Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Outline and Evaluate the view that nuclear families benefit individuals and society

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Outline and Evaluate the view that nuclear families benefit individuals and society. There are various, contrasting views about nuclear families, one being how it could benefit individuals and society. A nuclear family consists of a father, mother and at least on child. Some sociologists, such as; Murdoch (1949) had claimed that family was a 'universal institution' this is a functionalist view, however Marxists feminists believe they meet the need of capitalists. I will explore different ways in which nuclear families benefit individuals and society itself. Sociologists have been divided upon the issue regarding nuclear families; Functionalists stress the positive aspect of family. ...read more.

Middle

Functionalists view a society as a set of inter-connected, interrelated institutions all working together and contributing to society. However, in functioning for society functionalists maintain that the family is also functional for individuals. The two go hand in hand. Functionalists then, present a harmonious picture of the family functioning along with other institutions, to serve the needs of society and its members. On the other hand, Marxist feminists suggest that the nuclear family meets the needs of capitalism for the reproduction and maintenance of class and patriarchal inequality .it benefits the powerful at the expense of the working class and women. ...read more.

Conclusion

Consider, for example; the family farms. Today it is a unit of consumption, buying goods and services for the family. Reproductive: people reproduce families; they have children, which of course are essential for the survival of mankind. Functionalists have been criticised for ignoring the dark side of family life. Many families are places of disruption, violence and harm their members. Sociologists have produced work on what they call the 'dark side of family life' where family members are often abused and where individuals feel unable to live the life they desire because of the everyday stresses and strains of living in small family units. In this sense the functionalists can be accused of portraying am over-rosy picture of the family. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Family & Marriage section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Family & Marriage essays

  1. Assess the view that marriage and family life benefit men more than they benefit ...

    Men would have a weaker bond with their children than women as they spend most of their time at work to financially provide for his family. Mary Boulton found fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare.

  2. How cultural deprivation affects the educational attainment of students.

    6th form education [8] College [6] Other further education [2] Job training [0] Job [2] Don't know [2] In target setting day, what were you told? I am working above expected levels in most subjects [8] I am working at expected levels in most subjects [4] I am working below

  1. Assess the view that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and ...

    by regulating sexual behaviour, reproductive i.e. it produces the next generation, educational i.e. it transmits cultural norms, customs and rituals and economic i.e. protection and maintenance of dependants. Murdock believed that in carrying out its functions, the nuclear family links up with society's institutions providing for instance future pupils for education and workers for the economy.

  2. Explain and briefly evaluate ways in which femininities are created and reinforced in contemporary ...

    Up until the 70's and 80's the educational system had a strong masculine aura. Textbooks often used male examples and reading books were stereotypically gendered, for example, the Janet and John books, portrayed women in a narrow role such as helping mother in the kitchen and wearing dresses whilst the boys were out playing, getting dirty etc.

  1. Assess the view that the nuclear family functions benefit all its members and society ...

    It is recognised by functionalists that families change themselves over time for the sake of adapting to society, an example would be leading functionalist Emile Durkheim who strongly believed that family was the most important institution of society. Durkheim believed that family positively functioned for both individuals and society.

  2. Is the nuclear family in decline?

    According to Bryan Wilson, religion has lost its influence on marriage. In 1981 there were 52% of marriages that are religiously based.in 2002 it was 34% and even among the Christian churches the reduction is higher. The Christian belief take lifelong marriage very serious, living together is considered a sin.

  1. Gender roles/expectations that exists in contemporary Japanese society

    Japanese women became the icons of an emerging urban femininity quickly, and, later, it was the main marketer?s object. Also, they could immediately recognise different types of female consumers, which were depending from their lifestyle, age and other criteria. This was particular period marked by new ways of living and working.

  2. Assess the view that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and ...

    Marxists are very critical of the process of primary socialization in the nuclear family because they argue that it reproduces and maintains class inequality. They argue that the main function of a nuclear family is to distract the working class from the fact they are being exploited by capitalism.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work