In general, the definition for family is someone that is related to another person by blood or marriage partner. In today’s world some people also said that their close friends are also their family eventhough they are not related by blood. In sociology there are different perspectives on how people see family. Functionalist, Marxist and feminist all sees family differently.
Functionalist sees society as an institution that is made of different parts but they depend on each other to work properly. The different institutions work separately but it is what keep the society going on. This is like how the human body works. Inside the human body all the different parts work differently to keep someone alive. If one of the part failed to function …show more content…
His functional fit theory is that as a society change the family that ‘fits’ that society also change. The society has moved from pre-industrial to industrial over the last 200 years (The Marxist perspective on the family, 2014). The main type of family has also changed from extended family that consisted of parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles living in one house together or living near to each other to nuclear family which consists only parents and children. The nuclear family suits the complex industrial society better eventhough it reduced the number of functions. Before, during the pre-industrial society extended family is a norm because the entire family was responsible for everything including the children’s education, producing their own food and even taking care of family member that is sick. After the industrial society exist nuclear family becomes the norm. It is easier to move for work when the family is small than when having a large family living in one roof. Extended family were also less needed in industrial society as there are more functions like health and education provided by the government. Both functionalists were criticized because both Murdock and Parson did not focus on conflicts that occurred in the family. Both of them only showed the harmonious side of the family and they did not show the darker side of the family like child abuse and violence against women. In reality family is not all …show more content…
While functionalists see family as harmonious institution Marxist sees family as a conflict with unequal relations between the family members (Marxist views of the family, 2013). According to Engels (1884), capitalism only emerged with monogamous nuclear family. Before Capitalism happened, traditional, tribal societies were classless. They do not have any private property and there were no restrictions on sexual relations which Engels called “Promiscuous Horde”. After the emerged of capitalism in the 18th century the society and family changed. The “Bourgeois” (elite) use their own personal wealth to invest in business so they can make profit for themselves. They do not invest their wealth to benefits other people so the Bourgeois find ways to pass on their wealth to the next generation so that their wealth would not go to other people that has no relation to them. The Bourgeois do not want to share their wealth. This is where the monogamous nuclear family comes from. Since the Bourgeois only pass their wealth to their own family especially their son this causes reproduce inequality. The rich stay rich while the poor remain poor. The nuclear family only benefits the Bourgeois than the Proletariat (working class). The Bourgeois gain their wealth from exploiting the working class. There are clear differences of status or level within the hierarchy because the children are taught into accepting values of
Functionalist sees society as an institution that is made of different parts but they depend on each other to work properly. The different institutions work separately but it is what keep the society going on. This is like how the human body works. Inside the human body all the different parts work differently to keep someone alive. If one of the part failed to function …show more content…
His functional fit theory is that as a society change the family that ‘fits’ that society also change. The society has moved from pre-industrial to industrial over the last 200 years (The Marxist perspective on the family, 2014). The main type of family has also changed from extended family that consisted of parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles living in one house together or living near to each other to nuclear family which consists only parents and children. The nuclear family suits the complex industrial society better eventhough it reduced the number of functions. Before, during the pre-industrial society extended family is a norm because the entire family was responsible for everything including the children’s education, producing their own food and even taking care of family member that is sick. After the industrial society exist nuclear family becomes the norm. It is easier to move for work when the family is small than when having a large family living in one roof. Extended family were also less needed in industrial society as there are more functions like health and education provided by the government. Both functionalists were criticized because both Murdock and Parson did not focus on conflicts that occurred in the family. Both of them only showed the harmonious side of the family and they did not show the darker side of the family like child abuse and violence against women. In reality family is not all …show more content…
While functionalists see family as harmonious institution Marxist sees family as a conflict with unequal relations between the family members (Marxist views of the family, 2013). According to Engels (1884), capitalism only emerged with monogamous nuclear family. Before Capitalism happened, traditional, tribal societies were classless. They do not have any private property and there were no restrictions on sexual relations which Engels called “Promiscuous Horde”. After the emerged of capitalism in the 18th century the society and family changed. The “Bourgeois” (elite) use their own personal wealth to invest in business so they can make profit for themselves. They do not invest their wealth to benefits other people so the Bourgeois find ways to pass on their wealth to the next generation so that their wealth would not go to other people that has no relation to them. The Bourgeois do not want to share their wealth. This is where the monogamous nuclear family comes from. Since the Bourgeois only pass their wealth to their own family especially their son this causes reproduce inequality. The rich stay rich while the poor remain poor. The nuclear family only benefits the Bourgeois than the Proletariat (working class). The Bourgeois gain their wealth from exploiting the working class. There are clear differences of status or level within the hierarchy because the children are taught into accepting values of