Assess Functionalsu and New Right View of the Family Essay

Functionalists believe that the family eat specific or tralatitious functions within the family. One function of the family would be reproduction or having children as this is imperative for the world as they get out be the future workforce. For manikin family businesses will need to pass d own the f bitories/shops to the next multiplication in the family for the continuing of the ancestors business. Other functions include economic maintenance this is where the family provides necessities for all the family members for example shelter, food and clothing. some other is that the family helps t severally children how to socialise with others and similarly educate them with the correct norms. An important function of the family is that it gives a sense of identity and belonging for example the family allows throng to be able to rely on because they atomic number 18 connected by dint of family. Talcott Parsons is atomic number 53 of the key functionalists that strongly argued that the atomic family fits the needs of the contemporary family and so believes that that extended family, which could involve divorce, will prevent the family from growing and being get throughn c be of.He supported the traditionalistic functions of the family and spoke astir(predicate) how the advanced family is changing a lot of the former functions. Parsons identified two remaining functions within the family one being primary socialisation of recent which is when the p arents raise the children and educate them round the norms and set for example the declines and wrongs so they are able to pass them one. For example in abusive families negative norms are passed on. notwithstanding how they act in other ways depend on their school life.The other main function is the stabilisations of fully grown personalities which is where children turn into adults and are forced to grow up and get a job and buy a house etc. they are made to take things more seriously in the world s o they are able to achieve a sense of belonging on their own and really engage a purpose. Overall Parsons view of the family is centred around the middle and upper classes and focuses on the phallics purpose and ignores the female perspective. This suggests that parsons believes wo workforce are happy to be housewives and dont aspire to be any(prenominal)thing else but loyal to their husbands.A few overbearing functions of the family is that they are very much more financially abiding as the husband and father have a stable job and are able to invite enough money to support the social unit family. The nuclear family also results in a much walking(prenominal) relationship between family members as they are with each other daily and so relationships are created. For example siblings are taught to share with each other and so form a bond of trust with each other. Children in the family are more likely to stay on a positive highway if they are in a nuclear family as disruptio n could cause difficulties with school life and social life. unify levys are seen to be very(prenominal) good component models when they are part of a nuclear family. However a disadvantage of the nuclear family is that functionalist advertises it so it seems to be very isolated and private and therefore they are seen to have a poor social life because they keep to themselves and dont concern themselves with wider groups of people. The family becomes connected to home leisure with TV the internet and games resulting in them becoming more home-centred. The family makes little contact with neighbours and is very self-contained.The family as a result of being private becomes reliant on support from the welfare state. rather functionalists are said to idealise the family life too much. Therefore ignore the rising divorce rates. They withstand to acknowledge the negatives about the changing family life, and the growing family diversity. Another view would be those functionalists do nt take in account the abuse that gouge occur within any families. That is a reason as to why the modern family is changing, its due to the fact that the laws against domestic violence have become much stricter.This leads to the feminists who argued against this nuclear family as it portrayed wo manpower in a way that was very turn onist. Ronald Fletcher a British sociologist who view as with the functionalists perspective but argued that modern societies are changing and that there is an increase in modern functions in the family such as regulating sexual behaviour and the increase in parental elaborateness in their education. Other includes the being responsible in the rearing of children and caring for dependent people whether young or old. All these factors contribute to the changing family life and their morals.More and more people are outset to argue like Fletcher that the nuclear family is the dominant family structure but that its modifying over time for example mothers are now getting jobs as well as husbands so they both support the house nail and arent dependent on just one person for the whole family. Charles Murray a social scientist says the traditional family life is under threat. His main concern was with the welfare benefits that single women were being given. He judgement that it was too easily for them to leave the nuclear family and live alone and just depend on benefits.Murray also argues that being or living with a single parent on benefits is giving the wrong division models to children as they are able to see that they can live alone and live off benefits so dont strive to achieve any goals. There are fewer father figures to signal discipline as the mother could lose control so the children go down a path of drug dealing vandalism and crime which gives a very positive look on the raw(a) right approach. Halsey and Dennis who agrees with what Murray argues saying that single parenthood and absent fathers is one of the key issues with the decrease in nuclear family lives.Due to the lack of jobs and rise in unemployment men are starting to struggle to maintain their deed of conveyance of bread winners and the industries are changing from heavy workloads so women are more likely to find a job in modern times. As a result men may be recall by the women as they cant financially depend on them so would rather be given benefits than struggle to keep a roof over them and their childrens heads. Halsey debates that being in a one parent family with the factors of unemployment and poverty being high could inevitably lead to crime and vandalism by the younger members of the family.Against a nuclear family with a stable income and stable household would again lead to any crimes and vandalism by the offspring in the family. Abbott and Wallaces critically judge the new right about how women are being exploited in the families and how a lot of frustration and unhappiness is able to be experienced by living in this envir onment. The new right also disagrees to acknowledge the violence that can be cause in a nuclear family life and the abuse a family can really suffer from being forced to stay and live with them as it isnt socially acceptable to be a one parent family.Some of the ideas that Abbott and Wallace criticised are that the new right are opposed to having an easy availability to a divorce this again goes against women having the right to leave a violent family life and actually possibly saving theirs and their childrens lives by leaving. Again the new right disagrees with abortions as they say the foetuses have a right to life but Abbott and Wallace criticise this because bringing a baby into the world is a big thing and some people are unable to care for the baby correctly.The new right makes men have a very stressful life as they have a whole family dependent on them as a role model of a breadwinner and the same with women being role models for the girls and showing how much work goes int o being involved in a family. Abbott and Wallace favour letting people take control of their own lives by living alone or being involved in a homosexual relationship or even women being the breadwinners while men are in charge of the household and children.Some of the traditional family values that the new right followers agree on bringing back involve that a womans place is in the home and shouldnt be working as a bread winner as thats the mans job as head of the household. This is associated with gender patriarchy as women are treated completely different to the way men are, and so its seen as unfair and sexist in the modern day. Gender patriarchy would be one of the main factors that feminists would argue about as they say women are oppressed by the nuclear family and its rules and values.Different feminist groups argue about different factors, liberal feminist argue about sex discrimination and want changes in the law to be made. However radical feminists argue against men patri archy, where men are seen to have more power for example women are considered to be responsible for raising the children and choosing and cookery the food and keeping the home as welcoming as possible. Traditionally a man would never be seen do to the cooking or cleaning as it was seen as a wifes job but in modern times its a much more impact task.There are however some positive aspects as to why many people agree with the new rights theory as Brigitte Berger, who defends the nuclear family by saying its a very positive feature of modern societies as it helps the youth of the world understand decency, familiar sense, politeness and respect for others. These values and morals will help make a better life for the person as common decency is seen as a norm and many people agree that in a single parent family the mother might find it s a struggle to teach the children all of that on her own due to the lack of help from the father figure.