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TASSociologyQuick questions
Social Institutions in Contemporary Australia
Quick questions on Family and Households - TCE Sociology (Tasmania) - Level 3
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the functionalist view?Show answer
Functionalists stress the positive functions the family performs. George Murdock claimed the family meets four universal functions: sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. Talcott Parsons argued that in modern industrial society the family has lost some functions to other institutions but specialises in two irreducible functions: the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities, the so called warm bath that relieves the stresses of work. The strength of this view is that it explains why the family is universal; its weakness is that it ignores conflict and the dark side of family life.
What is the Marxist view?Show answer
Marxists argue the family serves capitalism, not its members. It reproduces the next generation of workers at no cost to employers, socialises children to accept hierarchy and authority, and acts as a unit of consumption that buys goods. Friedrich Engels linked the monogamous family to the inheritance of private property. The strength of this view is that it connects the family to the wider economy; its weakness is that it downplays the genuine love and support families provide.
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