“Examine the View That the Family Is Universal”

George Murdock examined the institution of the family in a wide range of ships company. Murdock took a sample of 250 societies of different cultures and discovered that there was some form of the thermonuclear family which existed in every society. Murdock then concluded that the family is universal and provides four function. Sexual(stable blood for adults), reproduction(continuing to create more society members), economic (pools resources to provide for each other), assimilation (teaches norms and values of society).Kathleen Gough disagreed with Murdock statement that the family is universal since she investigated a society in India called the Nayar who were an excommunication to the family. For case sandbanham family relationships were not lifelong unions, either party could terminate the relationship at any time, sunbanham preserves had no duty towards the offsprings of their wives, husband and wives did not form an economic unit. Husbands were not expected to maintain th eir wives. This society was a matrilineal society. in terms of Murdock definition of the family, no family existed in the nayar society since those who maintained a sexually approved relationship did not live together and cooperate economically.Another type of family cognize as the martifocal familles be considered an expection to murdocks defintion of the family as some children are raised in a sign that do not contain men and are headed by females. For example a significant proprtion of black familles in the island of the west indies(Guyana).female headed familles are oftern known as the matriarchal family.Another type of family which may go against murdock definition of the family is cheery and lesbian families.murodck claimed the household will contain two of both sexes heretofore lesbian and gay household contain a union from the comparable gender.In conclusion although the nuclear family, the ideal type of family from the new rights perspective is put together in every society. Not all household consist of this position family. Therefore the nuclear family in my opinion is not unversal since it is not imbed in every household.