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Unlock This CourseFamilies have undergone massive changes in the last century. One of the biggest criticisms of modern families is that they have lost many of their traditional functions. But what does this actually mean and is it necessarily a bad thing?
Key Definitions:
In pre-industrial society, families were responsible for almost everything - education, healthcare, work, welfare, religion, entertainment and more. Today, many of these functions have been taken over by other institutions like schools, hospitals, businesses and the government.
Understanding how family functions have changed helps us see why family structures have also changed. It explains why we now have more diverse family types and why some people worry about the 'decline' of the traditional family.
Before we look at what's been lost, let's understand what families traditionally did. According to functionalist sociologists like Murdock and Parsons, families used to perform these key functions:
Families taught children skills, knowledge, values and norms needed for adult life.
Families were units of production (farming, crafts) and consumption.
Families provided physical security, shelter and care for vulnerable members.
Families passed on religious beliefs and practices to the next generation.
Families were the main source of leisure activities and entertainment.
Families taught children social norms, values and appropriate behaviour.
Many sociologists argue that families have lost or reduced most of these functions. Let's look at what's changed:
The state has taken over most formal education through schools, colleges and universities.
The family is no longer a unit of production but primarily a unit of consumption.
Before the creation of the welfare state in 1948, families were responsible for supporting members who were sick, elderly or unemployed. The introduction of the NHS, state pensions, unemployment benefits and other welfare provisions meant the state took over many of these protective functions. This reduced family dependency but also changed family relationships.
The state and healthcare institutions now provide many services that families once delivered.
These functions have been largely taken over by other institutions and the media.
Talcott Parsons argued families have become more specialised, focusing on two essential functions: primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities. This specialisation is functional for industrial society.
Marxists see the loss of functions as making families more dependent on capitalism. Families now consume products rather than produce them, benefiting the capitalist economy.
Feminists note that despite changes, women still perform most caring functions within families. The state has taken over some functions but gender inequality in domestic roles persists.
The loss of traditional functions has had several important consequences for modern families:
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reversed some of the loss of family functions. During lockdowns, families took back educational functions through home schooling, economic functions through working from home and recreational functions as outside entertainment was limited. This highlighted both the adaptability of families and the challenges when families suddenly have to resume functions they're no longer structured to perform.
While families have undoubtedly lost many traditional functions, most sociologists don't see this as a simple 'decline'. Instead, families have adapted to changing social conditions. The modern family may perform fewer functions, but it remains crucial for emotional support, primary socialisation and identity formation.
Rather than seeing families as less important, we can understand them as more specialised. The question isn't whether families have declined, but how they've transformed to meet the needs of modern society while maintaining their core importance in people's lives.
The family hasn't necessarily declined in importance - it has changed its focus. While many practical functions have been taken over by other institutions, the family remains central for emotional support, identity and belonging in ways that no other institution can replace.