This paper discusses the family as a social unit, from the sociological perspective of functionalism. It begins by defining the functionalist perspective, before analysing the family from the perspective of functionalism, with a focus on how functionalist theories of the family can be applied to modern technological society as opposed to the industrial society of the recent past. It will examine criticisms of functionalist theories of the family with regard to the changes in society caused by the advent of information technology.

Of the many sociological perspectives on the family, structural functionalism is one of those which has come under the most scrutiny, being criticised in recent times for its conservative and traditionalist approach. However, this paper will argue that, despite criticisms to the contrary, functionalist theories of the family remain relevant and applicable to modern technological society.

Structural functionalism has been defined as a theory which “interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society” (Crossman, 2014, n.p.); this perspective on the family seeks to describe it as a system functioning as part of the wider system which is society, in the same way that a system such as the lymphatic system functions as part of the wider system that is the human body. Structural functionalists theorise that “the family performs important tasks that contribute to society’s basic needs and helps to perpetuate social order” (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006, p. 238). Historically, the function of the family was primarily related to production, with a large extended family working together to produce the goods and services needed to support themselves and their communities; after the advent of the industrial age, however, the function of the family shifted more towards a focus on child-rearing and socialization (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006, p. 238).

In the societies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, for example, the family was seen as primarily responsible for educating children into their appropriate societal roles, either as economic providers or as educators of future generations. With much of the production of goods and services in society organized on an industrial scale, smaller family groups were possible, with fewer members of the household needing to contribute their labour to the economic survival of the family at the same time, the survival of such a fragmented society depended in part on the power of the family to socialise later generations into carefully prescribed roles in the industrial machine of society.

This functionalist approach to the family, by drawing on biological models of inter-related structured systems, suggests a biological imperative to the functional roles assigned to different elements of the family unit. However, this theory of the family has been criticised for supporting outdated stereotypical domestic gender divisions (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006, p. 238); as Strong et al explain, functionalist theories have often insisted that “For the family to survive, its members must perform certain functions that are traditionally divided along gender lines” (Strong et al, 2010, p. 40). They explain that “structural functionalism has a conservative bias against change” (Strong et al, 2010, p. 40); however, while this application of functionalist theories of the family are clearly no longer relevant to modern society, in which gender roles and family structures are fluid and mutable, it does not necessarily hold that the theory itself is flawed. In modern society, the infrastructure of industrialisation has been extensively superseded by the primacy of information technology as the dominant factor shaping the way people live and work. Social media, smart technologies, and globalization have all altered society in ways as drastic as the advent of the machine age and mass industrialisation did in the nineteenth century; the fluid nature of the family and of gender roles within the family reflect these drastic changes. From the functionalist perspective, however, the family – in whatever shape it takes – continues to fulfil the purpose of socialisation, ensuring that future generations are emotionally and economically equipped and supported to maintain a globalised and technologically advanced society.

In the light of the changes to society caused by information technology and globalisation, it is worth re-assessing the applicability of structural functionalism, as a means of helping us to understand the role the family plays maintaining a global society shaped by consumerism, technological progress, and an increasing drive towards equality. Regardless of the ways in which society has changed, the family continues to act as the mechanism whereby individuals are inducted into the global social system.