There are many sociologists who have many different views on the family and the functions that they require. For example, George Murdock and Talcott Parsons who are functionalists. The warm bath theory and feminists.
A famous sociologist who looked at the family is Murdock; he thought that the nuclear family was universal. He came to believe that the family had four main functions; economic – the family pool their resources and share financial responsibility, sexual – a male and female relationship that is socially accepted within society, reproduction – spouses reproduce and have children, educational – the family learns the shared norms and values of society.