Functionalist Theory of Labour

Functionalist theory in sociology

We will be examining the functionalist perspective on labour in this article. The functionalist perspective sees society as a complex system, whose individual parts work together for society as a whole. Functionalists have a positive view of the division of labour, believing it benefits society.

Durkheim, a famous French sociologist, and one of his maxims.

In particular, the work of Émile Durkheim, a famous French sociologist, is key when looking at the division of labour. Some of his ideas include:

• Dynamic density
• Mechanical solidarity
• Organic solidarity.

The functionalist perspective is a variant of structuralist sociology and Durkheim was a keen structural-functionalist.

Structural functionalism

Structural functionalism is a part of the functionalist perspective. It holds the view that each institution of society is vital to one another. They each exist to serve a purpose, and they rely on each other to do so. Structural functionalists use social change to respond to any societal tensions.

So, now you understand what structural functionalists think, let's consider functionalism as a whole. The main theoretical question that functionalists often ask is:

'How do societies hold together?'

Sociologists ask each other the big question.

To find the answer to this question, functionalists think about how order and stability are maintained in society. Four of the key assumptions of functionalism are:

• 1. A 'social structure' exists within society.
• 2. We should study society scientifically, and as a whole.
• 3. We will achieve greater levels of human happiness and progress if we cooperate and work together.
• 4. Institutions perform positive functions that benefit society as a whole.

These assumptions help us to understand the way functionalists view stability in society. They argue that social order is to be found in shared values or some sort of 'social consensus'.

Functionalists study 'social institutions' (these can be defined as broad patterns of shared, stable, social relationships), in particular: family, work, education, and religion. Functionalists see the relationships that underpin these institutions as the basic building blocks of society.

Functionalist theory examples

We'll look at some examples of functionalist theory.

1. Within every society, there is a 'social structure' that exists independently of individuals and is made up of norms and values. This structure exists above the level of the individual because they exist within society and the individual is born into them. Thus, the social structure shapes the way people act because they are influenced by these norms and values.
2. We should study society scientifically and at the macro-level, looking for general laws that govern society as a whole. We need to use objective, social scientific methods to find out what these laws are.
3. Individual selfish tendencies should be restrained. We will achieve greater levels of human happiness and progress if we cooperate and share the same values. This is called socialisation.
4. We should study society as a whole. Society is like a human body and institutions are the organs, each with its own specific function to help maintain the whole. This is the 'organic analogy'. We should understand institutions in terms of what they contribute to the whole.
5. Institutions perform positive functions that benefit society as a whole. These are things like value consensus, social integration, social regulation, and preventing anomie (chaos).
6. Advanced industrial society is better than primitive society. Social order is important because it stops us from going backwards. Values are what drive progress, and the values of advanced societies are superior to those of traditional societies because they allow us to be adaptive and encourage change.

What is the functionalist perspective on labour?

Émile Durkheim was a famous functionalist who wrote several books (notably, The Division of Labor in Society (1893)) that look at the functionalist perspective on work and how the division of labour contributes towards a society.

According to Merriam-Webster, the division of labour is:

How does the division of labour benefit society?

The division of labour is the way in which work is organised so that certain people have certain jobs, in order to improve efficiency. Durkheim argues that this benefits society because it increases the 'reproductive capacity' of a process (how much of a product it can make) and the skill set of the workers.

Benefits of the division of labour. StudySmarter Originals

Crucially for Durkheim, the division of labour has more than just economic benefits. It also creates a feeling of 'solidarity' among the people who work for the betterment of society. The division of labour becomes more complex as society grows in 'dynamic density' (also called 'moral density').

Dynamic density

Dynamic density is a combination of the concentration of people and the amount of socialisation in a society. It can increase in three ways, through:

1. An increase in the spatial concentration of people (i.e. people spreading out more across different areas).
2. The growth of towns.
3. An increase in the efficacy of communication.

When one or more of these things happen, the labour is more divided, the division of labour is more complex and jobs become more specialised. Life is harder for people because jobs are much more difficult.

What is social solidarity?

We mentioned before that Durkheim thought the division of labour was positive because it led to social solidarity. But what is it?

Two kinds of social solidarity exist: mechanical and organic.

Mechanical solidarity

This exists in a society that is organised collectively and all members of the group share the same set of tasks and values. This occurred mainly in traditional societies; think pre-industrial, peasant times. Durkheim says that individuals are bound to society by the 'collective consciousness', which is a shared belief system.

Organic solidarity

This, on the other hand, exists in more complex societies where individuals have specific tasks, and therefore they have a whole personality and identity around what is specific to them. People in these societies are more distinguishable from one another: they can be managers or labourers, philosophers or farmers.

What differentiates different kinds of societies is the kind of solidarity they present. Durkheim argues that as they grow more complex, societies become very effective at moving in sync, while each of their distinct parts are distinctly individual. This means that the more complex a society becomes, the more organic its solidarity becomes.

In the modern, complex society that we live in today, we have organic solidarity. Durkheim suggested that in our society, the collective consciousness is now less based on morals and values and more on the dependency of tasks.

Evaluation of functionalist theory of labour

Let's consider whether the above theory is useful in understanding the nature and role of labour in society.

The strengths of functionalist theory of labour

• It is a theory with a largely positive outlook on work, whereas many other theories are quick to take a critical view. Functionalists take a consensus approach (meaning they believe everyone is working towards the common good).
• Functionalism acknowledges the importance of all the different institutions in societies and provides a clear structure between them. This means it effectively links work to the other institutions in society, placing it in context.

The weaknesses of functionalist theory of labour

• Functionalism fails to consider the individual differences between societies: not all societies are the same. The approach to work differs depending on the society in question.
• Because functionalism assumes work is positive, it fails to recognise the people who lose out due to the labour process, or those who are exploited.

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   References

   1. Division of Labor. (2022). Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/division%20of%20labor