The functionalists have a view of a middle class, white nuclear family, this is rare nowadays with the rise in single parent families, fostering and adoption and same sex couples having children. All these different family types can be just as nurturing and stimulating for a child to grow up in.
The functionalist’s seem to ignore problems such as domestic violence and abuse within families for men, women and children.
Overall the functionalists have an idealistic view of the family, one that is based on consensus between all parties, but so much more nowadays family life can be full of conflict. Their view of what makes up a family is dated, in the modern world there are many different types of families.
Critical
A critical view of the family seems to be a complete opposite to the functionalist view. Rather than being a positive influence in those in the family unit they see it as dysfunctional for both the family members and society as a whole.
Laing see the family as alone, isolated from society, the family is trying to protect its members from external threats of society which, is damaging to all involved. Too much dependence on one another and family members will argue, fight or rebel eventually, this conflict will spill out into wider society.
The problem with Leach and Laings’ ideas about the family is that they haven’t used a wide enough selection of family types to do their research with, their research is very limited and it is unfair to assume that these views can be applied to wider society.
Both Leach and Laing have very negative views of society, they both think that society has ‘gone mad’ and is loosing control.
The critical view of the family seems to be the opposite to the functionalist view with a very negative view that the family is a burden on all.
Marxist/Feminist
Engels looks at the family through history and see that it has evolved into a ‘monogamous nuclear family’ where, sexual desirers of the adults are kept in the family unit. The family again is seen as a self sufficient unit with little input from society. Engels believes that communism has pushed the family to this stage with the privatisation of production and property. Giving people who own their property more benefits than those who don’t. Property is then passed onto younger generations and so the cycle continues. This forces the male (or breadwinner) of the family into a position where they are obliged to go to work and earn money to support their family, the wife has to keep the family running with housework and chores, looking after the children and keeping the man comfortable so he is able to work.
Both Marxist and Feminist theorists have the view that the family oppresses women, that women produce thousands of hours of unpaid lob our and seem to live in the mans shadows.
Feminist theorists first brought the hardship of women into sociological thinking, they have highlighted abuse and violence within families and has shown that the family unit is geared to greater oblige the men over the women.
Both Marxist and Feminist theory’s are both looking at the nuclear family, there is still no accounting for other variations which can make up a family. They also only see the man as the breadwinner, there may be situations where the woman of the household has to support the family.
Overall none of these views are correct for describing the modern day family. With so many differences of family types in Weston society and cultural differences around the world all these views seem dated. Small parts of all the theories are true but no one theory could cover the varied way in which people in the modern world live their life.
