Topic/Objective: Functionalist Views of the Family
Starter Activity: Say What you see.
Outline Functionalist Views of the Family
– Using Key Words
Compare and Contrast Murdock,
Parsons and the New Right
Critically evaluate these perspectives
Value consensus
Socialisation
Functions
Organism
Industrialisation
What word does this
picture describe?
What does it mean?
Functionalist View
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKsQ127
BWM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKDdkD_
1GY
To start…some recap questions
1. What were the 4 functions of the family as
suggested by Murdock?
2. Explain in detail one of the above functions.
3. Detail 2 features of a family, according to
Murdock’s definition.
4. Who does Murdock exclude from his definition.
5. What’s the difference between a family and a
household?
6. What is polygamy?
7. Define what is meant by reconstituted family
Point to discuss:
Is there such a
thing as an
‘ideal’ family
type?
Functionalism
• Society is based on a VALUE
CONSENSUS.
• Socialisation maintains social order.
• Society is like a biological ORGANISM.
• Everything has a PURPOSE or
FUNCTION.
• The Family is an important sub-system – a
building block of society.
George Peter Murdock (1949):
The Family Performs 4 vital functions
SEX
REPRODUCTION
Economic
(Food / Shelter)
Education /
Socialisation
Talcott Parsons (1959):
‘Functional Fit’
• Size and shape of
family will depend on
the society.
Industrialisation
Industrialisation refers to the process where
society becomes developed by industry in order
to produce secondary goods and services. This is
the period of time when the secondary industry
expanded.
• Before the period of
industrialisation jobs revolved
around agriculture and were mainly
home centred work.
• Pre-Industrial families were mainly
extended and the members of the
family lived and worked together.
•They often grew crops for
themselves then extras they took to
market to sell.
•Once industrialisation took place it
brought about the change of people
leaving the home to work the cities.
•In industrial society, the nuclear family
became dominant. This occurred because
the home became separated because of
people leaving home to work in the cities.
People became more ‘geographically
mobile’ – they moved for work.
Family Change
Parsons (1959, 1965)
•Extended Family  Nuclear Family
•Pre-Industrial  Post-Industrial
Why?
• Parsons saw the reason for the family
structure changing from extended to
nuclear was because the nuclear family
was more useful to industrial society.
The nuclear
family is more
able to focus on
socialising
children into the
norms and
values of the
industrial
society.
Industrial
society took
over many of
the functions
of the family
such as
education,
healthcare and
policing.
Due to the nuclear family having less kin it makes
them more mobile and therefore they can move
about the country to where work exists.
Socially Mobile Workforce
Modern societies – high levels of
social mobility.
Nuclear families who are ‘structurally
isolated’ from their extended kin are
best suited.
Otherwise – their may be conflict if
sons earn higher status than their
fathers in the same household
Parsons saw how the following specialised
roles developed in the family:
•Men –Practical and Planning Leaders
•Women – Emotional and Expressive
Leaders of the Family
Parsons argued that these roles were best
for society and he gave them 2 names...
The Expressive Role
and...
The Instrumental Role
Which role is male and
which is female?
• Instrumental Roles = Male role
Outside of the family in the public world.
Taking part in paid labour to support family.
Making important family decisions and sorting
finances.
• Expressive Roles = Female role
Inside the family; stress management in the
family and socialising children. Also involves
taking care of the household.
LEADER
Adult Male
(Father)
Adult Female
(Mother)
INSTRUMENTAL
ROLE
EXPRESSIVE
ROLE
Male
Child
Female
Child
FOLLOWERS
Parson’s Two ‘Irreducible’ Functions
• Primary Socialisation
of Children.
The stabilisation of adult
personalities.
Warm Bath Theory
• The pre-industrial family was multifunctional
• The post-industrial family was more
specialised
Summary Activity –
Use Key Words below to summarise the Functionalist view
Murdock - Four Basic Functions
Parsons -Functional Fit
Industrialisation – Nuclear Family
Geographical Mobility
Social Mobility
Expressive and Instrumental Roles
Two Irreducible Functions
Specialised functions.
Murdock 4
functions
Parsons
Functional Fit
Pre-industrial
society
Industrial
society
Socialisation
Instrumental
Role
Expressive
Role
Warm bath
theory
Value
Consensus
Social
Mobility
Geographical
Mobility
Critique of Parson’s – Quick
Questions
• Can primary socialisation be provided by
anyone other than family?
• Are families always a warm bath?
• Can one-parent families fulfill these
functions?
Evidence against Parsons
Were extended families dominant in preindustrial society?
Did the family become nuclear in
industrial societies?
Is the extended family no longer important
in modern societies?
Who disagreed with Parsons?
• Laslett (1972): Study of parish records of UK
households between 1564-1821, found that families were
almost always nuclear.
• Wilmott and Young (1972): Nuclear families of parents
and children worked together before industrialisation
• Anderson (1980): Studied families of the mid-industrial
period and found that extended families were still
common, because they provided support for one another
against the harsh conditions of the time: Poverty,
disease, infant mortality etc.
• Hareven (1999): Studied French Canadian immigrants to
America. Her historical research found that extended
families also provided support, financial aid and security.
Extended families were often geographically mobile
because they helped each other find work.
Laslett (1972)
• Studied family life in pre-industrial society by
studying parish records which recording the
living arrangements of citizens.
• 1564-1821 only 10% of households had kin
(family) beyond the nuclear family.
• What does Laslett’s research suggest in
relation to Parsons?
Therefore the family structure in preindustrial society was nuclear – this is a
criticism of Parsons
Laslett continued…
Why were nuclear families so popular in preindustrial society?
People married later in their lives...
After about a couple of years of being
married the parents of each partner would
die...
Therefore they would not live with them.
Willmott and Young (1960, 1973)
•Willmott and Young carried out two studies,
which were mainly based in London (Bethnal
Green) and Essex.
•They aimed to look at family structure in
British society over the 1950s to 1970’s.
Willmott and Young…
Stage One:
Pre-Industrial
(Extended)
Stage Two:
Early Industrial
(Nuclear)
Stage Three:
Privatised Nuclear
(Symmetrical)
At this point the family works
together as an economic
production unit.
Extended families became broken
down into individuals who leave
home to work.
The family is based on
consumption
rather
Why
didthan
the
production.
symmetrical family
At this stagecome
husband
and wives
about?
had joint roles – this is known as
‘symmetrical roles’.
Some questions to check your
understanding...
1. Why did the extended family decline according
to Parsons?
2. What does Parsons mean when he says that
the industrialised society took over functions
from the extended family...give some
examples.
3. What do Wilmott and Young mean by the
‘symmetrical family’?
4. Who does the nuclear family benefit?
Why did the symmetrical family come
about?
• Rising wages and welfare have lead to
kinship/family-based support declining
• Increased geographical mobility
• Reduction in the number of children per family
• More amenities and entertainment in the
home therefore making it more of a attractive
place.
McGlone et al. (1996)
• Families are very important to people in
contemporary society.
• Families are an important source of help
and support.
• Even though family members live further
apart today they still continue to keep in
contact.
McGlone et al …
• Working class have more frequent
contact with family members than the
middle class do.
• McGlone et al’s study can be used to
show what the family is like in modern
contemporary society.
New Right (1980s – Onwards)
Conservative
Commentators.
Similar to
Functionalists
Critical of Single Parents
Children need a male and
female role model.
Men should be breadwinners
and women homemakers.
Single parents cost too much
in welfare benefits.
New Right – The Underclass
• Includes long term
unemployed, welfare
dependents and
single parents.
• They fail to socialise
their children
properly.
Plenary: Plan Essay Question
Evaluate the view that there is a
relationship between the family
and industrialisation [20]