Analysis Of Chike Agu’s Paper On Ideal And Functional Family Structure

Analysis of Chike Agu’s Paper on Family Name Institutional Affiliation Family Chike Agu highlights the contrasting views by structural functionalists and the modern sociologists on the ideal and functional family structure. By arguing that nuclear families were the ideal structure of families and that any deviation was a part of a decline in family structure and dysfunctional, structural functionalists bred a stereotype in the society. A misconception that the outdated, racial, and gender biased nuclear family structure was the standard. Several sociologists have successfully deconstructed this theory. They have managed to show that different structures of the family, such as same-sex marriages and single parent marriages are just as functional as nuclear families. They argue due to changes in the society such as the hard economic times, people have had to explore other options of family structures. By proving that all structures of family score similarly on different fronts, they have managed to win the structural functionalists to their side. Today, it is generally accepted that there is no standard structure for a family. They all work. However, the paper is a little confusing on the numbers of nuclear families. A 2016 release shows that 69% of families in the US are nuclear (United States Census Bureau, 2016), while the paper puts the figure at 7%. The author profoundly and clearly tackles the topic of family. Through the use of various sources, the author takes us on an informative journey of the different views of the family structure over time. From the hard stance by the structural functionalists like Talcott Parsons, to the soft views of Juliet Mitchel, and to the consensus of both divides. Using reliable sources, the author shows proof of the functionality of deviant families such as the case of Deborah and Octavia, living together for ten years. The paper uses right language and various styles to bring out the topic in a way it is enjoyab...