Compare And Contrast The Functionalist And Marxist Views Of The Family
728 Words3 Pages
Compare and Contrast the Functionalist and Marxist Views of the Family
Functionalism and Marxism often have opinions that clash and contradict each other; this is evident in both perspectives’ views on the topic of families and their roles within society, and within themselves. Functionalism states that each family is critical in order to maintain the stability and order of society; which view shows in their views on the sexual function of families. Functionalists believe that the male and female adults of the family have sexual access to each other, thus reducing the likelihood of sexual activity occurring outside of the already formed group. Richard Murdock, a famous functionalist, believes that the family unit helps cater to the sexual need of its adult members, while also restricting the access those members have to those in the community. This view is partially mirrored within Marxism, however, the view that is taken is rather more cynical. The Marxist view states that one use of family is to help limit the possibility of illigitimate heirs due to the smaller chance of relationships occurring outside of the family.…show more content… The family is able to provide economical, emotional and physical aide to those raising the infants. Marxism draws only the most tenuous of parallels here by stating that family also exists as a means to relax and calm down from the world outside of the family and the home; it is the solace of a worker after a harassing day, esentially. Marxism does say that, while family is meant for this, sometimes it cannot be the only method of relaxation from the external world and that friends are also