CHANGING PATTERNS IN FAMIY LIFE-RISE OF SAME SEX HOUSEHOLDS Flashcards
How has legal and politcal changes led to a rise in same sex households
Sexual offences act decriminalised in England and Wales which was on the ground that the relationship should be private
Age of consent was lowered to 18 for same sex male couples
Legal ban on gay people serving in the armed forces was lifted
However national police chiefs council reported that hate crime against the LGBT community has increased over the past 5 years
How has shift in attitudes towards homosexuality and a decline in stigma led to a rise of same sex households
British social attitudes survey asked people in the past ‘are sexual relationships between two adults of the same sex wrong?’ the response rate then was low for the option of ‘not wrong at all’ and overtime has changed as it is now higher
However not all parts of society are accepting of same sex relationships, religious institutions claim to provide a ‘conversion therapy’ people are supposedly cured of their homosexuality
What does weeks and Weston say about same sex relationships?
WEEKS:
-they are chosen families:members which make an active choice to recreate the structure and stability of traditional heterosexual nuclear family
-now have the opportunity to pursue a more traditional family life
WESTON:
Same sex cohabitation is no different from heterosexual marriage
What does Allan and Crow say about same sex relationships ?
- may be less stable than those who are heterosexual
- hetrosexual relationships are much simpler as they know their place in the relationships and what is expected based on gender roles
- Doesnt happen with same sex couples as they must work together and negotiate what roles each partner will do.->relationships are vulnerable to conflict
What does Einasdottir say about same sex relationships ?
legal changes might not always be interpreted positively.Trying to get the gay community to adapt itself to suit heterosexual norms
