2) Functionalist Perspectives

Functionalists see the Family as a functional prerequisite of society. Murdoch said the family has 4 key functions:

sexual expressing sexuality in a way which is socially acceptable Reproduction needed to provide a suitable way to raise children Socialization - primary socialization helps teach children socially acceptable behaviour and values of the society (value consensus) Economic - provides food and shelter for family members

Parsons argues that there are 2 main functions of the family, Primary socialization of children and stabilization of human personalities.

Primary socialization of children Parsons said society would not function if the family did not socialize future generation into the value consensus, culture, language, history and morals of today society. stabilization of human personalities The pressures of modern society can destabilize personalities. Parsons said that through the sexual division of labour the family can stabilize personalities. Whilst the male plays the instrumental role, the women plays the expressive role, looking after the family and (importantly to this stabilization) looking after the husband. This is the warm bath theory, the women cares for the man, helps stabilize his personality and therefore he is a better worker.

Criticisms of the functionalist perspective Ignoring the dark side of the family - Functionalist fail to show the conflict within a family that prevents it from

fulfilling the function Murdock and Parsons spoke about, for example child abuse or violence against the mother Out of date A very old-fashioned view. Women nowadays are often the main breadwinners or eat least have paid jobs. Ignoring the exploitation of women Functionalist fail to take into account the way the women feels about her expressive role. Many women dont want to do this, and when they do this job can cause a lot of boredom and stress. Ignoring the harmful effects of the family Leach said that nuclear families have become so close-knit and isolated from everything else that a lot of emotional stress is caused. This is because family members expect too much from each other.

(3) Traditional Marxist Perspective

Marxists dont see the family as necessary for society to funct ion, however they think that capitalism needs the family to function well (maintain social inequality), this is because the family socialize working-class children to submit to the ruling class. Engels said that the nuclear familys role is to pass on private property to heirs, ensuring that the possession go to the right people. He also said the womens role in the family wasnt much different to a prostitute; the man put a roof over the womens head in return for sex and children. Althusser said that in order for capitalism to survive, the working class must submit to the ruling class. He said the family is one of the key social apparatus, as well as education, mass media etc, that allowed this to happen. This is because families socialize the next generation into the ideology that the ruling class should be above the working class. criticisms traditional Marxists perspective The traditional Marxists perspective is a bit old-fashioned. The idea that men only marry and have children to pass on property ignores many other reasons for doing so.

Also many women work so would be less likely to marry men for economic security as they have that themselves.

4) Marxist Feminist and Radical Feminist Perspectives

Unlike Marxists, Feminists focus more on the emasculation of the women than the working class Marxist Feminists Believe that the emasculation of women comes originally from capitalism Radical Feminists - Believe that it is patriarchy itself that emasculates women Key points of the Feminists view of the Family The social reproduction of labour power the family provides a place where children can be born and raised with security, this then provides capitalism with a good future workforce. It does this in 3 ways: Women and the family provides a relaxing place, ensuring members of the workforce go to work with their ability renewed Doing work for the family such as housework and looking after family which is unpaid, helping capitalism for no cost By socializing children into the dominant ideology and making them good workers, for example socializing children into believing the mother should be a housewife and the father should be the breadwinner Social Control of the Working-class The family keeps the working-class people conforming to the dominant norms and values, helping capitalism. For example a family is expected by norms and values to provide for the children; but to do this the parents must stay in work even if it is tedious, low paid and boring. The Myth of the Symmetrical Family Feminists disagree that there is growing equality between partners. They argue that there is still inequality because it is mainly women who: perform housework Make sacrifices to provide for children make less decisions be dependent on mens earnings give up paid work to look after children, sacrificing work opportunities are more likely to be the victims of domestic violence by men Criticisms of the Marxist Feminist and Radical Feminists Perspectives Womens roles arent the same in all families, some are becoming more symmetrical. Some women choose to fulfill what feminists see as an emasculating role in the family; feminists dont account for this Around 70% of divorces are filed by women, this shows that actually women have more power to escape a relationship than Feminists say