Changes affecting the family Flashcards
What suited the needs of pre-industrial society according to functionalists?
An extended family
Who believes the nuclear family is more suitable for modern industrial societies?
Functionalists - Talcott Parsons
What is industrialisation?
The process where society becomes developed by industry in order to produce secondary goods and services rather than being mainly based on agriculture.
What did jobs revolve over before industrialisation?
Agriculture. They were mainly home-centered and children were expected to work as well.
What happend after industrialisation?
Work was no longer centered around the home. People had to move to find work in the cities and the extended family had to break apart.
What needs did people rely on (large) families for during pre-industrial times?
Education, to lend them money, to look after them when sick or old
What institutions have taken over family functions today?
Schools, banks, hospitals, old age homes, religion, peer groups
Why is the nuclear family more mobile and why is this useful?
It has fewer kin so it can move around easilyto where jobs are available
What is structural differentiation?
When people rely on a range of other instututions for help rather than extended families.
According to Parsons, what are the two main functions the family has today?
Primary socialisation of children
Stabilisation of adult personalities (comfort and security to members - “warm bath”)
What is urbanisation?
The growth of cities through the increasing proportion of the population living in cities
What are modern industrial societies?
Societies created by industrialisation; they have industrial economies and high urban populations
