The idea of 'family life' in society has changed frequently throughout history in Britain, this has lead to the many differing opinions and arguments raised by sociologists. In this essay I aim to evaluate and analyse the arguments put forward by Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist theories by discussing the impact of industrialisation on 'family life' and society in general. The vast changes in women's rights, the impact of war, and the enfranchisement of women are some factors in which have influenced the structure of families throughout britain over a period of time. Each of these factors could be seen as the reason society has pushed further away from the idea of normality which is seen as the 'nuclear' family. However, In this essay I will be looking at the impact of industrialisation and how it effected family structure in …show more content…
The main idea of functionalism considers each family members purpose and the how they can contribute to the family structure, as well as this it further considers how this maintains the social system by the boundaries set upon by the family structure. (Reuben H. and Donald A. (1960).
The first main functionalist G P Murdock found there to be 4 main functions in family life; Sexual, Reproduction, Economy and Education which meant socialising young people. Following on from Murdock another functionalist Talcott Parsons with a more modern edge, believed that industrialisation meant the shift from nuclear families as society was pushed into becoming more mobile, both geographically and socially, this in turn would have altered the family structure as families moved to where work opportunities were for example instead of all the family working collectively under the one roof, women would leave the family home and pursue career in places such as schools and hospitals and men would travel to wherever had the most working opportunities. Parsons T. and Bales R.
Assess the extent to which social policies reflect and support the traditional nuclear family (24 marks)
World War ǁ was a global military event, the most colossal conflict in history lasting from 1939-1945, it involved most of the worlds nations including Great Britain. WWII had far-reaching implications for most of the world. The following essay will demonstrate the changes the UK family has undergone since World War ǁ, the following essay will also throw light upon the changes in family types, economic activities of women , power distribution, laws and sexuality with respect to disciplines of sociology, economics, history and politics.
The Functionalist theory emphasizes the contributions (functions) that all parts of society (e.g., social institutions) make within society. This theory has contributed to sociology by providing a view “which emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain stability.” (Schafer 2013, pg13)
Functionalism is a theory by Durkheim that conveys that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society. In this way, society is like an organism. If all institutions work properly it contributes to the
Moreover, Societies are held together by both consensus with values and coercion. The functionalist view is that the balance of harmony among the society is held up by societal institutions. For example, schools, church and family are seen as the most significant foundation for an adequately functional society.
As a functionalist view, they believed that the family had to teach the norms and values so they believed that the ‘Traditional Nuclear Family’ was the best type of family. Functionalists believed that the husband and wife have segregated
‘The family performs important tasks that contribute to society’s basic needs and helps perpetuate social order.’ (Anthony Giddens 2006 - Page 238) Functionalists believe a family’s paramount purpose is to raise and support their children within society.
According to Griffiths & et. al (2015), functionalism is a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that
Functionalism looks at society in aspects of how it contributes to the steadiness/cohesion of the whole society (Anderson, Taylor, & Logio, P. 18). There are many institutions that are looked at that include the economic system, government, education, religion, health care, and family. All of which have different roles and perform different functions to ensure that society operates in a well-ordered manner. An example of this would be how family reproduces, takes care of children, exposes children to culture and heritage, supports other family members, and shares life experiences. Shared values and social stability are keys to this perspective. When this system breaks down it is because people’s needs are not being covered and shared values are deteriorating. When this occurs, it affects all parts of functionalism and the society must achieve
Evaluate the functionalist view of the family by referring to for example, the view that the family has lost functions/role due to structural differentiation.
Functionalism is consensus theory in sociology. Society based on Functionalism theory was defined as a system of interconnected institutions such as family,
Functionalism is a consensus perspective, whereby society is based on shared values and norms into which members are socialised. For functionalists, society is seen as a system of social institutions such as the economy, religion and the family all of which perform socialisation functions.
Parsons believed that the separation of extended families caused nuclear families to be formed in order to take advantage of the new job opportunities that had been brought about. He also argued that the second fundamental change to the family was that they no longer needed to produce their own materials and food as specialised agencies gradually took over and the home and workplace became separate as people became wage earners. The state eventually took over the functions of education, health and welfare and so consequently the nuclear family was able to specialise in child centred functions like socialisation. Thirdly Parson also argued that the new nuclear unit provided the husband and wife with very cleaver social roles. The man was the "instrumental leader", who was responsible for the economic welfare of the family group, and goes out and earns money, while the female was seen as the "expressive leader", primarily responsible for the socialisation of the children and the emotional care and support of family members.
Marxists have very critical view of the family and society. They adopt a structural perspective, but put it in the class nature of the society. The starting point for the most Marxist analyses of gender and the family is Friedrich Engels’ (1820-1895) The Origin of the
The Effects of Industrialisation on the Structure of the Family The Industrial Revolution was from 1750's - 1850's, which had four main effects. One was the Economic system becoming industrial from agriculture, the second was Mechanisation meaning production in factories becoming more efficient, the third was Urbanisation and the fourth was population explosion - low mobility rate and higher birth rate. Tallcott Parsons (1950's) believed that the extended family in pre Industrial Britain was the most beneficial as they were a unit of production and they were able to maintain a subsistence level of existence with very little reliance on non-family members. Parsons believed that post