Australian Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australian Values - Essay Example roup characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction." Murdock states that the families universally perform certain functions in the society in order to be of existence. He identified four critical functions that families ought to fulfill, namely the sexual, reproduction, educational and economic function (Bottomley, 1985). However, through industrialization and development in technology, the family in the present modern society is undergoing alterations. In this essay, we will discuss the changes in respect to Murdochs theory of the four functions the family performs. The sexual function claims that two individuals set up a family as the family is a legitimate platform for the bearing and rearing of children, and marriage is the accepted union for sexual relationships between two adults in society (Aspin, 1982). This is proclaimed to be beneficial to social order as the family allows sexual expression between a couple and regulates sexual activity in ways that foster a disciplined society (Bessant and Watts, 2002). However, improved methods of contraception allow people to indulge in sexual activity even when they are not in a marriage. Also, there seemed to be greater acceptance to de facto relationships, as noted from the increase in cohabitation between Australian couples. Statistics shows that in 1975, only 16% of couples cohabitated prior to marriage, the figures then increased to 27% in 1983 and in the year 2003, it shot to an alarmingly 75% (ABS, 2004). In deviance to Murdocks claim, sexual activity is no longer confined to a legalized uni on. The willingness of couples to live together in a sexual relationship without the formality of a marriage contract marks a major shift in family patterns (Briggs, 1994). People are resources to the society and people are the constitutes of a society. The family enables the making of a society by producing and rearing children to substitute people who die off (Strong and Devault, 1986). The