Murdock on the Family | A Level Sociology - Families
Summary
TLDRThis video discusses George Peter Murdock's functionalist perspective on the family, based on his 1940s research across 250 societies. Murdock identified the nuclear family as a universal institution and highlighted four key functions: economic support, sexual regulation, education (socialization), and reproduction. The video examines these functions and explores criticisms from feminist and Marxist perspectives, noting Murdock's work overlooks gender role evolution and societal changes, including family diversity, lone-parent families, and contemporary issues like gender transitions.
Takeaways
- 🌍 George Peter Murdock's research in the 1940s spanned 250 different societies and concluded that the family unit is universal.
- 👨👩👦 The most common family type across societies is the nuclear family, consisting of a male, a female, and their children.
- 🏠 Murdock identified four main functions of the family: economic, sexual regulation, education, and reproduction.
- 💰 The economic function involves the family providing resources, with traditional roles often seeing the male as the breadwinner, though this is more flexible today.
- ❤️ The family regulates sexual behavior, promoting heterosexuality and healthy relationships to prevent deviant behaviors like adultery or incest.
- 👩🏫 Education within the family, or primary socialization, ensures that children learn the norms and values of society, helping them integrate into society.
- 👶 The reproductive function ensures the continuity of society by producing the next generation.
- ⚖️ Critics argue that Murdock's view of family is patriarchal, with feminists highlighting the unpaid labor of women and the existence of non-nuclear families.
- 💼 Marxists critique Murdock for ignoring the influence of capitalism, claiming families indoctrinate children into capitalist values.
- 🕒 Murdock's work is considered outdated as it doesn't account for modern changes in family structures, gender roles, and diverse sexualities.
Q & A
Who was George Peter Murdock and what is he known for?
-George Peter Murdock was a social anthropologist known for his cross-cultural research in the 1940s. He studied 250 different societies and concluded that the family unit is universal, existing in all societies. He is often associated with the functionalist perspective on the family.
What did Murdock find regarding the family structure in the societies he studied?
-Murdock found that the family was a prominent institution in all the societies he studied, and there was a core family type, typically consisting of a male, a female, and their children. This core family, known as the nuclear family, was the most common, although some societies had extended families.
What are the four functions of the family identified by Murdock?
-Murdock identified four key functions of the family: economic function, sexual regulation, education (or primary socialization), and reproduction.
How did Murdock describe the economic function of the family?
-Murdock described the economic function as the family's role in providing resources. In early industrial societies, this typically involved the male working for wages to support the family, while the female contributed through unpaid domestic labor.
What criticisms have been made of Murdock's views on the economic function of the family?
-Critics like Delphy and Leonard argue that Murdock’s explanation of the economic function is patriarchal, as it reinforces traditional gender roles where men are breadwinners and women contribute through unpaid domestic work.
How does the family regulate sexual behavior according to Murdock?
-Murdock suggested that the family regulates sexual activity by providing a structure where males and females can fulfill their sexual urges within marriage, avoiding deviant behaviors such as adultery or incest. He also noted that the family promotes heterosexuality as the norm for reproduction.
What role does education play in Murdock’s theory of the family?
-In Murdock's view, education within the family, or primary socialization, involves teaching children the norms and values of society, including gender-appropriate behaviors, language, and socially approved goals. This helps children integrate into society and contribute to its stability.
What are some criticisms of Murdock’s ideas on the family’s role in education?
-Critics, particularly Marxists, argue that Murdock’s view of education within the family promotes conformity to societal norms without questioning whose values are being transmitted. They suggest that this socialization supports capitalist ideologies and does not challenge the status quo.
How does the family perform the function of reproduction according to Murdock?
-Murdock believed the family plays a role in reproduction by producing the next generation of society. Gender socialization within the family prepares children for reproduction in stable heterosexual relationships, ensuring the continuity of society.
What are the main criticisms of Murdock's theory on the universality of the nuclear family?
-Feminists argue that the nuclear family is not the most universal unit, citing that families can exist without a biological father, such as in lone parent families. Marxists also criticize Murdock for ignoring the influence of capitalism, arguing that families indoctrinate children into capitalist ideologies.
Outlines
🏠 Murdock's Study of the Universal Family
George Peter Murdock, a social anthropologist, conducted cross-cultural research in the 1940s on 250 societies ranging from hunter-gatherer tribes to urban populations. He found that the family unit was universal, existing in all societies he studied. Murdock identified the core family type as a male, female, and their children, which formed the basis for other family structures, like the extended family. The most common form was the nuclear family, which was functionally significant for both family members and society. Murdock highlighted four key functions of the family: economic provision, sexual regulation, education (socialization), and reproduction.
💰 Economic and Gender Roles in Family Function
Murdock's first function of the family is economic, where historically the male provided for the family through labor, while the female contributed via unpaid domestic work. In the 1940s, it was common for men to be the breadwinners, while women supported the household. Although this division of labor has evolved, Murdock's findings reflect the gender norms of his time. Critics, such as Delphy and Leonard, have challenged this view, arguing that it upholds patriarchal structures, with women's contributions undervalued.
💑 Sexual Regulation and Gender Socialization in Families
Murdock's second function of the family involves the regulation of sexual activity. He proposed that a healthy sexual relationship within marriage helps prevent deviant behavior, such as adultery or incest, while promoting heterosexuality as the norm to ensure reproduction. Critics note the bias toward heterosexuality in Murdock's views, which was reflective of the time period. Additionally, gender socialization was a key aspect, where children learned gender-appropriate behavior from same-sex parents, an idea that is criticized today for not accommodating modern family structures and shifting gender roles.
🎓 Education and Socialization in the Family
The third function outlined by Murdock is education, specifically the socialization of children into the norms and values of society, which aligns with Parsons' concept of primary socialization. Parents teach children how to behave, communicate, and adopt socially accepted goals and values. This process helps children integrate into society and ensures the continuity of cultural norms. However, critics, particularly Marxists, argue that this kind of socialization can lead to stagnation and serves the interests of capitalist systems by discouraging children from challenging societal structures.
👶 Reproduction and Family's Role in Society's Continuity
Murdock's final function is reproduction, ensuring that the family produces the next generation of society. Gender socialization within families prepares children for reproduction in later life, promoting heterosexuality and stable relationships as the ideal. Functionalists argue that this is essential for societal continuity, while critics point out the diversity of sexual orientations in contemporary society, making Murdock's views outdated. Marxists also challenge this by claiming that the family indoctrinates children into capitalist ideologies, preparing them to be workers and consumers.
🔍 Criticism of Murdock's Family Model
Murdock's work has faced significant criticism, especially from feminists and Marxists. Feminists argue that the nuclear family is not universal and that other family forms, such as mother-child families, are equally valid. The rising number of male-headed lone-parent families also challenges traditional gender roles. Marxists criticize Murdock for ignoring the role of capitalism in shaping family structures, suggesting that families socialize children to accept capitalist ideologies. Additionally, Murdock’s research, conducted over 70 years ago, fails to account for modern family diversity and issues such as gender transitions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Nuclear Family
💡Primary Socialization
💡Sexual Regulation
💡Economic Function
💡Reproduction
💡Extended Family
💡Patriarchy
💡Functionalism
💡Gender Socialization
💡Marxist Criticism
Highlights
George Peter Murdock's research found that the family unit was universal across 250 different societies.
Murdock identified the nuclear family, consisting of a male, female, and their children, as the most common family structure.
He found that the nuclear family existed in all societies and was functionally important for both family members and society at large.
Murdock identified four key functions of the family: economic, sexual regulation, education (socialization), and reproduction.
The economic function involves providing resources for the family, traditionally with the male as the breadwinner, though this is less gender-specific in modern society.
The sexual regulation function helps to regulate sexual behavior, promoting heterosexuality and the reproduction of the next generation.
Education or socialization is a key function, where children are taught the norms and values of society, often influenced by their same-sex parent.
Reproduction is essential for the continuation of society, with the family preparing children for stable heterosexual relationships.
Murdock's ideas on gender socialization, where males and females are taught appropriate behaviors by their same-sex parent, have been criticized as outdated.
Critics argue that Murdock's emphasis on the nuclear family excludes other family structures, such as lone-parent families or reconstituted families.
Feminists have criticized Murdock's work, arguing that it promotes patriarchal family structures and overlooks the role of women.
Marxist critics suggest Murdock ignores the role of capitalism, with the family seen as indoctrinating children into capitalist ideologies.
Murdock’s research, conducted over 70 years ago, does not account for modern changes in family diversity and gender roles.
Contemporary issues like gender transitions and non-heteronormative relationships challenge Murdock’s traditional view of the family.
Murdock’s identification of the family as an essential social institution has been foundational but remains a point of debate in modern sociology.
Transcripts
welcome to this tutor to you sociology
topic video on families and households
focusing on the ideas of gp murdock on
the family
often associated with the functioner's
perspective
george peter murdoch was a social
anthropologist who in the 1940s
conducted cross-cultural research into
250 different societies from small
hunter-gatherer tribes to urbanized
populations
he found that in each of these societies
the family was a prominent institution
which led him to declare that the family
unit was universal it existed in all
societies
he also found that in each of the
societies he studied there was a core
family type from which other family
types were developed
the core family was a male a female and
their children and while many societies
had extensions of this family
grandparents living with the family
cousins aunts uncles what we might call
the extended family
the most common type was what murdoch
referred to as the nuclear family
this existed in all of the societies he
researched and murdoch found that they
were functionally important
in other words they provided clear
functions for the members of the family
and for wider society
murdoch identified four distinct
functions of the family across the
different cultures he studied
firstly an economic function providing
resources for the family
secondly our sexual function or
regulation of sexual activities
a third function was education
primarily into the norms and values of
society what we may consider to be
primary socialization and finally the
family performs the function of
reproduction of producing the next
generation of society
but how does the family perform these
functions
we'll look at these functions
individually and analyze the process of
the family performing these functions
firstly let's look at the economic
function
one aspect of this in early industrial
society is that the mail works in
exchange for wages which are then used
to purchase goods
of course in contemporary society this
economic function is not gender-specific
nor is it limited to one worker with
dual learner families commonplace
however the primary breadwinner being
male was the social norm at the time of
murdoch's research and it was his labor
that earned money to purchase food
clothing and pay for shelter for his
family
however females also contributed towards
the economic function of the family
albeit unpaid with domestic labor
contributing towards the smooth running
of the household and wider society
the fact that it was not recognized as
being worthy of wages is a criticism the
likes of delphi and leonard have
leveled at some functionalist
explanations of family roles stating
that the organization of the family is
patriarchal in nature
the second function that requires
development is that of sexual regulation
now there are a number of aspects to how
family units can regulate sexual
activity in the family
the first of these is by having a
healthy sexual relationship within a
marriage males and females could satisfy
their sexual urges without the need for
committing deviant sexual activities
such as adultery or incest
the family also regulates sexual
behavior in other ways by promoting
heterosexuality as a norm this ensures
the reproduction of the next generation
of society and despite this leading to
criticisms of homosexuality being
promoted as a form of deviant sexual
behavior at this time we have to
remember the norms and values of when
murdoch was writing and perhaps use this
as a form of evaluation
a final process linked into sexual
regulation is the role of gender
socialization
male and female children were socialized
by their same-sex parent into
gender-appropriate behaviors that will
prepare them for adult life
in contemporary society this idea is
open to criticism with lone parent
families and changing attitudes to
gender socialization not fitting with
the ideas of murdoch
the third function outlined by murdoch
is that of education now this refers to
the socialization by the family of their
children and is similar to the concept
of primary socialization discussed by
parsons
children are taught the norms and values
of the society they live in by their
parents
they are told what are acceptable
behaviors in social situations their
language and how to use it appropriately
in a given situation
they're also taught values such as hard
work and given goals that are socially
approved
this will also relate to gender
appropriate behaviors with modelling
their same-sex parent
this ensures a reproduction of society's
norms and values from one generation to
the next and enables children to grow up
and fit into society and be able to
contribute to the harmonious functioning
of wider society
although critics would suggest that
socializing children into the same norms
and values that their parents hold could
lead to the stagnation of society
whilst marxists suggest that blind
obedience to society's norms and values
does not challenge the source of these
values in the first place whose values
are they and what is the impact on
children learning them
finally reproduction
men and women reproduce and have
children and these children take their
place as the next generation of society
but this is controlled to an extent by
the family
gender socialization prepares children
for reproduction in later life promoting
socially acceptable behaviors that allow
them to reproduce once they're in a
stable heterosexual relationship
of course critics would suggest in
contemporary society heterosexuality is
one of a range of sexualities that exist
but for functionalists sexuality serves
the purpose of reproducing the next
generation and hence the promotion of
heterosexual behaviors
without this society would stagnate and
as the population ages this places
additional strain on the elder members
of society to continue working
as we've seen in contemporary society
with changes to the age at which people
can collect their pensions
there are lots of critics of murdoch's
work feminists argue that nuclear family
is not the most universal unit but
rather a mother and child is families
can and do exist without the biological
father particularly lone parents and
reconstituted families
however a counter a criticism of this
would be the increasing number of male
headed lone parent families as society
has moved on
marxist would also be critical
suggesting that murdoch ignores the
influence of capitalism
the next generation of society is also
the next generation of workers and
marxists suggest that the family
indoctrinates children into capitalist
ideologies such as hard work spending
money and responsibility for their
families through primary socialization
in an attempt to stop them challenging
the ruling classes
a final evaluation is that murdoch's
research was published over 70 years ago
and as such fails to acknowledge the
change in gender roles in society as
well as the greater diversity of family
life
it also fails to acknowledge very
contemporary issues such as gender
transitions and their role in the
functioning of family units
that concludes this tutor to you
sociology topic video on families and
households looking at murdoch's views of
the family
thanks for watching
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