Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

What are some examples of family patterns?

Answer 1

. Beanpole
. Vertical
. Single parent
. Homosexual couple
. Nuclear
. Cohabitation

Question 2

Why might people today, chose to not get married and instead cohabit?

Answer 2

• it’s cheaper
• Postmodern society emphasising putting a career first.
• The rise of recognised feminist outlooks on marriage
• Fears of divorce
• Fears of financial dependence
• Moral decay according to the New Right.

Question 3

Benson, a New Right thinker, says what about cohabitation?

Answer 3

His theory posits that people are choosing to cohabit rather than marry because it carries less responsibility

Question 4

Fletcher proposes what in relation to the rising expectations of marriage?

Answer 4

That there is now an ‘ideology of romantic love’
People recognise marriages as being pursuits of love and fulfilment from the other partner rather than contractual.

Question 5

The divorce reform act did what?

Answer 5

Removed the notion of a guilty partner as something needed for divorce, instead, it was recognised that sometimes marriage is ‘irretrievable’

Question 6

What year was the divorce reform act?

Answer 6

1969

Question 7

What year was the family law act?

Answer 7

1996

Question 8

What did the family law act do?
19__

Answer 8

1996

It encouraged counciling before couples seek divorce.

Question 9

The postmodern theory of individualism is attributed to who?

Answer 9

Giddens

Question 10

Fletcher theory on divorce?

Answer 10

Rising expectations of marriage and the ‘ideology of romantic love’ are a key cause in why more people get divorces instead of staying together.

Question 11

In 2021, roughly what percentage of people got married in a church?

Answer 11

23%

Question 12

What is a beanpole family?

Answer 12

A family comprised of less children, so the family tree is tall and thin.

Question 13

What does the functionalist perspective: eg, Parsons, say about the ideal family

Answer 13

It’s a traditional nuclear family

Question 14

What does the New right say about diversions from the traditional nuclear family.
. Single mothers
. Homosexual couple

Answer 14

Single parent families lack the vital function of one.
For instance mums can’t discipline their children so effectively.
Boys may be left without a vital male role model.
The stability of the family unit is compromised economically as well.

Question 15

What are alternatives to the nuclear family?

Answer 15

Kibbutzism
Foster care
Cohabitation
Civil partnerships
Not getting married
Separate living arrangements
Homosexual couples
Single parent families

Question 16

Do you remember the example of the Nayar people??

Answer 16

They are an example of a functional society based on polygamy.

In the 1950s-60s the average family until had several married women, children and some elder men
These Wives can have more than one husband and the husbands only visit.

Question 17

Bhatti in 2009 studied British South East Asian families and found what?

Answer 17

. They married younger, they were often arranged
. Wives remained full time homemakers.
. And it was often an extended family living under one house.

However, they was a gradual reconciliation between cultural norms and progressive politics amongst the 2nd generation onwards.

Question 18

Rapoports theory of family diversity is that diversity meets the needs of a given family under their own particular circumstances. What are the _ types of diversity?

Answer 18

Organisational
Cultural
Class
Life course
Cohert/generation

Question 19

What is a ‘Organisational’ family?

Answer 19

Families organised on the basis of roles and authority.
Eg: a Matriarchy/Patriarchy

Question 20

What is a ‘Cultural’ family?

Answer 20

Families that set their own cultural precidents and standards.
Eg: Islamic/Jewish eating customs.

Question 21

What is a ‘class’ family?

Answer 21

Different practices based on social class and thus subcultures emerging from it and or access to resources.

Question 22

What’s the Postmodern perspective on changes to the family?

Answer 22

That people today have a ‘pic and mix’ attitude to culture, lifestyle and identity.
This is because society is fragmented and life is less predictable.

Question 23

What is the theory of the Zombie family?

Answer 23

Beck’s theory, it posits that because we live in a ‘risk society’ where inequality exists but tradition has less influence, families are negotiated based on individual wishes.

Question 24

What’s the postmodern view on family diversity?

Answer 24

It’s the individualistic thesis. (Giddens)
That family today facilitates the individual and ideas of tradition, class standing, culture have constricted people.
So, people freed themselves from these traditional roles/structures.

Postmodernists: Believe in the attrition of a ‘meta narrative’ the standard of what is and isn’t the correct course of lifestyle and decisions in life.
In this case, different cultures undermine confidence in one another as the best way forward for a family unit.

Question 25

Beck, as a part of the Postmodernist perspective says what?

Answer 25

Family is, because of the waning of tradition having sway on individual choices.
Things are negotiated upon individual wishes.
Beck describes the family as, ‘a zombie family’.

Question 26

What’s Chester’s theory of the family?

Answer 26

The theory of the Neo-conservative family
* in conflict with the New right.

He doesn’t regard the changing of family patterns as significant or negative.
This new type of nuclear family he speculates has a dual earner
Both partners earn in the Neo-conservative household, Chester argues that something resembling the nuclear family is still sought and notes there’s no evidence to suggest that people are actually choosing the alternatives.

Question 27

The individualization thesis is a ___________ theory by ….

Answer 27

Postmodern
Giddens

Question 28

The connectedness thesis is a _________ ____ perspective

Answer 28

Personal life perspective

Question 29

The individualization thesis has a political overtone, what ideology?

Answer 29

Neoliberalism.
Perhaps traditional norms have a greater effect than is suggested, people can become alienated if they don’t adhere to cultural expectations.

Decisions are made in a social context, not always independently.

Neoliberal perspectives also tend to ignore class inequality, whether someone is able to engage with opportunities.

Question 30

The connectedness thesis is by …

Answer 30

Smart

Question 31

What is the connectedness thesis?

Answer 31

Theory by Smart.

That our decisions, including how we structure our families is a conflict between the individual and social expectations.
They must be negotiated around for individuals to get what they want

Not to be confused with Becker’s theory of the negotiated family.

Question 32

How might gender inequalities inform why people aren’t getting married.
For men and women.

Answer 32

Men:

. May not get married for fear of divorce; divorce courts historically favouring the female partner more for money and right to see children.

Women:

. Being paid less typically, women may want to prioritise their independence more and reject marriage for fear of being subordinated.

. Because of an awareness that the workplace is still patriarchal, they might feel they’re better served by a man who’s going to have less resistance to climbing a career ladder.

. Fear of abusive relationships and the difficulty in escaping it.

Question 33

Allan and Crow argue what about same sex couples in relation to legal frameworks

Answer 33

That cohabitation and less stable relationships were common amongst same sex couples because of a lack of legal framework to assist their partnership that same sex couples enjoy today.

Relationships were then however, more negotiable and the commitment to one another was reinforced less by a system which wasn’t supporting their life style.

Question 34

In 1989, roughly what % of people thought premarital sex was not wrong?
What was the % in 2012

Answer 34

44%
To 65%

Question 35

Half of one person households are over what age (roughly)?

Answer 35

65

Question 36

Nearly of half what happens outside of marriage

Answer 36

Births