What is the reproductive function of families?

The reproductive function is producing children who become the next generation of society's members. A society without reproduction would die out.

What is the economic function of families?

The economic function is providing for members' material needs, such as food, shelter and money. Pre-industrial families were also units of production that worked the land together.

What is the educational function of families?

The educational function is teaching children basic skills and knowledge before and alongside school. Parents teach language, manners and a sense of right and wrong.

AQA GCSE Sociology 8192

The Sociological Approach

Topic overview Key sociological concepts Sociological perspectives: consensus and conflict Durkheim, Marx and Weber How sociological knowledge develops

Families

Topic overview Functions of families Family forms and diversity Conjugal roles and the domestic division of labour Changing relationships within families Criticisms of families Divorce in Britain since 1945

Education

Topic overview Roles and functions of education Education, capitalism and the correspondence principle Class and gender differences in achievement Ethnicity, parental choice and school markets Processes within schools

Crime and Deviance

Topic overview Social construction of crime and deviance Formal and informal social control Explanations of criminal behaviour Patterns of crime and public debates Crime statistics and the dark figure

Social Stratification

Topic overview Functionalist theory of stratification Marx, Weber and socio-economic class Factors affecting life chances Poverty as a social issue Forms of power and authority Power relationships

Research Methods

Topic overview Research design, hypotheses and data analysis Sampling methods Questionnaires and interviews Observation and mixed methods Types of data and official statistics Reliability, validity, ethics and practical issues

Families

Functions of families

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Murdock's four functions, Parsons on primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities, instrumental and expressive roles, and feminist and Marxist challenges including Engels.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How do sociologists define a family?

Numbers

Which four functions of the family did George Murdock identify?

Key term

What is the sexual function of families?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
How do sociologists define a family?
Model answer
A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage, civil partnership or adoption. Many sociologists also count cohabiting couples and their children as families.
2
Which four functions of the family did George Murdock identify?
Model answer
Murdock identified the sexual, reproductive, economic and educational functions. Murdock claimed these functions were universal after comparing 250 societies in 1949.
3
What is the sexual function of families?
Model answer
The sexual function is providing a stable, socially approved setting for sexual relationships between adult partners. Functionalists argue that this limits the conflict caused by sexual rivalry.
4
What is the reproductive function of families?
Model answer
The reproductive function is producing children who become the next generation of society's members. A society without reproduction would die out.
5
What is the economic function of families?
Model answer
The economic function is providing for members' material needs, such as food, shelter and money. Pre-industrial families were also units of production that worked the land together.
6
What is the educational function of families?
Model answer
The educational function is teaching children basic skills and knowledge before and alongside school. Parents teach language, manners and a sense of right and wrong.

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The Sociological Approach

Families

Education

Crime and Deviance

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A communist society would follow.

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AONS figures show that divorces rose briefly after the Second World War.

BDivorces then climbed steeply from 1971 and peaked in 1993.

CONS figures put the number at about 80,000 in 2022, after a long fall.

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Monogamy means marriage to only one partner at a time.

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