SOCIOL 2PP3 Lecture 4: L4
23 Jan 2019
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Document Summary
Structural functionalism focusses on social order and suggests that there is societal consensus over shared values: family is a social institution, if one part breaks down it can disrupt equilibrium, critique of structural functionalism more generally. Ignores conflict: everyone has shared interests, which is not true in society, no such thing as societal consensus, nuclear family is functional for children and society, critique of structural functionalist perspective on family. Structural functionalist (late 19th c - early 20th c: nuclear family most ideal because the sexual division of labour is functional for families and society. Structural functionalist (1950s: nuclear family is most ideal, functions families perform , regulating sexual activity, economic cooperation, reproduction. Socialization: emotional support, men do instrumental role of providing paycheck, due to industrialization we see that families lose their productive function because we have other companies taking over the socialization role. Strict sexual division of labour needed: criticisms, no cross cultural understanding, assumed it was universal.
