The Functionalism and The Family

This approach sees family as a positive place and where norms, values and beliefs. they believe that family is universal and that its like relaxing when you go home as in the 'Warm Bath' theory which was discovered by Tolcott Parsons.

Talcott Parson and George Murdock are the main thinkers when we talk about family and functionalism. George Murdock he believed that the family was universal feature of society, he believed that there were certain functions/ features that most family's fulfill these features may be sexual in most societies.

In many families males and females have different working style, so this is where division of labour takes place, which is an officiant way of organising family life.
Functionalists only see the positive aspects of family and believe that in a marriage in order for it to be successful it should have a loving relationship which should provide love, security, emotional support and fulfillment for adults.

When we look at functionalist we can evaluate their views on family. We see the positive and the negatives in the views that they believe.

Positive :
Functionalist show how important family is to social life, it also emphasises the continuity of the generation and also how family has a strong ideological hold on many individuals however in comparison we can argue that the functionalist, although they look at family in a positive way it ignores and does not recognise the diversities that occur within the family and they also assume that the family benefits everyone when in fact there are many downsides to the family.

Family

In sociology researchers have looked at the different types of families that are present in today's society and have been around in the past.

The family is a group of people who are blood related or who maybe linked by ties of kin. there are different types of family and they are:

Nuclear families- these are the stereotypical family where there are two parents, a child or two and maybe even a pet, all living under the same roof.

Extended family- this is a family that exists where the parents are living with the children and within the same house there are aunts, uncles and even grandparents.

Re- constituted- this is when the parents remarry another partner and the children are brought into the new family.

Lone parents- this is where there is only one parent either a mum or a dad who bring up the children.

Same Sex marriage/partnership- this is where two men or two women live together in a family environment in a or a form of marriage.