1.2 Family Diversity - patterns Flashcards
what is the government definition of a household?
one or more people sharing accommodation and living together
what is the government definition of a family?
a couple with or without children or a lone parent with children
what is the nuclear family?
a father mother and one or more children (biological or adopted) living together - seen as the typical/normal family
stats from the ONS show which type of family is the most common?
nuclear - 4.7 million married couples with dependant children
what has been the only family type to decrease in number since 1996?
nuclear
with cohabiting couples and single parents increasing
what are extended families?
families including relatives beyond nuclear
what are vertically extended families?
families comprising of 3 generations living together e.g. grandparents, parents and children
what are horizontally extended families?
relatives from same generation living together e.g. two brothers and their wives and children
who were extended families particularly important for?
traditional working class
now the extended family is seen to be in decline, Young and Willmott say this is due to the emergence of the symmetrical family, what is this?
based on nuclear family centred on husband and wife relationship
Beck and Beck- Gurnsheim have argued individualisation has contributed to decline in extended families how?
individuals choose their own lifestyles
they can choose to maintain ties with extended families or not
according to the ONS what percent of families are multifamily households (inc. extended)?
less than 1%
what is the fastest growing type of household according to the ONS?(2013)
multifamily
today most extended families are dispersed extended families according to willmott what is this?
nuclear families are main unit, relatives don’t live together but can rely on network of extended family members for support
what has contributed to the dispersion of extended families?
better transport and technology for communication
what are lone parent families?
single parent caring for one or more children
in what percentage of lone parent families is the lone parent the mother? and what does this reflect?
91%
reflecting women are more likely to take on caring responsibilities
in 2013 how many lone parents were there with dependant children?
1.9 million
what percentage of families with dependent children do lone parent families represent?
25%
what is a reconstituted family?
when a couple come together and form a family with at least one child from a previous relationship
in 2011 how many reconstituted families with dependant children were there in England and wales?
544,000
what percent of couple families with dependent children are reconstituted?
11%
according to gov stats, how much more likely are children in lone parent families to be in poverty compared to children in couple families?
twice as likely
how many children in lone parent families are in poverty?
43%
4 in 10
Spencer found children in lone parent families were more at risk of what?
poor health
low educational achievement
anti social behaviour
what are same sex families?
same sex couples with children
how many civil partnerships were their in 2013?
8000
how many cohabiting same sex couples were there in 2013?
5000
what do same sex families remain?
a minority of families in the uk - but has been significant change recently e.g. legislation of same sex marriage
what are non family households?
households made up of one person living alone or friends living together e.g students in shared accomodation
in 2013 how many households were single person households?
7.8. million
what are some reasons for the increase in people living alone?(kilenberg)
cult of the individual
communications revolution
ageing population
what is the cult of the individual?
individuals more focused on themselves than role in traditional structures - can chose to opt out and live alone
why does the communications revolution lead to living alone?
can still have social life when living alone
what are LATs?
living apart together
why might people be LAT? (Haskey and Lewis)
work commitments
prelude to cohabitation or marriage
Roseneil and Budgeon ( rejecting heteronorm) study those living alone what two key changes did they focus on?
friends taking the place of the family
decentering of conjugal relationships
(Roseneil and Budgeon) how are friends replacing the family?
changing personal relationships - colleagues, friends, extended family taking place of traditional family
(Roseneil and Budgeon) what is the decentering of conjugal relationships?
people no longer building lives around marriage and a family - nuclear family is no longer central to a persons life
(Roseneil and Budgeon) see changes as breakdown of the heteronorm, what is the heteronorm?
that intimate relationships between heterosexual couples are the normal intimate relationship
What is a household?
One or more people sharing accommodation living together
What is a family (gov)?
A couple with or without children
Lone parent with children
What is a family according to Murdock?
Adults of both sects maintaining a socially approved sexual relationship with one or more children
Why did Murdock say the nuclear family was universal?
His own study of 250 societies - nuclear family existed in all
(Murdock) criticism - according to Gough what do all societies not have?
Nuclear family
Nayar of India - wives and husbands did not live together and they could have several partners
(Murdock) criticism - who does his definition exclude?
Lone parents
Same sex couples
Reconstituted families
Couples without children
(Murdock) criticism - not all families live where?
In the same household - LATs
