Sociological perspectives on family structure

1. Changes in Family Structure
The average family today doesn’t
have he same structure as the
average family 250 years ago.

2. Types of family structure?
• Extended and nuclear. Can you think of any
other types?
• Types of society: Pre-industrial and industrial.
What are the differences between these two?

3. Society structure
• Pre-industrial: Agricultural, work centres on
home, farm, village and market.
• Industrial: Society after industrialisation. Work
centres on factories and production of goods in
cities.
• What effects do these structures have on the
family?

4. Here’s the debate…
• Did the changing societal structure change the
structure of the family?
• What do you suppose functionalists and Marxist
perspectives could be on this?

5. Functionalist
• Industrialisation changed the function of the family
• Parsons studied the impact of industrialisation on family
structure in the UK and America. HE believed it changed
from extended to nuclear as it was the best fit for
industrial society.
• 1. Lots of functions are taken over by the state in
industrial society (examples?)
• 2.The nuclear family can focus on its function of
socialisation.
• 3.Geographically mobile ‘isolated’

6. Functionalist – Roles and status
changed
• Status in pre-industrial society was ascribed
• In industrial society, an individual’s status is
achieved
• There is greater social mobility and the nuclear
family is best for allowing individuals to achieve
status and position without conflict.
• Specialised roles – instrumental and expressive.
These are most effective.
• Who would disagree?

7. Critique of functionalists
• The modern family is superior?
• An idealised picture of history, family forms
were more diverse than they said
• Laslett (1972) the nuclear family was the most
common structure before industrialisation.
• Laslett and Anderson (1971) the extended family
is significant in industrial society.

8. Wilmott and Young (1960, 1973)
• Two studies (in Britain) from the 1950’s to 1970’s.
• British Families developed through three stages
Stage one: Pre-industrial
Family works together as economic production unit. Work
and home are combined.
Stage two: Early industrial
Extended family is broken up as individuals (mostly men)
leave home to work.
Women at home have strong extended kinship networks.
Stage three: Privatised nuclear
Family based on consumption, not production – buying
things, not making things. Nuclear family is focused on
personal relationships and lifestyle called the ‘symmetrical
family’ – husband and wife have joint roles.
Stage four: Asymmetrical
Husband and wife roles become asymmetrical as men spend
more leisure time away from the home – in the pub for
example.

9. Critiques
• Assume that family life has got better and better
as structure adapts to modern society. They’re
described as ‘march of progress’ theorists.
• They ignore the negative aspects: Domestic
violence, child abuse, lack of care for the elderly
and vulnerable
• Feminist research suggest equal roles don’t
really exist

10. Critiques and other perspectives
• Wilmott and Young supported the theory that working class
families had closer extended kinship networks than middle
class families.
• The British Social Attitude Surveys of 1986 and 1995 showed
that working class families have more frequent contact and
ties outside of their nuclear family.
• Wilmott (1988) did more recent work and suggested the
extended family ties are still important but held in reserve for
times of crisis.
• In Parson’s terminology the family is ‘partially isolated
nuclear’.

11. Practice
• Give an example of social change caused by
industrialisation
• What roles did Parsons believe men and women
had within the nuclear family?
• What is meant by the term ‘the symmetrical
family’?
• Outline one criticism of Willmott and Young’s
‘march of progress’ theory

12. Exam Questions
• Examine the ways in which industrialisation
changed the function of the family
• Examine the view that the extended family
remains an important aspect of modern
industrial society