Sociological Perspective on Different Types of Families

This essay examines the diverse types of family structures, including single-parent and two-parent households, and their impact on children's well-being and education. It references the work of Gillian Hampden-Thompson, highlighting the effects of family composition and financial background on children's educational outcomes, and the potential mental health challenges faced by children in single-parent or divorced families. The essay also explores the functionalist perspective, drawing on the work of George Murdock and Talcott Parsons, who identify the educational, economic, reproductive, and sexual functions of the family, and the role of the family in primary socialization. Additionally, it touches upon Emile Durkheim's concept of the conjugal family. The essay concludes by emphasizing the significance of family structure and its implications, referencing research that indicates potential adverse effects on children within certain family types, while underscoring the family's fundamental role in primary socialization.

Running Head: DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILIES
Different Types of Families
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

1DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILY
The family is a prime institution in a society. The family is a private group consisting of
individual who have a relationship with one other which is either by blood, legal ties or sexual
relationship. The structure of the family has undergone a considerable amount of change over the
period of time. Based on the structure and the number of members, there are different types of
family.
Gillian Hampden-Thompson in the article ‘Family Policy, Family Structure, and Children’s
Educational Achievement’ (2013) talks about the relationship between policies, the structure of
families and the education that is imparted through the family. In this article it states that
financial background of a family, the composition of a family as an effect on the educational
outcome of the children. The research highlights that the effect a two-parent family has on the
children differs from the effect a single –parent household has on the children. It is shown that
single-parent families often have an adverse effect on the mental well-being of the children. If
the parents are divorced, which in another types of family, the child goes through some mental
health problems like depression and anxiety (Hampden-Thompson, 2013). This can also get
aggravated if the child has to take on some additional responsibility which normally would be
taken on by an adult member of the family. In these cases, the children show some behavioral
changes which mostly affect their activities at school. This report also stresses the importance of
a two parent family as reports have shown that in a divorced family there are more chances that
the child would resort to alcohol and drug abuse as they go through a lot of stress at an early
stage in their life (Hampden-Thompson, 2013). The sample data for this research has been
conducted in many countries including the United Stars and Switzerland (Hampden-Thompson,
2013).

2DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILY
The functionalist perspective on the various roles that a family performs comes from the
American anthropologist George Murdock; he studied families from around globe and pointed
out four functions of the family: the first function is the educational; the family is the first
institution which imparts the child its primary socialization (Lee & McLanahan, 2015). The
second function of the family is economical, the family gathers in all the resources and ensures
that every member get there share out of it. The third is the reproductive function; the family is
responsible for the continuation of the next generation. The last function of the family is sexual,
the family regularizes the sexual behavior of the individual.
The sociologist Talcott Parsons also expressed his views on family. He stated that there are two
irreducible functions that are performed the family. The first one is that the primary socialization
functions of the family (Steinmetz & Settles, 2013). Parsons agreed with Murdock and said the
family is the first educational platform for the child. The secondary socialization is provided by
the other institutions. The second function according to Parsons is that the family ensures that no
member behave in a irrational or disruptive way.
Emile Durkheim has talked about the conjugal family which according to him is essentially the
paternal the family (Mallory & Carlson, 2014). The family that constitutes of the father, the
mother and the children who are unmarried and are not at the right age to get married. The
paternal family has their control over the kids till their married.
This essay concludes that there are different types and structure of family, like a single parent
household or a household with a divorced parent, these are the new types of family and research
shows that they have an detrimental effect on the child of the family. All theories regarding the
function of the family states that the basic function of the family is primary socialization.

3DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILY

4DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILY
References
Hampden-Thompson, G. (2013). Family policy, family structure, and children’s educational
achievement. Social Science Research, 42(3), 804-817.
Lee, D., & McLanahan, S. (2015). Family structure transitions and child development:
Instability, selection, and population heterogeneity. American sociological review, 80(4),
738-763.
Mallory, P., & Carlson, J. (2014). Rethinking personal and political friendship with
Durkheim. Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory, 15(3), 327-342.
Steinmetz, S., & Settles, B. H. (2013). Concepts and Definitions of Family for the 21st Century.
Routledge.