Functionalist views
- Murdock (1949) studied many societies and argued the nuclear family is universal, with four functions: sexual, reproductive, economic and educational (socialisation).
- Parsons argued that in modern industrial society the family has two basic and irreducible functions: the primary socialisation of children, and the stabilisation of adult personalities (giving adults emotional support).
Marxist views
- Marxists see the family as serving capitalism.
- Engels argued the family developed so that men could pass on private property to their own children.
- Zaretsky argued that the family is a refuge where workers can escape the pressures of capitalist work, and that it acts as a unit of consumption, buying the goods capitalism produces.
Feminist views
- Feminists argue the family benefits men and exploits women.
- Delphy and Leonard argued the family is a patriarchal and hierarchical institution, where men benefit from women's unpaid labour.
- Critics say these views are one-sided and ignore families where roles are shared.
Key terms
- Nuclear family
- A family of two parents and their dependent children.
- Primary socialisation
- The first stage of socialisation, in the family.
- Stabilisation of adult personalities
- Parsons' idea that the family gives adults emotional support.
- Unit of consumption
- A family's role in buying goods and services.
- Universal
- Found in every society.
- Unpaid labour
- Work done without pay, such as housework.