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AQA A-Level Sociology: Functionalism and the Family (Families & Households)
Perfect for early Year 12 | Fully resourced | Application-rich and evaluative

This lesson introduces students to the Functionalist perspective on the family within the Families and Households unit of AQA A-Level Sociology (Paper 2). It provides a clear foundation in Murdock’s and Parsons’ theories, while encouraging students to question whether these views still apply in contemporary society.

Included in this comprehensive pack:

Detailed PowerPoint with retrieval starters, visual tasks, interactive questioning, knowledge checks, and theory evaluation

Murdock summary sheet to consolidate the four functions of the family with definitions and clear examples

Parsons sheet to support understanding of Functional Fit Theory and key concepts like primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities

Application worksheet featuring a real-life family case study (The Ali Family) with structured AO2 and AO3 prompts

Discussion task prompts for evaluating the relevance of Functionalist theory, supported by feminist, Marxist, and postmodernist alternatives

Key content covered:

Murdock’s four functions of the family
Parsons’ Functional Fit theory and two key functions
Shifts from extended to nuclear family
Social and geographical mobility
Evaluation using contrasting sociological perspectives

Learning aims:

Understand the key Functionalist explanations of the family’s role in society
Apply theories to real-life examples through structured case study tasks
Evaluate whether Functionalism is outdated or still relevant today
Build confidence in AO1, AO2, and AO3 responses

This resource is ideal for setting a strong theoretical foundation and encouraging analytical, evaluative thinking right from the start of the Families & Households topic.