Chapter 2: Family diversity

Question 1

What impact did OAKLEY say about the media and family diversity?

Answer 1

Marketing and advertising often tries to sell products to what it sees as a typical family

Cereal packet family is a symbol of oppression - reflection of patriarchy

Question 2

How did THORNE criticise the portrayal of the cereal packet family?

Answer 2

Gender, generation, race and class result in widely varying experiences of family life

Many diverge from nuclear family

Question 3

What was the percentage of nuclear families in 1971 and 2010?

Answer 3

1971= 35%

2010= 21%

Question 4

What did the RAPOPORTS identify to be the main 5 types of diversity?

Answer 4

Organizational diversity: variation in family structure

Cultural diversity

Social class diversity

Generational:

Cohort: group of people born over same period of time

Question 5

What does WEEKS, HEAPHEY & DONOVAN state about new types of diversity?

Answer 5

Increase in gay and lesbian households contributes to the increase in diversity.

Question 6

What is the difference in the percentage of lone parents between 1971 and 2011?

Answer 6

1971= 8%
2011= 22%

Question 7

What are the 2 factors ALLAN & CROW explain for the increase in lone parenthood?

Answer 7

Increase in marital breakdown (partly divorce)

Rise in births to unmarried mothers: casual relationship ending in pregnancy

Question 8

What was MORGAN’s view on changing relationships between men and women?

Answer 8

Changing relationship is important

Greater equality between sexes: more feasible for women to bring up children

More employment opportunities for women encourage independent life

Much less stigma attached to illiegitimacy

Question 9

What does MURRAY believe to be the result of the increase in lone parenthood?

Answer 9

Over-generous welfare system: makes possible for lone parents to live on benefits

See lone parent as part of a welfare-dependent underclass

Question 10

What was BHATTI’s research on Asian families?

Answer 10

Emphasis on loyalty and tradition, strong ties with extended families

Father taking on the traditional breadwinner role

Izzat: principle of honour taken very seriously

Question 11

What was CHAMBERLAIN’S research on Afro-Caribbean families?

Answer 11

Found brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts play important role in Afro-Caribbean families than British

Siblings assist in being up younger siblings

Question 12

What did CHESTER say about families since WW2?

Answer 12

Since WW2:
Most people still marry and stay married
Most children reared by natural parents
Most people live in household headed by married couple

Question 13

What changes did SOMERVILLE say were happening in the family?

Answer 13

Sex outside marriage is becoming common

More couples choose not to have children

Increasing number of lone parents

Greater diversity as result of variations in family

Question 14

Who came up with the idea of the cereal packet family?

Answer 14

Leach

Question 15

What reasons did RAPOPORTS give for the increase in family diversity?

Answer 15

Rising divorce rate

Decreases in stigma

Changing role of women

Technology: new reproductive technologies

Question 16

Between 1971 and 2008, what family types were increasing and what were decreasing?

Answer 16

Increasing: lone parent, couple only, one person

Decreasing: nuclear families

Question 17

In 2012 what proportion of families saw marriage before children as important, compared to 1989?

Answer 17

2012: just under 1/2
1989: 70%

Question 18

How many more times likely were Afro-Caribbean families like to be lone parents?

Answer 18

Afro-Caribbean families are 4 times more likely to be a lone parent than white households

Question 19

What did DENCH, GAVRON and YOUNG study with the implications of family diversity?

Answer 19

Evidence of individualism with cohabitation, divorce and lone parenthood more common.

Evidence for fragmentation

Question 20

What did the CENSUS data of 2011 show about families headed by a couple?

Answer 20

70% of people were still living in households headed by a couple