Historians suggest that Parsons interpretation is too simplistic, it does not consider that different societies follow different patterns, for example the industrial revolution in Japan reinforced their extended kinship networks rather than cause a shift to the nuclear unit.
Laslett's study of parish records suggested that only ten per cent of householdes in pre-industrial times contained extended kin.
Michael Anderson's historical study using records from 1851 found that there remained a large number of households shared by extended kin after the industrial revolution.
Young and Willmott (1957) argue that the shift in the family unit did not happen as fast as Parson's suggests. It was rather a gradual change. Research found that after industrialization, exteneded families existed in large numbers. (1973) They argue that the extended family unit declinded in the 1960's when working-class famillies were re-housed in council estates in towns.
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