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Unlock This CourseOne of the most fundamental functions of the family is to regulate sexual behaviour and reproduction. While this might sound a bit awkward to discuss, it's actually a really important part of how societies organise themselves and ensure their continuation.
Key Definitions:
Traditionally, families have been seen as the only legitimate place for sexual activity. Marriage was the social institution that gave permission for sexual relationships, with the primary purpose being reproduction. This view is still common in many societies and religious communities today.
In contemporary Western societies, attitudes have shifted significantly. Sexual relationships outside marriage are widely accepted and sex is increasingly seen as separate from reproduction. However, families still play a role in teaching sexual norms and values to children.
Throughout history and across different cultures, families have been the main institution for controlling and channelling sexual behaviour. Here's how this works:
Marriage has traditionally been the institution that gives social approval for sexual relationships. It creates boundaries around who can have sexual relationships with whom and under what circumstances.
Most marriage systems expect sexual exclusivity between partners. This helps create stable family units and clear lines of parentage.
Families provide the socially approved context for having and raising children, ensuring they have recognised parents and inheritance rights.
Families teach children about appropriate sexual behaviour and relationships, passing on cultural values and expectations.
While most societies regulate sexual behaviour through families, the specific rules vary enormously:
Different sociological theories have different views on how and why families regulate sexual behaviour:
Functionalists like Talcott Parsons argue that regulating sexual behaviour is essential for social stability. By channelling sexual activity into marriage, society ensures:
For functionalists, the sexual function of families benefits the whole of society.
Feminist sociologists like Kate Millett argue that traditional sexual regulation within families has primarily benefited men and controlled women. They point to:
Feminists see traditional sexual regulation as part of patriarchal control.
The sexual function of families has changed dramatically in recent decades, particularly in Western societies:
One of the biggest changes has been the separation of three things that were traditionally linked:
These changes have fundamentally altered how families perform their sexual function, with less emphasis on regulation and more on individual choice.
The 1960s and 1970s saw what sociologists call the 'sexual revolution' - a period of rapid change in sexual attitudes and behaviours:
These changes fundamentally altered how families regulate sexual behaviour, with a shift from institutional control to personal choice.
Today, families still perform a sexual function, but it looks quite different from the past:
When studying the sexual function of families, it's important to consider:
When discussing the sexual function of families in your exam:
The sexual function of families involves regulating sexual behaviour, providing a context for reproduction and teaching sexual norms and values. While traditionally this meant restricting sexual activity to marriage, contemporary Western societies have seen a significant loosening of these restrictions, with sex, marriage and reproduction increasingly separated. However, families continue to play an important role in sexual socialisation and providing a stable environment for raising children.