Introduction:The family

 The family is a complex social

institution
 Sociologists examine social change
& how this impacts on family life
 Also study the role, functions &
structure of families in society
 & how this may change over time

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 1

/ The Family
 This lecture will outline some terms &
definitions of the family
 & consider how the structure, functions
& roles of families have changed over
time
 Pre-industrialisation
 Industrialisation

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 2

/ The Family
 Sociologists point out there is no such
thing as ‘the family’ anymore
 The family structure has changed
 less than a quarter of households in UK
conform to model of traditional family
(Giddens 2006)

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 3

/ The Family
Some definitions & terms
 Difference between ‘families’ &
‘households’
 Family - a group of people tied by
relationships of blood, marriage or
adoption
 Household - a residence for one person
or a group of people (who can be family
or unrelated), sharing accommodation

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 4

/ The Family
 Nuclear family - mother, father &
children (natural or adopted)
 Extended family - nuclear family + one
or more other relatives
 Modified extended family - close
family members live in close proximity
to each other

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 5

/ The Family
The family:
Historical developments

 Before industrialisation:
 Home & workplace were often in same
place
 Community life was significant

 (above differed from the modern

isolated nuclear family of modernity)

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 6

/ The Family
 Marriage often seen as an alliance

 Production of most goods & services

was organised within the household

 Family seen as the basic unit of social

production

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 7

/ The Family
How did industrialisation impact
on family life?

 Production of goods became organised

through workshops & factories
 Led to separation of home & workplace
 From being an integral part of family
life, work became a separate, external
activity
 Thus, family mostly lost the function of
production

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 8

/ The Family
 Industrialisation led to profound changes in
family life
 Wage labour - source of family income
 women often excluded from social
production
 Husbands seen as the principle breadwinner
 However, Harris (1977) highlights a gradual
change of roles

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 9

/ The Family
 ‘….industrialisation did not result
immediately in a differentiation
between domestic & industrial labour
tied to gender & the isolation of the
family. On the contrary, all members
of the family were employed in the
factories & the mines, & women &
children were only gradually excluded’

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 10

/ The Family
 Despite effects of industrialisation
on family life
 Many families still produced goods
for consumption
 Many women & children involved in
domestic or cottage industries

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 11

/ The Family
 Absolute dependence on purchased
goods occurred in later stages of
industrial capitalism

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 12

/ The Family
 Agricultural
economy

 Extended family

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 13

/ The Family
 Industrialisation
& urbanisation

 Manufacturing
economy

 Nuclear family

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 14

/ The Family
Has industrialisation altered the
structure of the family?

 Traditional sociological views:

 The present form of family (nuclear)
evolved from an earlier extended type
 Extended family was predominant in
pre-industrial times
 Modern nuclear family emerged as a
result of industrialisation &
urbanisation

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 15

/ The Family
 This refers to ‘evolutionary’ view
(supported by functionalist sociologists)

 Marxists also agree with above, but

promote capitalism as the cause
(not industrialisation)

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 16

/ The Family
Challenges to evolutionary view

 Laslett (1972) researched parish

records
 found evidence that extended families
were not dominant during pre-
industrialisation in Western Europe
 Nuclear family more typical

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 17

/ The Family
 However, others (Anderson 1981)
studied households in Preston, a textile
area
 Analysis of 1851 census data
 Found evidence of extended families
 Older relatives cared for children
 families took in orphans & / or lodgers

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 18

/ The Family
 Later research (1950’s) Henriques &
Slaughter, “Coal is our life” found:
 Similar patterns of extended family
living
 Extended families could help younger
members get work

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 19

/ The Family
 Thus, for many urbanised w/c
families, industrialisation did not
result in nuclear family household

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 20

/ The Family
Conclusion: Why is a historical
analysis of the family important?

 Examined effects of industrialisation on

families & households (roles/functions)
 Points to complexity of family
structures in the past
 Questions simple ‘before’ & ‘after’ views
re impact of industrialisation on family
 Diversity is not a modern phenomenon

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 21

/ The Family
Next lecture

 Will examine relevant sociological

theoretical debates re the family
 This will include analysis of
 Functionalism
 Marxism
 Feminism
 Critical theory/New right approaches
 Postmodernism

Ann McDowell Lecture Historical 22

/ The Family