AS Sociology
Family and
Households
Revision Notes
1
, Topic 1 – Perspectives on The Family
Being able to critically apply different perspectives is the most important skill you can demonstrate
in Sociology. You can also apply the perspectives to many of the other topics within the family,
most obviously Marriage and Divorce and Social Policies. There are six perspectives you need to
be able to apply, which form the six topics within this topic.
Subtopics
• Functionalism
• Marxism
• Feminisms
• The New Right
• Postmodernism
• Late Modernism
Key concepts, research studies and case studies you should be able to apply
• The Nuclear family
• Stable Satisfaction of the sex drive
• Primary Socialisation
• Dual Burden
• Stabilisation of adult personalities
• Primitive communism
• ideological functions
• family as a unit of consumption
• Socialisation
• Parson’s functional fit theory
• Traditional society
• Extended family
• Triple Shift
• Negotiated Family
• The Underclass
• Moral Decline
• The Pure Relationship
• Risk Society
• Consumer culture
• Globalisation
• Negotiated family
• Individualisation
• 'The normal chaos of love'
2
,Possible exam style short answer questions
• Outline and briefly explain two positive functions that the nuclear family might perform (10)
• Using one example, explain what is meant by the term 'the stabilisation of adult
personalities' (4)
• Using one example explain how the nuclear family’ fits’ industrial society? (4)
• Outline and briefly explain two criticisms of the ‘The Functionalist Perspective’ on the family
(10)
• Outline three ways in which the family might perform ideological functions (6)
• Using one example, explain what is meant the phrase ‘the family is a unit of consumption’
(4)
• Define the term Patriarchy (2)
• Outline and briefly explain the difference between the Liberal and Radical Feminist views of
the family (10)
• Using one example explain postmodern society has influenced family life in recent years (4)
Possible Essay Questions – You should plan these!
• Assess the Contribution of Functionalism to our Understanding of Family Life (24) (June
2013)
• Examine Marxist views of the role of the family (24) (January 2013)
• Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the contribution of feminist sociologists
to an understanding of family roles and relationships (24) (June 2011)
• Evaluate the New Right Perspective on the family (24)
• Evaluate the postmodernist view of the family and relationships (24)
• Assess the view that the main aim of the nuclear family is to meet the needs of Capitalism
(24)
• Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that, in today’s society,
the family is losing its functions (24) (June 2010)
The final question is emboldened because it is more likely you'll get a question like this
rather than a straightforward 'assess this perspective' type question.
3
, Topic 1.1: The Functionailst view of The Family
The Functionalist View of Society
Functionalists regard society as a system made up of different parts which depend on each other.
Different institutions each perform specific functions within a society to keep that society going, in
the same way as the different organs of a human body perform different functions in order to
maintain the whole.
In Functionalist thought, the family is a particularly important institution as this it the ‘basic building
block’ of society which performs the crucial functions of socialising the young and meeting the
emotional needs of its members. Stable families underpin social order and economic stability.
George Peter Murdock – The four essential functions of the nuclear family
Looked at 200 different societies and argued that family was universal (in all of them). Suggested
there were ‘four essential functions’ of the family:
1. Stable satisfaction of the sex drive – within monogamous relationships
2. The biological reproduction of the next generation – without which society cannot continue.
3. Socialisation of the young – teaching basic norms and values
4. Meeting its members economic needs – producing food and shelter for example.
Criticisms of Murdock
• Feminist Sociologists argue that arguing that the family is essential is ideological because
traditional family structures typically disadvantage women.
• It is feasible that other institutions could perform the functions above.
• Anthropological research has shown that there are some cultures which don't appear to
have 'families' - the Nayar for example.
Talcott Parson’s Functional Fit Theory
Parson’s has a historical perspective on the evolution of the nuclear family. His functional fit theory
is that as society changes, the type of family that ‘fits’ that society, and the functions it performs
change. Over the last 200 years, society has moved from pre-industrial to industrial – and the main
family type has changed from the extended family to the nuclear family. The nuclear family fits the
more complex industrial society better, but it performs a reduced number of functions.
The extended family consisted of parents, children, grandparents and aunts and uncles living
under one roof, or in a collection of houses very close to each other. Such a large family unit 'fitted'
pre-industrial society as the family was entirely responsible for the education of children, producing
food and caring for the sick – basically it did everything for all its members.
In contrast to pre-industrial society, in industrial society (from the 1800s in the UK) the isolated
4
Family and
Households
Revision Notes
1
, Topic 1 – Perspectives on The Family
Being able to critically apply different perspectives is the most important skill you can demonstrate
in Sociology. You can also apply the perspectives to many of the other topics within the family,
most obviously Marriage and Divorce and Social Policies. There are six perspectives you need to
be able to apply, which form the six topics within this topic.
Subtopics
• Functionalism
• Marxism
• Feminisms
• The New Right
• Postmodernism
• Late Modernism
Key concepts, research studies and case studies you should be able to apply
• The Nuclear family
• Stable Satisfaction of the sex drive
• Primary Socialisation
• Dual Burden
• Stabilisation of adult personalities
• Primitive communism
• ideological functions
• family as a unit of consumption
• Socialisation
• Parson’s functional fit theory
• Traditional society
• Extended family
• Triple Shift
• Negotiated Family
• The Underclass
• Moral Decline
• The Pure Relationship
• Risk Society
• Consumer culture
• Globalisation
• Negotiated family
• Individualisation
• 'The normal chaos of love'
2
,Possible exam style short answer questions
• Outline and briefly explain two positive functions that the nuclear family might perform (10)
• Using one example, explain what is meant by the term 'the stabilisation of adult
personalities' (4)
• Using one example explain how the nuclear family’ fits’ industrial society? (4)
• Outline and briefly explain two criticisms of the ‘The Functionalist Perspective’ on the family
(10)
• Outline three ways in which the family might perform ideological functions (6)
• Using one example, explain what is meant the phrase ‘the family is a unit of consumption’
(4)
• Define the term Patriarchy (2)
• Outline and briefly explain the difference between the Liberal and Radical Feminist views of
the family (10)
• Using one example explain postmodern society has influenced family life in recent years (4)
Possible Essay Questions – You should plan these!
• Assess the Contribution of Functionalism to our Understanding of Family Life (24) (June
2013)
• Examine Marxist views of the role of the family (24) (January 2013)
• Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the contribution of feminist sociologists
to an understanding of family roles and relationships (24) (June 2011)
• Evaluate the New Right Perspective on the family (24)
• Evaluate the postmodernist view of the family and relationships (24)
• Assess the view that the main aim of the nuclear family is to meet the needs of Capitalism
(24)
• Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that, in today’s society,
the family is losing its functions (24) (June 2010)
The final question is emboldened because it is more likely you'll get a question like this
rather than a straightforward 'assess this perspective' type question.
3
, Topic 1.1: The Functionailst view of The Family
The Functionalist View of Society
Functionalists regard society as a system made up of different parts which depend on each other.
Different institutions each perform specific functions within a society to keep that society going, in
the same way as the different organs of a human body perform different functions in order to
maintain the whole.
In Functionalist thought, the family is a particularly important institution as this it the ‘basic building
block’ of society which performs the crucial functions of socialising the young and meeting the
emotional needs of its members. Stable families underpin social order and economic stability.
George Peter Murdock – The four essential functions of the nuclear family
Looked at 200 different societies and argued that family was universal (in all of them). Suggested
there were ‘four essential functions’ of the family:
1. Stable satisfaction of the sex drive – within monogamous relationships
2. The biological reproduction of the next generation – without which society cannot continue.
3. Socialisation of the young – teaching basic norms and values
4. Meeting its members economic needs – producing food and shelter for example.
Criticisms of Murdock
• Feminist Sociologists argue that arguing that the family is essential is ideological because
traditional family structures typically disadvantage women.
• It is feasible that other institutions could perform the functions above.
• Anthropological research has shown that there are some cultures which don't appear to
have 'families' - the Nayar for example.
Talcott Parson’s Functional Fit Theory
Parson’s has a historical perspective on the evolution of the nuclear family. His functional fit theory
is that as society changes, the type of family that ‘fits’ that society, and the functions it performs
change. Over the last 200 years, society has moved from pre-industrial to industrial – and the main
family type has changed from the extended family to the nuclear family. The nuclear family fits the
more complex industrial society better, but it performs a reduced number of functions.
The extended family consisted of parents, children, grandparents and aunts and uncles living
under one roof, or in a collection of houses very close to each other. Such a large family unit 'fitted'
pre-industrial society as the family was entirely responsible for the education of children, producing
food and caring for the sick – basically it did everything for all its members.
In contrast to pre-industrial society, in industrial society (from the 1800s in the UK) the isolated
4
