arguments for family

Question 1

Why is traditional extended family changing?(1973) Young+Willmott(4)

Answer 1

• when terraced houses were demolished,parents with children were often rehoused away from other relatives
• Manual jobs which men relied on disappeared so people moved away for employment
• Some people moved away due to ‘upwards social mobility’
• a new type of family was developing ‘privatised symmetrical nuclear family’

Question 2

how is nuclear family changing?

Answer 2

-cohabitation is increasing because marriage is happening later in life

Question 3

Why is divorce increasing?(7)

Answer 3

• legal change: made it easier/cheaper to apply for divorce. 1984 family law act allowed couples to apply for divorce after 1 year of marriage instead of 3
• changing attitudes: became more acceptable bc its more common.
• changing expectations: people expect more from marriage so disappointment is more likely. Instead of lifetime commitment they are more likely to ask ‘is this marriage still working for me?’ its called ‘confluent love’
• changing roles if women: wives are less dependent on their husbands
• isolation: some couples are isolated from relatives so less to keep hem together if marriage has problems
• lack of children: less to keep them together
• longer life expectancy: might affect how they look upon their relationship

Question 4

Arguments against functionalism(3)

Answer 4

• Feminists: family functions benefit men eg. physical/emotional care atre largely provided by women(a way of controlling women)
• Marxists: only benefits the social class that owns buisnesses
• some critics say the family doesn’t perform its functions very well. In 2004 medical health survey found 10% of 15-16 yr olds had a mental health disorder(lack of emotional support)

Question 5

Arguments against traditional nuclear family(2 people)

Answer 5

-Feminists thought:

. men dominated their wives
. image of ‘happy family’ had a dark side of domestic violence
. women had few choices:other options were deviant( staying single,having same sex partner)

-Leach(1967)

. its too small to give people everything they want. Dissapointment+conflict gave the nuclear family ‘the source of our discontents’ some people are harmed by family:dark side

Question 6

How have conjugal roles become more similar?(6)

Answer 6

• privatised families:no extended family available to help
• changing attitudes:marriage seen more as a partnership
• changing laws: womens legal rights make them more equal partners
• comfortable homes:men have become more home centred
• fewer children: womens lives are no longer dominated by childcare
• more women have paid employment