Alternative approaches to family diversity: Flashcards
Chester: Neo-Conventional family
Chester (1985) recognises that there has been some increased family diversity in recent years, however unlike The New Right he does not regard this as negative, and he also still argues that the nuclear family is still dominant.
He argues that most people do not choose to be in a lone parent family and that the nuclear family is still the family people aspire to be in.
The conventional family is the nuclear family.
The Neo- conventional family is the dual earner family where both spouses work- similar to the symmetrical family identified by Young and Willmott (Chester is positive evaluation for Young and Willmott and vice versa).
Why does Chester argue that many people are not part of a nuclear family at any one time?
Although many people are not part of a nuclear family at any one time, Chester argues that this is due to the family life cycle.
Many people living in a one-person household were either part of a nuclear family in the past or will be in the future.
The family life cycle refers to the way families may change through life stages i.e. when parents have children when they grow up they will move out which will reframe the family from nuclear to ‘empty nest’
What does Chester argue about a life course?
Another reason that family diversity is inevitable is because of the life course.
Life course is primarily focused around the idea of how an individual’s life should unfold.
For example a traditional life course would be to meet a partner, get married, have a child, raise the child and then get the child to university.
However, a change in the life course has meant that individuals no longer follow the traditional expectations for their life courses.
Why does Chester critisise household statistics found in the census?
He criticises statistics on household composition (i.e. census) because they are misleading.
Chester thinks that little has changed with regard to family diversity and he found 5 patterns to support this:
1Most people live in a household headed by a married couple
2. Most adults marry and have children and are reared by their two biological parents
3. Most marriages continue till death
4. Cohabitation has increased but this is a trial marriage
5. Births are mostly jointly registered indicating that parents are committed to raising children together.
How to use Chester as an evalutation:
The extent and importance of family diversity has been exaggerated- opposing the New Right who are dramatic about it – he also argues diversity is not an issue!
More in common with Functionalists as Chester sees the nuclear family as still dominant.
Difference between Chester and Functionalist’s view is that he sees a change from the conventional to the neo-conventional nuclear family where both spouses play an ‘instrumental’ role.
We could argue that Chester is more realistic as it combines traditional values (nuclear family) with changing and contemporary society (different path to inevitably arriving at the nuclear family)!
The Rapoports (1982) 5 types of family diversity
Unlike Chester, the Rapoports argue that family diversity has greatly increased and is important in society.
Families have adapted to a pluralistic society (cultures and lifestyles are diverse).
Family diversity reflects greater freedom of choice and the widespread acceptance of different cultures. Diversity is a positive response to people’s needs and not ‘abnormal’ as the New Right would argue. The nuclear family is no longer dominant.
They identify 5 types of family diversity in the UK…
Name the 5 types of family diversity identified by the Rapoport’s:
- organisational: Differences in the way roles are organised i.e. conjugal roles.
- cultural: Different religions, cultures and ethnic groups have different family structures
- life stage: Family structures differ according to stages reached in the life course
- social class: Differences in family structure due to income.
- generational: Differences in family structure due to older and younger generations having different attitudes and experiences,
