Question

Why do you think the nuclear family is the basis for kinship systems in every culture?

Answer 1

In the industrial era , nuclear family has become the basis of kinship system in almost every culture while in pre industrial era extended family concept was there.

Nuclear family has replaced the extended family system because it fulfills all the function of a family . As per functionalist such as Murdock and parson , there are 4 requirement of family i.e. meeting sexual desire, legitimate reproduction, socialisation and rearing of children and fulfilling economic needan. All these 4 function are well performed by a nuclear family hence it has become the basis of kinship.

Next important point to ask is Why transformation from extended to nuclear happened when extended family was also fulfilling the function . With industrialisation there was increase in mobility of families and extended families are difficult yotmove continuously. Moreover, need for the extended family for functions, such as health and education, gradually came to be carried out by the state and organisations developed crèche facility that helped in child rearing thus reduced the need of grand parents.