← Unit 5: Agrarian Social Structure
1. Introduction and the Functionalist View
DefinitionThe family, though a universal institution, is not static. Its structure, functions and meanings have undergone significant transformation under the impact of industrialisation, urbanisation, modernity, legal change and individualism. Sociologists have debated whether modern society leads to the nuclearisation of the family or to the persistence of modified extended forms.
I. Functionalist View — Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons argues that changes in family structure are the result of structural requirements of industrial society.
Pre-Industrial Society: Extended Family
In pre-industrial societies, the extended family was dominant because:
- Life expectancy was short
- Social support was essential
- Economy was labour-intensive
- Skills were simple and transmitted within the family
- Family performed economic, educational and welfare functions
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In these notes
- Introduction and the Functionalist View
- Supporting View — William J. Goode
- Counter-Views — Against Complete Nuclearisation
- New Family Forms in Contemporary Society