The Effects of Industrialisation on the Structure of the Family

The Effects of Industrialisation on the Structure of the Family

The Industrial Revolution was from 1750's - 1850's, which had four

main effects. One was the Economic system becoming industrial from

agriculture, the second was Mechanisation meaning production in

factories becoming more efficient, the third was Urbanisation and the

fourth was population explosion - low mobility rate and higher birth

rate.

Tallcott Parsons (1950's) believed that the extended family in pre

Industrial Britain was the most beneficial as they were a unit of

production and they were able to maintain a subsistence level of

existence with very little reliance on non-family members. Parsons

believed that post industrialisation, the nuclear family became the

new dominant family structure for reasons such as geographical

mobility. Parsons suggested that the extended family had disadvantages

in the industrial society such as the nuclear family containing basic

roles i.e. carrying out the families essential functions and the

functions of the wider kinship was taken over for example by the

welfare state (1948)

Michael Anderson carried out a study (Preston - North West England)

based on a sample of 10% census records (1851). His results showed

that 23% of households in Preston were mostly extended families as

they included kin beyond the nuclear family. He suggests that the

process of industrialisation may have strengthened the need for

reliance of the extended family being as they were the dominant in

industrial families. Anderson's main concern was with the working

class families for whom kin may have been a mutual support in times of

need, due to the po...

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it can be used as an ideological apparatus to promote the capitalist

values rather than benefiting the whole of society, this is because

consumer advertising is directed at the nuclear family nuclear for

example adverts for cereals, it encourages them to pursue capitalist

goals by stressing the importance of materialism.

Although Radical feminists believe the nuclear family benefits the

needs of men rather than all of society. This is because radicals

believe that men and women are socialised into a set of ideas that

largely confirms male power and superiority, it transmits patriarchal

ideology encouraging the nation that the sexual division of labour is

natural.

It would appear that we are moving more into a nuclear family

structure but it is unlikely for the movement to be as fast as Parsons

suggests.