Discuss how four of the six different theoretical perspectives-functional,conflict,symbolic interactionist,feminist,and queer theory-would approach research on families in Canada and the types of research questions or topics that would make sense within that particular paradigm.

A researcher working from a functionalist perspective is interested in the smooth functioning of society-for example,how roles and shared values promote equilibrium.A functionalist,then,may be concerned with how families socialize children into their appropriate societal roles and may pose the following research question: What are the consequences of changing family forms for the smooth running of society?
Conflict theorists,on the other hand,are concerned with the struggle over scarce resources by different groups in society and how elites control the less powerful.Therefore,a conflict theorist may be interested in how families cope with current economic strains.Researchers working from this perspective may be interested in examining government and corporate policies that disadvantage families by privatizing or withdrawing particular social supports.
Symbolic interactionism,on the other hand,is a microsociological perspective;researchers working from this approach would therefore ask different kinds of questions.Symbolic interactionists are interested in face-to-face encounters and the meanings that people use to facilitate social life.Working from this perspective,a researcher may be interested in how immigrant families negotiate their sense of identity in their new surroundings.
While no unified feminist theory exists,feminist researchers are generally interested in examining issues pertaining to gender and inequality.For example,a researcher may wish to examine Canadian child-rearing practices to determine whether they promote gender equality or inequality.A feminist researcher may also investigate the incidence of family violence as a gendered issue in Canadian families.
Queer theorists are interested in troubling-that is,problematizing-taken-for granted concepts such as the term normal.They seek to expose these concepts as socially constructing and as regulatory.Researchers who approach their topics using queer theory may wish to question the idea of what constitutes a "normal" family by investigating a variety of family forms.