Family - Changing Family Patterns - 2.6 Flashcards
Divorce Trends
> Has declined recently but more than in the past, as less people are marrying & more are cohabiting - so no need to divorce as not married
> 40% of marriages end in divorce with 65% of divorce petitions coming from women
Explanations for increased Divorce (Key Studies)
> Fletcher (Rising Expectations of Marriage)
> Goode (Functional Fit)
> Dennis (Functional Fit)
> Allan & Crowe (Functional Fit)
> Bernard (Radical Feminists)
> Beck & Giddens (Modernity & Individualisation)
Changes in the Law - Explanations for increased Divorce
> Grounds have widened widening grounds to ‘irretrievable breakdown’
Divorce is cheaper
Secularisation & Declining Stigma - Explanations for increased Divorce
> Stigmatised by churches, society is more secular so people are less concerned with being stigmatised for breaking their marriage vows
> So more willing to divorce
Fletcher (Rising Expectations of Marriage) - Explanations 4 + Divorce
> Marriages today are based purely on love
> If the love fades there is no reason to stay together, people in past little choice in marriage e.g. they only married for economic reasons
> People had lower expectations of marriage, so weren’t concerned with the lack of romance
Functionalist Optimistic (View on Divorce)
> Greater numbers remarrying divorcees meaning that people are not rejecting marriage
> But overly positive view ignoring patriarchal oppression as more women instigate divorce
Goode, Dennis, Allan & Crowe (Functional Fit) - Explanations for Increased Divorce
> Divorce increases as families are increasingly isolated from extended family, which puts and greater burden on couples due to a lack of wider support
> The family performs fewer roles therefore there are weaker bonds between the husband & wife
> They no longer depend on one another economically so it is easier break up
Bernard (Radical Feminists) - Explanations for increased Divorce
> Women are more dissatisfied with patriarchal marriage, there is evidence of growing acceptance of radical feminist ideas
> Decrease in numbers willing to tolerate patriarchal oppression leading to divorce.
Beck & Giddens (Modernity & Individualisation) - Explanations for increased Divorce
> Not important to stay with one person - relationships are more fragile & people are unwilling to work at improving them
> Now the pure relationship, not for tradition or staying together for the children
> Modernity means men and women have a consumerist identity, based on self-interest leading to conflict
Views of Divorce (Key Studies)
> New Right
> Feminists
> Postmodernists
> Interactionist (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Personal Life Perpective & Smart
New Right (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Leads to lone parent families which become dependent on state welfare and cannot socialise their children effectively due to the lack of a male role model.
Postmodernist (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Shows increased choice and greater family diversity
Feminist (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Women can get freedom from patriarchal marriage independence & greater equality
Interactionist (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Can’t generalise need to look at all interpretations e.g. one said Dad was leaving was best day of life & it was bad for others
Personal Life Perspective (View on High Divorce Rate)
Divorce has led to more financial issues & a lack of contact with children & non-resident parents
Smart Personal Life Perspective (View on High Divorce Rate)
> Now normal family adapts without disintegrating, not major social problem.
But just one in life course
Marriage Trends
> Marriage has decreased, but remarriages have increased and people marry later
Reasons for Decline in Marriage Reasons
> Beck & Giddens (Postmodernism)
> Changing position of women
> Secularisation & Decline in Stigma
> Medical Advancement & Impact of Increased Life Expectancy
Beck & Giddens (Reasons for Decline in Marriage)
> Fewer marriages due to structural changes mean life is more uncertain.
> Now greater ‘risk consciousness’ due to increased divorce so no point in getting married
> Focus on personal desires over tradition e.g. pure relationship lasts as long as people are satisfied
> So cohabitation means fewer marriages
A03 Reasons 4 - Marriage (Key Study)
> Radical Feminists (Women not Financially Independent)
> New Right (Decreased Stigma & Cohabitation leads to ineffective Lone Parent Families)
Radical Feminists (Women not Financially Independent)
> They are discriminated against at work
Secularisation & Reduced Stigma (Reasons for Less Marriage)
> The churches are in favour of marriage, but as their influence declines, people a freer to choose not to marry.
> Pregnancy doesn’t mean a shotgun wedding anymore
Medical Advancement & Impact of Increased Life Expectancy (Reasons for Less Marriage)
> People are more career focused, IVF means women have children later
> Increased life expectancy so no hurry to get married, find perfect partner through trialling e.g. cohabitation to see if it would work out
Trends in Cohabitation
> Increased cohabitation means fewer marriages, but not clear as some see it as an alternative to or trial marriage
Reasons for Increased Cohabitation
> Secularisation Less Stigma about Pre-Martial Sex
> Changing position of women - don’t need a male breadwinner
> Secularisation
Cohabitation (Key Studies)
> Chester & Coast (Cohabitation & Marriage)
> Benjin, Shelton & John (Cohabitation & Marriage)
> Weeks (Same Sex Couples Cohabitation)
Weston (Same Sex Couple Cohabitation)
Allan & Crow (Benefits of Same Sex Couples Cohabitation)
Einasdottir (Gays & Attitudes to Civil Partnerships)
Chester & Coast (Cohabitation & Marriage)
> For most it’s a pathway to marriage e.g. 75% of cohabitees are planning to marry
> e.g. trial marriage, most marry if they have children
Benjin, Shelton & John (Cohabitation & Marriage)
> Young people want an equal relationship not patriarchal marriage.
> Women do less housework in cohabiting relationships compared to married people
Weeks (Same Sex Couple Cohabitation)
> Resemble straight cohabitations.
> Create chosen families with friends as family who offer the same security and stability as heterosexual families
Weston (Same Sex Couple Cohabitation)
> Same sex cohabitation is a quasi marriage & stable partners, compared to the 1970s gay lifestyle which largely rejected monogamy/family but preferred more casual relationships.
Allan & Crow (Benefits of Same Sex Couple Cohabitation)
> They negotiate their commitments and responsibilities more than married couples
Einasdottir (Gays & Attitudes to Civil Partnerships? Gay marriage)
> Many gays and lesbians are optimistic about the legal recognition of their partnership
> But others are fearful for the flexibility of their relationships & want relationships to be different from heterosexuals.
Trend in One Person Households
> Increased - almost half of the over 65s are in a one-person household
Reasons for one-person households
> Increased in divorce for men under 65 as children are likely to stay with their mum, but dad leaves
> Later marriage - more people are single or deliberately live alone
‘Living Apart Together’
> Couples living separately e.g. 1/10 in them
> As people may choose to or can’t afford to or see it as too early in the relationship to cohabit
> No longer seen as abnormal, ideal for some - people don’t need to live together to have a strong relationship
Trends in Childbearing
> Almost half of children now born outside marriage, mostly by cohabitees - due to less stigma
> Increase in women having children later or staying childless e.g. women want careers
Lone Parent Families
> ¼ of families are lone parents due to increased divorce & more births outside marriage - less stigma
Mostly women - linked to the expressive role - courts tend to give custody
Some single by choice who have limited the father’s involvement
Some are lone parents due to the death of a parent
Murray (New Right & Lone Parent Families)
> Welfare gives perverse incentives & rewards irresponsible sexual behaviour.
> Lone parents create a dependency culture who are reliant on the state.
> Welfare benefits should be removed
Cashmore & Renvoize (A03 Murray & Lone Parent Families)
Working class women are on a lower income chose to live on welfare benefits without a partner, often because they had experienced abuse.
General Criticisms of New Right view on Lone Parent Families
> Childcare is expensive, stops lone parents from working
> Dad’s often can’t pay maintenance as they have a second family to support
Trends in Reconstituted Families
> Due to divorce/remarriage, children are mostly from the mother’s prior relationship
> But increase in poverty as the father needs to support his children from a prior relationship
> Tensions in reconstituted families due to to lack of social norms on how to act in it
Reconstituted Families (Key Studies)
> Allan & Crow
> Ferri and Smith
Allan and Crow (Reconstituted Families )
> Issues with divided loyalties & contact with non-resident parents leads to tension
Ferri and Smith (Reconstituted Families)
> Same as first families in all aspects
> Involvement in childcare positive, but at greater risk of poverty
Ethnic Differences in Family Patterns (Key Studies)
> Mirza (Black Female Headed Lone Parent Families)
Reynolds (Lone Parent Families)
Ballard (Development of Asian Families)
Common Black Family Type
> 50% are lone parent families, due to increased unemployment of Black men - they can’t provide for their family, which has led to marital breakdown
Mirza (Black female headed lone parent families)
> It is not due to family disorganisation that lone parenthood is more common, it is due to black women’s independence.
Reynolds (Lone Parent Families)
> Statistics are misleading, lone parent families are stable supportive non-cohabiting relationships.
Different Households Patterns of South Asians & British
> South Asians have larger households, but mostly nuclear families rather than extended families
> Due to South Asians having more people of childbearing age compared to the wider population & high value placed on extended families.
> Mostly Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus living in extended families
Ballard (Development of Asian Families)
> Extended families gave support to Asians migrating to UK in 50s & 60s.
> Initially South Asian families were extended, but now nuclear with relatives nearby.
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Extended Families (Key Studies)
> Parsons (Extended Families)
Charles (Extended Families in Swansea)
Chamberlain & Wilmott (Dispersed & Caribbean Extended Families)
Bell (Differences in Extended Families with working class & middle class)
> Finch & Mason (Obligations to Relatives)
Cheal (Obligation to Relatives)
Parsons (Functionalist view on Extended Families)
Dominant type in pre-industrial society, but’s replaced with nuclear family.
Charles (Extended Families in Swansea)
3 generation extended family extinct, except in Swansea’s Bengali community.
Chamberlain & Wilmott (Dispersed & Caribbean Extended Families )
> This has decreased but is not extinct now with dispersed extended families living close to one another, with frequent visits & phone calls.
> Wider extended family makes positive contribution to child rearing
Demographics Changes leading to Beanpole Families
> Greater life expectancy so more surviving great/grandparents
Smaller family sizes, less siblings means less horizontal ties.
Bell (Differences in Extended Families between working class and middle class people)
> Working class and middle class people both have emotional bonds with extended families
> But middle class was for financial support between father & son.
> Working class was frequent domestic help from mum to daughters.
Beanpole Family
> Long & thin, vertically e.g. Grandparents, Parents, Children
> Fewer/no aunts/cousins etc.
Finch & Mason (Obligations to Relatives)
> Most received or gave financial help to relatives, half cared for sick relatives.
Cheal (Obligation to Relatives)
> If an older women needs personal care female family members are preferred rather than sons
> Sons help by providing financial support
> Mason feels not all females help looking after older female relatives, it is dependent on history of relationship
Reasons for Changes in Divorce
> Changes in Law
> Secularisation & - Stigma
> Rising Expectations of Marriage
> Functional Fit
> Modernity & Individualisation
