Changes in Families and Households

According to functionalists, why are extended families common in traditional societies?

• Because they can carry out a wide range of functions

• Because they provide economic stability

• Because they promote individualism

• Because they are more efficient

What is the 'fit' thesis?

• The argument that industrialisation and urbanisation led to changes in families and households

• The argument that extended families are no longer relevant in modern society

• The argument that nuclear families are more economically productive

What were the economic requirements that nuclear families fulfilled in industrial society?

• Geographic mobility and labour flexibility

• Large-scale agricultural production and kinship ties

• Social mobility and economic stability

Why were nuclear families better suited for geographic mobility?

• They allowed people to move to jobs in towns and cities

• They provided better care for elderly family members

• They had stronger kinship ties

What were the main economic activities of extended families in pre-industrial society?

• Subsistence farming, craft trades, brewing, and baking

• Factory work, mining, and manufacturing

• Trade, commerce, and business

• Intellectual pursuits and education

Why did nuclear families gradually become the dominant family structure?

• People had to be mobile and move to towns and cities for work

• Extended families became less economically productive

• Nepotism declined in society

• People preferred living in smaller households

What was one of the reasons for the decline of extended families in industrial society?

• People had to move away from rural areas to find work

• Extended families were no longer socially accepted

• People preferred living in nuclear families

• The government discouraged extended family structures

Why did the new industries demand specific skills and knowledge?

• To ensure efficiency and productivity

• To promote social mobility

• To discourage nepotism

• To reduce the influence of extended families

Why were extended families limited in their ability to move away from the family home?

• Poor communications and lack of transportation

• Lack of job opportunities in other areas

• Preference for living close to relatives

• Lack of social acceptance for nuclear families

What were the functions performed by the wide family network in pre-industrial society?

• Functions related to the economic and social well-being of family members

• Functions related to religious practices

• Functions related to political governance

• Functions related to entertainment and leisure