Final answer:
Health care functions carried out by families include sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic roles, according to sociologist George Murdock. Functionalists also regard families as essential for social stability and child socialization. Today, schools are assuming some educational functions formerly held by families, like sexuality education.
Step-by-step explanation:
Health care functions carried out by families to meet their members' needs include, according to sociologist George Murdock, four universal residual functions: sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic. Based on Murdock's study, the family regulates sexual relations between individuals and provides a socially legitimate sexual outlet, leading to reproduction which is crucial for societal survival.
Furthermore, functionalists believe that families serve to stabilize society and that the family performs functions facilitating the prosperity and development of society. This includes the socialization of children, where parents teach them norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes, contributing to their overall well-being and civility.
In the contemporary setting, schools have started to take over some roles traditionally undertaken by families, one of which is providing education on human sexuality, a topic previously managed within the family structure.