Consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories, including functionalism, Marxism and feminism, and their explanations of order, conflict and social structure.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain the major structural theories, functionalism (consensus), Marxism (conflict) and feminism (patriarchy), how each explains social order and inequality, and to evaluate them. The examiner rewards a clear grasp of the consensus-versus-conflict split and of the structure-versus-action critique that applies to all three.

Functionalism (consensus)

Functionalism is a consensus structural theory.

• Society is a system of interdependent parts (the organic analogy, comparing institutions to the organs of a body), held together by value consensus (shared norms and values) achieved through socialisation and social control.
• Parsons argues every society must meet four functional prerequisites (the GAIL/AGIL scheme: adaptation, goal attainment, integration and latency/pattern maintenance) to survive, and that institutions exist because they meet these needs.
• Merton refines functionalism, distinguishing manifest (intended and recognised) from latent (unintended and hidden) functions and introducing the idea of dysfunctions. He criticises the assumptions of indispensability and that every part is functional for the whole.

Marxism (conflict)

Marxism is a conflict structural theory based on class.

• The economic base (the mode of production, the forces and relations of production) shapes the superstructure (the political, legal and ideological institutions).
• Society is divided between the bourgeoisie (who own the means of production) and the proletariat (who sell their labour); the ruling class exploits the working class (extracting surplus value) and maintains control through ideology and false consciousness.
• Capitalism's internal contradictions will eventually produce class consciousness and a revolution, leading to a classless communist society.
• Neo-Marxists add agency and ideas: Gramsci's hegemony stresses ruling-class control of ideas, which the working class can challenge through a counter-hegemony led by "organic intellectuals".

Feminism (conflict by gender)

Feminism is a conflict theory focused on gender and patriarchy.

• Liberal feminists seek gradual reform and equal rights through changing laws, attitudes and socialisation.
• Marxist feminists link women's oppression to capitalism (unpaid domestic labour reproduces and services labour power cheaply).
• Radical feminists see patriarchy as the fundamental and universal division, with men as the direct oppressors (Firestone roots it in biology and reproduction).
• Difference (and postmodern) feminists stress that women's experiences vary by class, ethnicity and sexuality, so there is no single "woman's" experience.

Evaluation

• Functionalism is criticised for ignoring conflict and power, for being teleological (explaining causes by effects) and for over-socialising the individual (the action critique).
• Marxism is criticised for economic determinism, for class reductionism (ignoring gender and ethnicity) and because the predicted revolution has not occurred in advanced capitalist societies.
• Feminism is criticised for sometimes treating women as a single category and for downplaying the improvements in women's position.

All three are structural and can underplay agency, the focus of social action theories, which is why the structure-action debate matters here.