) Functional Fit Theory:
The functions that the family performs will depend on the kind of society in which it is found, it fits like a puzzle piece into the wider purpose and functioning of societal needs and conditions.
The nuclear family is purely a societal response to societal change to ensure the society as a whole can efficiently function and harmonise.
The Family Shift: Pre-industrial/agricultural society to an Industrial society.
The nuclear family fits the industrial society and the extended family fits the pre-industrial society.
Pre-industrial society and the extended family type fit. A unit of production. Three Generations under one house, in a isolated, private home. It performed multiple functions, including work,
education, healthcare and so forth.
Industrialisation takes place. The family type shifted from classic extended family to nuclear in order to fit the new societal changes and processes that were taking place.
Industrial society (factories) fit a nuclear family type. Parents living with their biological children (smaller family). A unit of consumption.
Parsons sees industrial society as having two essential needs:
1. A geographically mobile workforce, industries constantly spring up and decline in different parts of the country. Smaller family units could travel for work.
2. A socially mobile workforce, modern industrial society is based on constantly evolving science and technology
Loss of functions/Specialised Functions:
The nuclear family ceased to be a unit of production like the extended family, but due to moving from farms to factories it's now a unit of consumption. It also loses most of its other functions to
other institutions, such as schools and the health service.
Parsons stated the nuclear family has two functions:
1. Primary socialisation of children - to equip them with basic skills and society values
2. Stabilisation of adult personalities - the family is a place for adults to relax and release tensions, enabling them to return to work refresh.
3.
Parsons (1955) Warm Bath Theory:
Family is a detox and destress zone for the husband (breadwinner). The wife performs sexual services, affection and comfort for the husband. The children entertain and play with the father. This
has a positive impact for society as crime rates will be low in wider society, due to having a place to relieve stress and frustrations.
Evaluating Parsons' Theory:
● Willmott and Young (1973): state the the pre-industrial family was dominantly nuclear due to a combination of late childbearing, short life expectancy and with parents and children
working together in cottage industries such as weaving.
● Willmott and Young argue that the hardship of the early industrial period gave rise to closer ties between mothers and daughters, who relied on each other for financial, practical and
emotional support.
● Studies show that the extended family continues to exist because it performs important functions.
● Parsons view of the socialisation process can be criticised for being too deterministic, with children being pumped full of culture and their personalities being moulded by all-powerful
adults.
● Ignores the possibility of socialisation being a two-way process in which roles are negotiated or that attempts at socialisation can be resisted by children.
● Hareven concludes that the extended family, not the nuclear as claimed by Parsons, was the structure best equipped to meet the needs of early industrial society. Her research showed
how extended migrant families in America in the 19th century acted as a source of support and mutual aid, as well as promoting geographical mobility by helping newcomers to find work
● Marxist Zaretsky argues that the family only provides this emotional support in order to encourage its members to continue to work another day under the harsh realities of capitalism.
The family is therefore a servant of the capitalist state which looks after the needs of exploited workers at no cost to employers.
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