The Family in Sociology

Critics of the functionalist's perspective would be the Marxists and Feminists. The Marxists position asserts that the nuclear family is not universal but a product of capitalism and that the family is an exploitative institution. L.H Morgan (1918-81) believed that the modern family was "founded on the open or concealed domestic slavery of the wife...within the family he (the husband) is the bourgeois and the wife represents the proletariat". Fredrich Engels (1902) claimed the bourgeois nuclear family reproduces a future generation workforce at no charge. A direct criticism on Murdock's theory was that he didn't consider whether the functions could be preformed by other social institutions and he does not examine alternatives to the family. As D.H.J. Morgan (1975) states Murdock does not answer, "To what extent these basic functions are inevitably linked with the institutions of the nuclear family".

American sociologist Talcott Parsons (1955) argues that the typical family unit is the "isolated nuclear family". Parson states that because society has become increasingly specialized the functions of the family have dropped to two. These are the primary socialization of children and the stabilization of adult personalities. The primary socialization of children involves two processes, which are the internalisation of societies culture and the structuring of personalities. Parsons could conceive of no institution other than the family that could provide the warmth, security and mutual support needed to complete these processes. The stabilization of adult personalities focuses on the husband-wife relationship. Since the isolated nuclear family does not have the security once provided by the close knit extended family the married couple look to each other for emotional support and so helps to stabilize their personalities. He claims that the nuclear family in industrial society is no less important than it was, it is simply more specialised.

Criticisms of Parsons theory come from the fact that he idealised the nuclear family. He portrays his image of the family as having well adjusted children and sympathic spouses who care for each other's needs. Marxists feminists criticise the family as they focus on the double exploitation of women by capitalism and men. They argue men dominant family relationships and that domestic labour within the family serves the need of a capitalist economy.

According to Eileen Calder a radical feminist the family is the "most unsafe place for women and children". Kate Millet (1970) argues that because of the way society is organised men are able to dominate women. In its most extreme form this means violence. Russell and Rebecca Dobash (1980) indicate that for many women and children this is a very real threat. Evidence to suggest women are dissatisfied with their family life is portrayed in the rise of divorces filed by women, which stood at 73% in 1989. These statistics and studies far outweigh Parsons theory of the family being a safe haven.

Another supporter of the family are the New Right thinkers. They see a "normal family" as the nuclear family. John Redwood a conservative MP stated in 1993 "the natural state should be the two adult family caring for their children". The New Right argues for a return to "traditional family values" as a cure for the problems modern society face such as juvenile delinquency, educational underachievement and child poverty.

Marxists and feminists have argued that under contempary capitalism, life is made difficult for those who fail to live up to what the majority sees as "normal" family life.

One thing that has become clear, recent research has suggested that society has been characterized by a plurality of family types and that the idea of the typical family is misleading. Barrie Thorne (1992) argues that the focus on the nuclear family neglects structures of society that lead to different variations in the family. Robert and Rhona Rapport (1982) drew attention to the fact that in 1978 just 20% of families consisted of the nuclear family. From then there has been a rise in different family types e.g. single parent families rose from 2% in 1961 to 7% in 1998, also single persons households which rose from 11%in 1968 to 28% in 1998. Among these there is other forms of family diversity that have become more prominent. Gay and lesbian households have become more commonplace. There is also the reconstituted family, a family created from pieces of former families.

Having examined the different theories and opinions on the family it can be concluded the ideology of the nuclear family often obscures reality. Statistics show that the nuclear family is not the dominant family type instead a diversity of family types exists. A study done at the end of the 1980s by the European Co-ordination Centre for Research and Documentation in Social Science (Boh 1989) showed evidence that family life did have certain trends that were widespread across Europe. All 14 of the European countries studied had experienced rising divorce rates, co-habitation has become more common and the birth rate had declined everywhere. Throughout Europe a greater range of family types is being accepted as legitimate and normal. The prevailing image of the typical nuclear family can be useful for many individuals however the options now available to men and women give them the right to choose the family type they wish to have.

Christine Dodson