Changing patterns of family/family diversity Flashcards
Plastic sexuality- Giddens
-Reflexivity= the ability to think and reflect upon one’s own needs and a desire for self-improvement
-Changes perceptions of relationships- family was not everything
-Led to plastic sexuality= removal of the function of child-bearing from the act of sex allowed more choice and freedom in partners
Confluent love- Giddens
-A form of love that only exists if it benefits the individual
-Similar to negotiated family- continue as long as both partners are benefiting from the relationship
-Serial monogamy- moving from one relationship to another to satisfy individual needs
Reflexivity and identity- Giddens
-People choose their own identity and what they want from a relationship
-This impacts on sexual identities as more fluid forms of sexuality emerge as people try to find out ‘who they are’
Evaluations of Giddens
-Ideas are only applicable to those not bound by traditions- usually white M/C
-Offers changing patterns of family life with a variety of factors
-Ignores structural factors that shape an individual’s behaviour- social class, gender and ethnicity etc
Reasons for decline in marriage
-Changing role of women in society
-Changing social attitudes
-Rising divorce and insecurity of relationships
-Changes to social institutions
Changing social attitudes
-Alternatives to marriage- such as cohabitation or living apart together (LATs) relationships as a response to changing attitudes to relationships
-Gidden’s confluent love and Bauman’s liquid love= people opt for serial monogamy over long-term relationships
Changes to social institutions
-Process of secularisation has led more people to see marriage as an outdated institution
-Less stigma attached to alternatives to marriage
Increase in cohabitation
-Sociologists suggested cohabitation acts as a form of trial marriage- couples see if they can live together harmoniously
-Backed up by 88% of couples who married in 2017 were previously cohabiting
Reconstituted families
-Increased life expectancy= second marriages are increasing
-Increase number of remarriages after age of 65 in UK in 2017
Lone parent families- increased life expectancy
-Increase in elderly living alone
Increase in same-sex relationships
-Greater social acceptance
-Changes in legislation
-Changes in attitudes to relationships
-Changing representations in the media
Great social acceptance- same sex relationships
-Secularisation= led to greater independence in moral judgements + acceptance that LGBTQ relationships share common ground of love
-Work of activists= Stonewall promotes LGBTQ community= led to greater acceptance in society of same-sex couples
Changes in legislation- same sex relationships
-Decriminalisation of male homosexuality 1969
-Adoption allowed for same-sex couples in 2002
-Same-sex marriage allowed in 2013
Changing representations in the media- same sex relationships
-Until 1980s= there was heightened hostility towards LGBTQ community in the media- typified by moral panics surrounding AIDs
-Great representation of same-sex relationships led to them being normalised on TV
-High profile figures openly declaring their sexuality + becoming part of mainstream media
Evaluations of same-sex relationships
-Census may not be reliable due to social stigmas within some communities
-Broader range of sexualities and gender identities in UK= difficulties in defining some forms of relationship as one form of sexuality
Changing attitudes to relationships- divorce
-Giddens= confluent love has replaced romantic love= people more willing to leave partners in search of greater fulfilment
-Beck= family is negotiated in late modern society + if conditions placed upon relationship are broken= divorce
-People have higher demands/satisfactions from relationships
Reduced stigma + secularisation- divorce
-Secularisation= people no longer being guided by morality of church + can make own judgements about relationships
-Less social disapproval of divorces- attitudes to divorce as a failed marriage= vanishing
Increased life expectancy- divorce
-People living longer= impacts age when they marry + likelihood to divorce
-Longer to live= people are more likely to leave unhappy marriages + seek new partners
Changing gender roles- divorce
-Rise of feminism + greater career aspirations
-2/3 of divorces are requested by females= reflects growing dissatisfaction with married life for women
-Crisis of masculinity= seen as contributing to divorce rates too
Growing individualism- divorce
-Individualisation thesis (Chambers)= people are increasingly looking to satisfy their own needs rather than sacrifice their needs for the good of family
-Confluent love (Giddens) + liquid love (Bauman) are based upon individuals having agency + looking to satisfy own needs
Consequences of divorce for family members- divorce
-Conflict within family- impact of children, finances etc
-Formation of new families- reconstituted families could bring increase conflict over parenting children
-Greater number of remarriages + more lone-parent families + lone-person households
-Financial issues for partners- loss of second income + additional costs of living apart
Decreasing child-bearing
-Link to other mind maps on cost of children, increased contraception, changing role of women in society + delaying having children
Chester- Diversity of family structure
-Extent of diversity= exaggerated in contemporary soceity
-More people live in a family that’s structured into a couple with children- although organisation of relationships may vary
-Throughout the life-course, most people will inevitably end up in a couples with children- e.g, lone parents come from a couple, may meet a new partner + form a second couple
Rapoports- Diversity of family structure
-Diversity has always existed- families vary on a number of grounds
-Organisational, cultural, life-cycle, social class + cohort/generational diversity
Brannen et al- Diversity of family structure
-Beanpole family= becoming most dominant form of family
-People= living longer + parents are increasingly involved in their adult children’s lives- e.g, financial support
-Smaller families means fewer siblings to rely upon for support + with geographical mobility, they may not be accessible
Theoretical approaches- Diversity of family structure
-New Right= preference for traditional values + this has been demonstrated in state policy
-Feminists= support greater diversity of family types- divorce provides women with greater choice + control over lives
-Postmodern + personal life perspectives both examine that families are social constructs of individual’s choosing + therefore divorce
Lone-parent families
-Changing position of women
-Changing attitudes to relationships
-Less stigma attached to lone parenting
-State support for parents
Impacts of increase in lone parents families on society
-New Right= lack of adequate socialisation
-Increase in reconstituted families + lone person households
-Increase in female role models for girls
-Growth of co-parenting + amicable relations between former partners
-Potential conflict over access, new relationships + financial arrangements
Reconstituted families
-Blended families that are compromised of two partners + children that are the biological children of only one of the partners
-Increased divorce
-Changing attitudes to relationships
-Changing attitudes to social institutions
-Increased life expectancy (35% of all marriages in UK in 2017= second marriages for 1 or both partners)
Changing attitudes to social institutions
-Reduced stigma, divorce + remarriage= society becomes more secular
-Dysfunctional family units can cause more harm than remaining together- family loses some of its functions
-Ideas of parenting don’t depend upon traditional gender socialisation- reducing conflict more important than gender role models
Consequences of reconstituted families
-Conflict within family; access to children, financial arrangements, conflict between children + non-biological parents, relationships with step-siblings + extended family
-Second marriages have lower rate of divorce- ONS= 31% compared to 42%
Lone person households
-Changing attitudes to relationships
-Individualism in society
-Increased life expectancy (more divorce etc)
-Greater acceptance of alternatives to family
Greater individualism in society- lone person households
-Career progression is valued more than relationships by many in employment, particularly young professionals
-Greater geographical mobility in employment as people move for their work as they try to establish a position of security within their field
-Desire for leisure activities, globalised travel + greater focus on the self= led to increase in people living alone
Greater acceptance of alternatives to family
-Rise of families of choice= friends fulfilling the functions of the family= families aren’t needed at certain points in the lifecycle
-Reduction of stigma attached to single life- career, travel, self-fulfilment= more important for some people
Impacts of increased lone person households on society
-Affordability of housing= London has lowest % of lone-person households (24%) compared to Scotland (35%)
-Social isolation, particularly for older relatives
-Increased costs of living from divorced couples= estimated divorce costs UK economy £1.7 billion a year
Geographical + social mobility- extended families
-Decline in extended families due to need for geographical mobility in globalised workforce
-Internal + international migration for employment results in nuclear family often leaving close relatives to gain employment
-Can result in upward social mobility for some families- through higher education, higher status positions + changing lifestyles
Ethnic diversity in family structures- extended families
-Berthound= found relatively high rates of children + their partners living in parental home after marriage amongst British South Asian families
-ONS 2011 census= 21% of Asian families fell into other family types which included multi-generational families
-Reynolds= Jamaican families more likely to have a matrifocal family often headed by a grandmother or having involvement as part of a visiting relationship
State policies + funding- extended families
-Decrease in social care funding= more parents moving in with grown children + families for support
-Increase in benefits for lone parents + working families= less reliance upon extended family networks for shelter
Evaluations- extended families
-Extended families may have reduced in living under same roof over time but kinship networks remain
-Grandparents are increasingly becoming involved in providing childcare for parents + financial support for their children well into adulthood
-Family has become extended through technology with virtual links to family that have migrated= modified extended family
Rappoport and Rappoport- family diversity
-Organisational diversity
-Cultural diversity
-Social class diversity
-Life course diversity
-Cohort diversity
Organisational diversity- Rappoport and Rappoport + family diversity
-Organisation of family structure + its support networks
-Some may divide labour equally, others may have main provider
-Other families rely upon assistance of relatives or friends to support them
-Employment, marital status etc affects family life
Cultural diversity- Rappoport and Rappoport + family diversity
-UK= mass migration in post-war period creates greater ethnic diversity in society
-Families from ethnic minority backgrounds may have different structures, organisation of family life + support networks
Social class diversity- Rappoport and Rappoport + family diversity
-Assumptions of family= based on M/C ideals of family life
-Different forms of organisation between classes
Life course diversity- Rappoport and Rappoport + family diversity
-Don’t live in same family structure, family set-up or type of household our whole life
-Students, young professional, middle-age + elderly= all have different structures + organisation to their living arrangements
Cohort diversity- Rappoport and Rappoport + family diversity
-Refers to intergenerational attitudes of different groups- e.g, Boomers, generation X etc
-Each cohort will have different sets of values that they might place upon family life
-Older generations may see more value in marriage, whereas younger generations may delay marriage or seek alternative to married life
Evaluations of Rapoports
-Important research as diversity has grown in years follow research
-Can be evidenced through rise of different family types + cohabitations and delaying marriage
Life course
-Followed stable set of norms + values for most individuals
-People brought up in a nuclear family, entering life-long marriage, having children + retiring at 65
Key changes to life course
-Rise of feminism
-Reduced stigma over lifestyles
-Increased agency + individualism
-Secularisation
-Legislation
-Changing attitudes to relationships
De-standardisation of life course
-Green (2015)= no fixed path through life course in contemporary society
-Childbearing doesn’t necessarily follow marriage- 48% of children born in 2018 were to unmarried parents
-Children= increasingly dependent on parents into early twenties + thirties
-Sexuality= more fluid (Postmodernists)
Research into life course
-Chester (1985)= life course analysis suggests people will move through a stage of being in a relationship with children + this will become the norm
-Allan + Crow (2001)= changes to life course= family types are different
-Beck-Gernsheim (2002)= families retain some traditional elements, such as structure but differ in identity + organisation
-Rapoports= life cycle + generational diversity
Evidence of life course changes
-Increased divorce compared to 1960s
-reduction in marriages + number of children born to unmarried parents
-Increased average age of marriages + increased age of first child
-Changes in retirement, beanpole families, clipped-wing generation + boomerang kids
Family diversity- ethnic diversity
-Berthoud (200)= family life is changing across ethnic groups
-South Asian families more likely to retain traditional views on marriage + gender roles
-Black Caribbean= greater individualism + less likely to marry + have traditional families= cohabitation= higher than South Asians
British Asian families- ethnic diversity
-Bhatti= evidence of changing attitudes in younger generations of family
-Traditional gender roles in older generations with lower levels of female employment for those with adult children
-Motherhood seen as more important than employment + father’s would take on instrumental role
-Qureshi (2015)= higher rates of traditional families than other ethnic groups
-Greater evidence of changing attitudes to arranged marriage- greater conflict in younger generations of family between partners
Black Caribbean families- ethnic diversity
-Berthoud (2001)= marriage is a lifestyle option rather than a social institution to some black-Caribbean households
-Reyonds (2002)= greater fluidity in family forms in black-Caribbean families
-Female-headed households often part of visiting relationships- similar to LATS where man actively parents children but doesn’t live with family
-Reyonds= variations in attitudes based upon different Caribbean islands- traditional ideas in Barbados + Antigua
