Investigating Whether the Nuclear Family Is Universal According to Murdock’s Theory

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Investigating Whether the Nuclear Family Is Universal According to Murdock’s Theory

It is a preconceives idea that the ideal family is the nuclear family

mum dad and two point four kids but is it? There are many types of

family in the world nuclear is not the only one there is single

parent, reconstituted, step, matrifocal, homosexual, so what I am

going to try and discover is if Murdock’s theory is still holds true

today.

Murdock’s definition of the family is two people of opposite sexes who

live together to support a family with children and to provide

economic emotion and financial support

Evidence for Murdock

Society accepts the nuclear family as the norm as most families do

begin as a nuclear family and then evolve into another type of family,

traditionally when Murdock was writing in the 1940’s it was the one

which was seen to be the most acceptable. It was seen to be the most

economically, financially, emotionally and reproductively stable, the

media portrayed typical roles which are found in the nuclear family

i.e. the father as the head of the family and going out to work while

the mother stays at home and looks after the children. So it is

traditional society which mainly supports Murdock’s theory

Evidence against Murdock

The first type of family that I am going to look at is the Nayar tribe

which was studied by Kathleen Gough. This is a society which is mainly

centered round the woman, in this society when the woman reaches

puberty she is married to her tali husband this is a sacred and

traditional rite but although they are married by law the husband not

wife have any obligations to each other, the woman is then allowed to

take on up to 12 visiting sandbanhan husbands who must come after tea

and the stay the night and leave before breakfast the next morning.

Any children which are born to the woman must be admitted to by one of

her husbands but it doesn’t have to be her tali husband.

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