Families and Households - Family Structures Flashcards
Name 8 types of family structure
- Nuclear Famaily
- Extended Family
- Cohabitation
- Same Sex Couples
- Lone-parent family
- Singledom
- Beanpole families
- Reconstituted families
Define a nuclear family.
A household consisting of a mother, a father and their children.
What are the three reasons for the decrease in nuclear families?
- Marriage is lower/divorce is higher
- Less stigma
- Women’s increased independence
Marriage rate in 1972 and 2012
More than 400,000 in 1972, only 250,000 in 2012.
Number of divorces in 1961 and 2012
Around 20,000 in 1961, 118,000 in 2012
How has secularisation made the nuclear family rarer?
Secularisation has resulted in less stigma towards divorce and singledom and, as such, a downward trend in the nuclear family
What do Mitchel and Goody (1967) believe the main cause of the trend in divorces is?
Decrease in stigma
Give two examples of legislation that has increased women’s independence in society.
- The Equal Pay Act
- The Sex Discrimination Act
How have changes in education led to greater independence for women?
The greater focus on coursework benefits young girls so they do better in school and are more able to become financially independent from men.
Define an extended family
A family which extends beyond the nuclear family, to include grandparents, piblings, and cousins.
What are three reasons for the increase in extended families?
- Cost of living crisis
- Longer life expectancy
- Migration
Explain how the cost of living crisis increased extended families, giving numbers.
People can no longer pay for houses (65x in 1970) so are more likely to live with their parents even when they have kids. Alternately, many parents have to move in with their children because they cannot afford residential care (>1k weekly).
Life expectancies in 1900 and 2013.
1900: 55 years old
2013: 94 years old
How does increased life expectancy increase extended families?
Grandparents are more likely to be alive for a decent amount of the same time as grandkids so are more likely to form extended families.
How many people migrated to the UK in 2014?
260,000
How does increased migration make extended families more common?
Having close ties to extended family members is much more common in other cultures, such as with Aunties in India, so extended families will become more common.
Define a lone-parent family
A single parent and their child(ren).
What are the three reasons for lone-parent families becoming more common?
- Divorce is higher/easier
- Welfare
- Women’s increased independence
Who argues that the welfare state increases the number of lone-parent families, and how?
Murray (1961): the welfare state provides a ‘perverse incentive’, fathers know their family will be taken care of if they leave so are more likely to.
Define a single-person household
A household with only one member (so sad)
What are three reasons for single-person households becoming more common?
- More Divorces
- Ageing Population
- Higher expectations of relationships
How does the increase in divorces create more single-person households?
Those without kids go back to being single and likely move into their own house. If they have kids, on average, they will go with mum and leave dad alone.
How does an ageing population increase single-person households, giving a statistic?
People are getting married and having kids later in life; in 1985, 10% of women over 45 were childless, and in 2012, that’s 20%.
Who suggested that people now have higher expectations of relationships and how does this make more single-person households?
Giddens: pure relationship. As people expect more (emotional fulfilment), they are more likely to leave relationships or to seriously commit.
Define a beanpole family
A multi-generational family that is long and thin with few aunts, uncles, and cousins.
What are three reasons behind the increase in beanpole families?
- Cost of Living Crisis
- Longer life expectancies
- Smaller families
State the TFR now and in 1964.
1964: 3
2024: 1.5
How does a decreasing TFR cause an increase in beanpole families?
If the TFR is between 1 and 2, people are creating family trees with very few branches, leading to more beanpoles
Define a reconstituted family
A married couple with at least one child from before the relationship with a different person
What are the two reasons for reconstituted families becoming more common?
- More divorces
- More remarriages
What fraction of marriages in 2012 were remarriages?
1/3
Define a same sex couple.
A romantic relationship involving two people of the same sex
What are the two reasons for the increase in same sex couples?
- Laws
- Less stigma
Give two examples of legislation that has made being in a same sex couple easier.
- Repeal of Section 28
- Marriage (same sex couples) Act
What % of people in the UK feel homosexuality should be accepted?
86%
Define cohabitation
A couple who live together as such but are not married
What are three reasons for the increase in cohabitation?
- Less stigma
- Relative queer acceptance
- Cost of living crisis
What % of people okay with premarital sex in 1989 and 2012?
1989: 44%
2012: 65%
Why does an increase in queer acceptance result in more cohabitation?
Weston argues that queer cohabitation functions as quasi-marriages and many are deciding to cohabit as stable couples.
