Page 190 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Sociology of Kinship

Notes stantial mobility of its members. This mobility is essential for modern industrial management.
The persons with special skills have to go to a place where they are demanded. Parsons give
one more principle in proving his view that in any industrial society the status is not planted
but achieved. This means that importance of several persons is assessed on the basis of their
achievements of status. According to Parsons, the valuation is done on the basis of universal
values which apply commonly on the all members of the society. But inside the family the op-
portunity is provided and this type of plantation is based on personal values which apply on
different members of a family on personal basis (For universal and personal values see part
centered on Social Activity Approach of second chapter). The argument of Parsons is that in
any elaborated family these two types of values can be a source of struggle or quarrel in a
family. In this way if a father is a mechanic in a workshop and his son is a doctor or an en-
gineer then the personal value of family life gives more high position and status in the fam-
ily. On the other hand, on the basis of social values the son has got high social status due to
which the position of father can be neglected. The quarrel born due to this reason can shock
the strength of the family. The isolated nuclear family is a type of adaptation for the need of
industrial society.

The process of structural separation is vested in evolution of the society.
This means that during the process of evolution such social institution
takes birth which is specific for scarce functions.

The third view is presented by Historian of Cambridge University Patter Lancelet, which can-
cels out to a certain extent to the importance of the functional description of the nuclear fam-
ily given by Parsons (The World We Have Lost, London Methuen, 1965). The book of Lasslet
indicates that under the pre-industrial family management in England existence of such elabo-
rated families were not there who has one dwelling. Contrary to this it seems that in the home
of nuclear family a common type of dwelling group was present. Lasslet found that between
1564A.D. to 1821 A.D. only 100 such families were there in which relatives out the nuclear fam-
ily exists. In 1966 this percentage was maintained in England. The reason for the less percentage
of this type of peculiar form is that in Pre-Industrial England people marry very late and their
age range was very less. As a result, within a few years of marriage the parents of married cou-
ple get back to the heaven. May be any reason for that Lancelet did not find any evidence for this
that in pre-industrial England the elaborated family in large quantity were present which gave
rise the nuclear families in the modern industrial society. Thus it is said in conclusion that in the
root of the origin of nuclear family industrialisation was not there. Contrary to this it may be
true that nuclear family is one of the factors of many which had encouraged the industrial revo-
lution in England. It senses that if nuclear family is the main form of European family structure
for centuries, if this is older than industrial revolution and instead of censorial or other hurdles
only birth of social values then modern family in cultural view is may be only the continuity of
more desirable form.

Is nuclear family a result of industrialisation?

25.3 Is Nuclear Family a Universal Form of Family Relation?

Mardock has given this suggestion that nuclear family is the universal or common form of
family relation and “this executes in view of sexual, economical, procreation and education

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