In the context of gender and sexuality, what are the limitations of the functionalist theory?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Critics fault functionalist perspectives on four counts:First, even during the 1950s, white middle-class male sociologists ignored almost a third of the labor force that was composed of working-class, immigrant, and minority women who played both instrumental and expressive roles. Second, functionalists tend to overlook the fact that many people do not have a choice of playing only instrumental or expressive roles because most families rely on two incomes for economic survival. Third, the human capital model assumes that women have lower earnings than men because they choose lower paying occupations.Functionalists tend to reject sexual relationships outside of marriage. Compared with married couples, for example, those who cohabit have poorer quality relationships and lower happiness levels.Antigay discrimination is dysfunctional. Companies don't attract young and talented LGBT workers, and forbidding transgender people from using a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity has sparked considerable interpersonal and group conflict (Green, 2016; McCarthy, 2017).