Families and Households 1.2- Changes in Family Structure

Industrialisation and its influence on family structures:

-There are two types of family structure: Extended and Nuclear

-There are two types of society:

Pre-Industrial Society- society before industrialisation, largely agricultural and work centres around the home.

Industrial Society- society during and after industrialisation, work centres around factories and production of goods.

HOW do the two affect each other?

In pre-industrial society extended family is most common, families live and work together, producing goods to live from. Resulting in in the term COTTAGE INDUSTRY.

In industrial society the nuclear family is more dominant. There is an increase in individuals leaving home to work for money. Main difference is that industrialisation separates home from work.

FUNCTIONALIST- industrialisation changed function of the family

-Talcott Parsons studies the impact of industrialisation on family structures in American and British society. Parsons beloved the family structure changed from Extended to Nuclear as it was more useful for industrial society.

1. Functions of the family in pre-industrial society are taken over by the state in an industrial society eg/ policing, healthcare and education
2. Nuclear families can focus on its functions of socialisation, the family socialises children into the roles, values and norms of an industrialised society
3. Parsons said the industrial nuclear family is isolated, meaning that is have few ties with local kinship (relationships) and economic systems. Meaning families can move easily without having ties, to new work in new locations.

FAMILY STRUCTURES ADAPT TO THE NEEDS

FUNCTIONALIST- industrialisation changed the roles and status in families

Status for indivudulas pre-industrial society, was ‘ascribed’ (decided by birth and family) Parsons believed that status in industrial society was achieved by their success in society outside their family.

The idea being that NUCLEAR families are best for allowing individuals to achieve status and position without conflict. It is fine for an individual to achieve high or low status than previous generations as it allows for social mobility within society. PEOPLE CAN BETTER THEMSELVES

Parsons states there there are specialist roles develop within a family for males and females. He believed that men were INSTRUMENTAL (more practical and planning) leaders, and women more EXPRESSIVE (emotional) leaders in a family. As a functionalist, Parsons beloved that this is most effective for society, FEMINISTS and CONFLICT theorists disagree, they ay the roles come from ideology and power.

HOWEVER OTHER SOCIOLOGISTS THINK ITS MORE COMPLICATED

Functionalists are criticised for seeing the modern nuclear family and superior, and something society has to grow into. They are further criticised for putting forward an idealised picture of history. Historical evidence shows there were a variety of family forms that all thrived.

PETER LASLETT (1972) states that nuclear families were the most common structure in Britain, even before industrialisation. Evidence comes from parish records.

Furthermore LASLETT and ANDERSON (1971) say that the extended family actually was significant during the industrialisation society. Anderson used the 1851 census as evidence, he said that when people moved cities for industrial jobs, they lived with relatives from their extended family.

WILLMOTT and YOUNG (1960, 1973) developed three stages of family development

conducted two key studies (1960 and 1973) into family structures in British society during the 1950s to the 70s. studying families mainly from London and Essex their work tested the theory that nuclear families are dominant in a modern industrial society.

Concluded that British families develop through three stages (originally four, however dropped the final one due to lack of evidence)

1.Pre-Industrial

Families work together as economic production units, work and home are one

2. Early Industrialisation

Extended family is broken up as individuals (usually the men) leave home to work, women that are left at home have strong kinship networks in place

3.Privatised Nuclear

Family based on consumption, not production ie/ buying not making. Nuclear family is based on personal relationships and lifestyle, called the symmetrical family (husbands and wives have joint roles).

4.Asymmetrical (REMOVED DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE)

Husband and wife roles become asymmetrical as men spend more leisure time away from home, eg at the pub.

HOWEVER SOCIOLOGISTS HAVE CRITICISED WILLMOTT AND YOUNG

Willmott and Young (and other functionalists) have bee cirsitised for assuming that family life has got better as the structure of modern society adapts and changes. They’re described as ‘march of progress’ theorists.

Willmot and Young ignore the negatives of modern nuclear families. Domestic violence, child abuse and lack of care for the elderly and vulnerable are problems centred in todays society.

Feminist research suggests equal roles in the ‘symmetrical family’ doesn’t really exist.

Different classes may have different family structures

Willmott and Youngs work in the 60s and 70s supported the theory that working class families had closer extended kinship networks than middle class families.

The Biritsh Social Attitudes Surverys of 1986 and 1995 showed that working class families have more frequent contact outside their nuclear family.

Willmott (1988) suggests that extended family ties are still important to the modern nuclear family, but they are held in research for times of crisis rather than being part of daily life. Parson calls this ‘partially isolated nuclear’.