Assess the View That the Nuclear Family Functions to Benefit All It Members and Society of a Whole

The Nuclear Family generally consists of a Mother, a Father and at least 1 child, this image of a family is thought to of come about at the time of the Industrial Revolution. (Willmott and Young) believe that an increase in the Nuclear Family was the result of the Industrialization. They found that during pre-industrial times, the most common type of family structure, was that of the Extended Family (Extended Family can take

Today's nuclear family with mom, dad, 2.3 kids, and dog only came into being just after the Industrial Revolution (Swerdolow 15). This leads to the idea that perhaps the desengration of the nuclear family isn't necessarily a negative things, but more of a retirement of a one way of life in favor of a new one. Even if this is true, the current period of decline still spurns numerous problems and attempted solutions.

A traditional view of the family is held by Functionalists. Functionalists favour the nuclear family which Murdock identifies as ‘a social group characterised by common residents, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least

Each group in society has a different idea on what the main role of the family is. As Item 2B says, “Marxists see all social institutions as serving the interests of capitalism.” This includes the family, and they say that it serves the interests of capitalism by maintaining and justifying class inequality and exploitation by the rich. Other groups, however, have different opinions, such as Functionalists who think that the family performs essential needs of society. Marxists and Functionalists opinions are completely contrasted, as Marxists think that we live in a Capitalist society based on unequal conflict between the classes, whilst Functionalists see society as based on “value consensus”, where everyone agrees.

Many sociologists argue that the nuclear family is a universal and dominate institution however there has been an increase in diverse family types for various reasons. Examples of these diverse families are lone parents, reconstitutions and cohabitation families. Although most people experience life in a nuclear family, it represents only a stage in their life cycle. Social and demographic changes have meant that an increasing part of many people’s lives are spent in households that are not based on conventional nuclear families.

Discuss the view that the term Family is a form of ideology rather than simply a descriptive concept. Draw on sociological research to support your answer.

To begin with, Functionalist sees family as a vital institution which helped maintain social order by transmitting consensus values enabling society to function in a unified behaviour. Murdock (1949) is of the opinion that society would not operate properly if the main four family functions (Sexual, Reproduction, Economic and Education) were disregard. He argues that a nuclear family is universal as it fulfills society's needs, his claims is supported by the evidence he claimed to be found in 250 different societies. The first function is sexual, Murdock believes that social disruption can be prevented with the existence of sexual intercourse with the same marital partner in which can also strengthen the husband and wife’s relationship. The

Functionalists say the nuclear family is best, as the woman needs to be there, to provide the family with emotional gratification, and take care of the domestic labour, also the warm bath theory. Whereby, she runs the man a warm bath when he comes home from a stressful day at work, in order to make him relax with the family and wine down. And the man in the nuclear family, provides the economic support.

Due to the rise in divorce rates, low fertility rates, childless couples and same sex couples, there is a belief that the family is under threat. This belief is based on the assumption that the family is a static entity that served a function, as proposed by Murdock. Research has shown, that although the nuclear family has been one form of structure, it has never been the only form throughout the world, as suggested by Murdock (Bessant & Watts, 2007, p. 168). Although in modern times we are seeing a diversity of families, the family has always been a diverse structure. As the sociologist Diana Gittins (1993) suggests, it is more appropriate to discuss families than ‘the family’, families are diverse, and there is not a single model to describe them (Giddens, 2009, p. 332). The nuclear family is not disappearing, however, it does not hold the monopoly it was once thought to hold (Beck-Gernsheim 1998, p.

The first family structure in the modern-day society is the nuclear family. This setup is considered a conventional family structure. The nuclear family is also referred to as a traditional, conjugal or elementary family. It comprises of two parents and the children, whether the children were adopted or not. This family configuration has been long considered with high regards as the ideal structure for raising children. It is perceived that children from nuclear families tend to have the strength and stability and are generally more opportune in matters of finances from the two adults. The United States Census data highlights that close to 70% of children stay in a nuclear family structure (Schulte, 2014). In addition, nuclear families are

Talcott Parsons (1959) stated that the family perform the two fundamental functions in society, primary socialisation, and the stabilisation of adult personalities. The most important part of socialisation in a functionalist’s perspective is gender role socialisation. Primary socialisation occurs in initial stages of childhood and the family plays a crucial role at this point. The family achieves two things at this stage. Firstly, the transmission of culture of society to the children, the child should be able to internalise the norms and values expected of them from society this then assists them to accomplish the second task which is stabilising of the adult

In college classes, the traditional nuclear family is defined as a family consisting of one or both parents and their dependent children in a single family unit without any extended relatives (Kendall, 2013). Some sociological perspectives suggest that any departure from what is known as the “traditional,” or nuclear, family indicates a social problem, while others maintain that the definition of family has simply evolved beyond the nuclear family. Some even suggest that the social constructs of marriage and the traditional nuclear family actually undermine the notion of community ties by discouraging any kind of extended family inclusion (Gerstel, 2011).

During the past few decades there have been major changes in the structure of the family. A family used to be represented by a married couple with children, generally of the same race and living under the same roof. The traditional family was known for its stability and unmarried people were considered to live a life of loneliness. Numerous people today still believe that the nuclear family is the best for raising children and even the media and television portray the best situations with the traditional family.

Imagine being on the cusp of adulthood during the 1950s when the term “nuclear” was becoming more common in regards to the matter of families. The idea of that a nuclear family, a family consisting of a man, his wife, and their children under one roof, is the only type of family that should exist was often shoved into the faces of young Americans. The nuclear family had been around for centuries, only truly developing the title of “nuclear” in the early twentieth century. It’s the concept that any family that doesn’t fit the structure laid down by the idea isn’t a family that should be welcomed into society. During the 1950s, this took a step farther. It was expected for someone to marry once they reached a certain age and many people considered something to be wrong with someone if they weren’t. . Though it is of note that not even before the 1950s had passed, changes had already begun.

Strength and stability refers to a child that is born into marriage tend to have more stability than children born into cohabitation. Spouses that are committed to each other teach their children to lead positive and healthy relationships and interact with others. consistency for behavior successes refers to a nuclear family that provides their children with consistency in providing care. Children who exemplify positive behavior have more consistency in their lives rather than children with no consistency. The main goal of consistency in a nuclear family is to retain positive relationships and build a foundation for future goals. Health benefits suggest that a happily married biological parents have better social, emotional and physical health than other children. Happily married parents are less likely to abuse their children opposed to parents that aren't happily married. Nuclear families that have good communication skills have fewer obstacles and disturbances.