3. Parents and Children

Question 1

1. Childbearing

Answer 1

• Nearly half of all children are born outside marriage (twice as many as 1986)
• Women are having children later: between 1971 and 2012, average age at birth of first child increased 4 years.
• Women having fewer children (children per women: 2.95 in 1964 – 1.63 in 2001)

• More women are remaining childless:
- (2012: 1 in 5 women of 45 childless)

Question 2

2. Reasons for Changes in Childbearing

Answer 2

• Women have more options (education, financial independence etc)

Question 3

3. Lone-Parent Families

Answer 3

• Over 90% of lone parent families are headed by lone mothers
• Until early 1990s: divorced women were the biggest group of lone-parents
• Child living with a lone-parent is twice as likely to be in poverty.

Question 4

4. Reasons for Changes in Lone-Parents

Answer 4

• Increase in lone-parent households as a result of divorce.
• They tend to be female headed due to:
• Widespread belief that women are naturally suited for nurturing role
• Fact that divorce courts tend to give custody to mother
• Men tend to be less willing to give up work and care for children
• Cashmore: WC mothers chose to live on welfare benefits without partner as many had experienced abuse.

Question 5

5. New Right on Lone Parenthood (New Right Critics)

Answer 5

• Murray: growth of lone-parent families results from over-generous welfare benefits for unmarried mothers and their children.
• This creates a ‘perverse incentive’ that rewards irresponsible behaviour
• The solution is to abolish welfare benefits.

Critics of New Right:

• Welfare benefits are far from generous. Much more likely to live in poverty
• Lack of affordable childcare prevents lone parents working (60% unemployed)
• Inadequate welfare benefits
• Most lone parents are women, that generally earn less than men.

Question 6

6. Stepfamilies

Answer 6

• Stepfamilies account for over 10% of families with children in Britain.
• 85% of stepfamilies have at least one child from the woman’s previous relationship. (11% there is at least one from man’s previous relationship)
• Ferri and Smith: stepfamilies are similar to first families in all major respects
• Allan and Crow: stepfamilies face problems of divided loyalties.

Question 7

7. Reasons for the Changes in Stepfamilies

Answer 7

• Increase in divorce and separation
• More children are from woman’s previous relationship because women are more likely to have custody of child.
• Stepparents are at greater risk of poverty because they have more children
• Tensions may be result of a lack of clear social norms

Question 8

Summary

Answer 8

1. Childbearing
2. Reasons for Changes in Childbearing
3. Lone-Parent Families
4. Reasons for Changes in Lone-Parents
5. Lone Parenthood and the Welfare Stare
6. Stepfamilies
7. Reasons for the Changes in Stepfamilies