During this essay I will start by looking briefly at the background of Talcott Parsons. I will continue by outlining his theory of the role of the nuclear family in modern society beginning with a definition of the nuclear family, how it evolved and what purposes it serves, both for the individual family members and for society as a whole. I will then discuss challenges to Parsonian theory from feminism and from other sociological theorists. …showed first 75 words of 8661 total…

…showed last 75 words of 8661 total…function of any parent or primary carer of children, although not necessarily within a traditional family environment. Although children from non-traditional families are often demonised by the media and blamed for being anti-social, the Marxist explanation of alienation and the fact that many of these children come from under-privileged backgrounds, offer, for me at least, a clearer explanation of any deviant behaviour, rather than the lack of a ‘stay at home’ mother or working father.