Examine the view that the nuclear family did not exist in Britain before industrialisation

Parsons believed that with the Industrial revolution many changes were made, and the extended family was replaced with the new nuclear family unit was formed. Industrialisation demanded a more geographical mobile workforce and people began to move away from agricultural areas and the extended family to places where industrialisation had created more job opportunities. Also with the state now beginning to take over some key functions such as education and health, the extended family was no-longer relied upon.

The nuclear family had also given very clear roles to its adult members, unlike the extended family where all members were equally involved in providing for the family. The male of the family is now the Instrumental leader, responsible for the economic needs of the family, whereas the female is the expressive leader, primarily responsible for the family's emotional welfare and the socialisation of children. This again, in parsons view meant that the extended family was no longer needed and that only the nuclear family could provide what was needed in the new industrial society.

However, there are many criticisms of parsons view. Studies of pre-industrial parish records suggest that only 10 per cent of households contained extended kin, meaning that the nuclear family unit was the predominant family structure in many area's rather than the extended family as parson claimed. Also many sociologists have claimed that the nuclear family may have helped the industrial revolution to happen so quickly as families already had the geographical mobility that was needed.

Anderson (1971) also has very contrasting views to those of parson, in a historical study of the industrial town of Preston 1851 census records, Anderson found that a large number of households contained extended kin, contrasting the view that industrial families were mainly nuclear.

British sociologists Willmott and Young agree with Anderson that industrial families were not mostly nuclear, in a study of Bethnal Green, east London Willmott and Young found that extended families still existed in large numbers. They also found that the extended family was still based upon a mutual support network and was providing its members with financial help, advice and childcare. Willmott and Young argue that the extended family only went into decline in the 1960's when working class communities were re-housed in towns and council estates. Willmott and Young suggest that the nuclear family only became the norm in the late twentieth century, greatly contradicting parsons perspective.

The view that the nuclear family did not exist before industrialisation has been criticised for not providing enough evidence to back up the claim and that parsons idea's are outdated.

However there are still many arguments about when the nuclear family was formed, and whether it was a product of industrialisation, or perhaps, a cause.