Consensus theory
Consensus theory is the belief that members of a society or culture have the same values and norms, creating a social consensus. At the forefront of this thinking is Emile Durkheim, being one of the first to explore this shared value system and its role in the evolution of society. Durkheim explains that 'social change is a mechanical process, meaning that it is not directed in any intentional way, (Carls, n.d). This idea explains violence, conflict and deviance as mere 'malfunctions' that can be cured just like an illness, and those who deviate do so not because they have different norms and values to others, but rather they are denied the opportunity for one reason or another to follow the social consensus (O'Byrne, 2011).
Functionalism
Perhaps the most famous consensus perspective is functionalism. Founded upon the work of Durkheim, this perspective furthers the idea of a social consensus, claiming that society itself is in consensus. Functionalism is often described using the organic analogy, in that institutions within society are like organs in the human body that 'all need to work together if society is to function harmoniously' (Kirby et al., 2000, p28). Therefore it is widely believed in this perspective that 'everything that exists does so for a reason' (Kirby et al., 2000, p28). Division of labour is a term penned by Durkheim (1933) to attempt to explain the differences in male and female work in the household (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2004). This has been evolved and adapted many times by many academics to evaluate the gender differences in educational subject choice and subsequently societal workforce. Functionalists would explain the high female dominance in education, and the high male dominance in engineering due to various, mainly biological, gender differences. Durkheim (1893) claims that women are weaker and have smaller brains than men. Murdock (1949) argues that women are 'handicapped...by the psychological burdens of pregnancy and nursing' and therefore not as suited to physical work as men. Mead (1949) suggests that women can withstand 'continuous monotonous work', whilst men have 'spurts of energy, followed by a need for rest'. Whilst these views are very outdated, they form the basis of today's functionalism perspective, that women dominate 'domestic' jobs/subjects and men dominate 'physical' jobs/subjects because they are better suited to these roles. In pre-industrial society these roles were assigned; men as hunters, women as caretakers, and have been carried to contemporary society where men assume an instrumental role, providing food and shelter, whilst women take an expressive role, providing support and nurture (Lindsey, 2010). Therefore women in today's society are more likely to study an 'education' course because they are more inclined to a vastly psychological job involving caring and nurturing others, whereas more men study 'engineering and technology' courses than women because they are physically and mentally better suited and adapted to physical labour. Parsons (1966) claims that 'families benefit when spouses assume complementary, specialized, non-overlapping roles', which relates to the organic analogy that all things in society support each other by playing to their strengths and everyone believes in the social consensus that prescribes this.
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Functionalism
Perhaps the most famous consensus perspective is functionalism. Founded upon the work of Durkheim, this perspective furthers the idea of a social consensus, claiming that society itself is in consensus. Functionalism is often described using the organic analogy, in that institutions within society are like organs in the human body that 'all need to work together if society is to function harmoniously' (Kirby et al., 2000, p28). Therefore it is widely believed in this perspective that 'everything that exists does so for a reason' (Kirby et al., 2000, p28). Division of labour is a term penned by Durkheim (1933) to attempt to explain the differences in male and female work in the household (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2004). This has been evolved and adapted many times by many academics to evaluate the gender differences in educational subject choice and subsequently societal workforce. Functionalists would explain the high female dominance in education, and the high male dominance in engineering due to various, mainly biological, gender differences. Durkheim (1893) claims that women are weaker and have smaller brains than men. Murdock (1949) argues that women are 'handicapped...by the psychological burdens of pregnancy and nursing' and therefore not as suited to physical work as men. Mead (1949) suggests that women can withstand 'continuous monotonous work', whilst men have 'spurts of energy, followed by a need for rest'. Whilst these views are very outdated, they form the basis of today's functionalism perspective, that women dominate 'domestic' jobs/subjects and men dominate 'physical' jobs/subjects because they are better suited to these roles. In pre-industrial society these roles were assigned; men as hunters, women as caretakers, and have been carried to contemporary society where men assume an instrumental role, providing food and shelter, whilst women take an expressive role, providing support and nurture (Lindsey, 2010). Therefore women in today's society are more likely to study an 'education' course because they are more inclined to a vastly psychological job involving caring and nurturing others, whereas more men study 'engineering and technology' courses than women because they are physically and mentally better suited and adapted to physical labour. Parsons (1966) claims that 'families benefit when spouses assume complementary, specialized, non-overlapping roles', which relates to the organic analogy that all things in society support each other by playing to their strengths and everyone believes in the social consensus that prescribes this.
Word count: 515