... weighs kinship relationship and offers more freedom. Not only does Parsons identify the change in family structure, he also highlights the changes in the wider community. Pre-industrial communities were very close. The relationships between neighbours were as close as relationships within the family. In times of crisis whole streets would pull together to help someone in need. This was considered the norm. Today this notion is far from commonplace. The research of Parsons and Goode was challenged by studies conducted by Laslett. Laslett, (a marxist) contradicts the views of Parsons and Goode by suggesting the nuclear family was infact the dominant form of kinship in pre-industrial Britain. Research also strongly suggests the same was true for North America. With this in mind it seems fair to say that both the Extended and Nuclear families were in existence in pre-industrial Britain. Industrialisation brought many changes. Families relocated the family home to ...

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