This example illustrates that Structural Functionalism is generally seen as being supportive of the status quo.Īnother key characteristic of Structural Functionalism is that it views society as constantly striving to be at a state of equilibrium, which suggests there is an inherent drive within human societies to cohere or stick together. The implication is that, because society is functioning smoothly with gender stratification, such stratification is acceptable and efforts should not be made to change the arrangement. According to Structural Functionalist perspective, women being subordinate to men allows the wage-earners to function smoothly as everyone in the society knows his or her respective position in the hierarchy. Gender inequality offers a good illustration. Structural Functionalism explains that the way society is organized is the most natural and efficient way for it to be organized. However, any group large enough to be a social institution is included in Structural Functionalist thinking, from religious values to sports clubs and everything in between. Merton argued that functionalism is about the more static or concrete aspects of society, institutions like government or religions. Thus one of the key ideas in Structural Functionalism is that society is made-up of groups or institutions, which are cohesive, share common norms, and have a definitive culture. Education, for example, has several important functions in a society, such as socialization, and learning.įunctionalism also states that society is like an organism, made up of different parts that work together.

Each social structure has social functions, or consequences for the operation of society as a whole. And certain rituals, such as a handshake or complex religiousĬeremonies, give structure to our everyday lives. Social structures give shape to our lives - for example, in families, the community, and through religious organizations. It asserts that our lives are guided by social structures, which are relatively stable patterns of social behavior. The structural-functional approach is a perspective in sociology that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. 3 Modern Examples of Structural Functionalist Oriented Researchĭetailed Description.

Structural functional theory example