Structural Functionalism Theory

Structural -Functionalism Theory

The structural functional theory sees the family as a social institution that performs certain essential function for society. If these functions are not carried out then the family is said to be dysfunctional. The family is like our body that has different parts and each part has a different function. The family is the backbone of the society and if it fails to pass on certain values and attitudes to its members then society will be affected. In our society today we can see that little respect is shown to the elderly, teachers and other persons in authority as a result of this we have a myriad of problems in our schools and in the society in general.

The theory further states that each family performs four main functions namely, sex, procreation, economic and socialization. In every family the father performs instrumental roles such as that of a bread winner while the wife performs expressive roles such as that of a home maker. One drawback with this theory is that it does not recognize the any other family form apart from the nuclear family.  Therefore my single parent family is not considered to be a family. Although I do understand there several factors that causes a breakdown in family structure.

In my family chores are shared I am not the only one that cook or clean the house and we both perform economic functions. It would be nice to be a stay home mom however due to economic reasons we both have to work in order to maintain the house. As a family we will ensure that our off springs are socialized so that they can make a positive contribution to society.