family diversity

Question 1

functionalism

Answer 1

Parsons argues that there is a functional fit between the nuclear and modern society. Parsons sees the nuclear family as uniquely suited to meeting the needs of modern society for a geographically and socially mobile workforce and as performing two irreducible functions - the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities. These contribute to the overall stability and effectiveness of society. Other family types are dysfunctional since they are less able to perform the functions required of the family

Question 2

new right

Answer 2

They are opposed to family diversity. They argue that there is only a correct or normal family type. This is the traditional nuclear family with a clear-cut division of labour - instrumental and expressive roles. This family is the cornerstone of society. In particular, they are concerned with the growth of lone-parent families, they argue that it is harmful for children. - Murray and children. Lone parents cannot discipline their children properly
Lone parents are mostly female led so cannot discipline boys
Lone parents are a burden on the welfare state

Question 3

what is the main cause of lone-parent families according to the New right

Answer 3

The main cause of lone-parent families is the collapse of relationships between cohabiting couples. Cohabiting couples are 20% more likely to break down than married (6%)
Benson (2011) - Divorce rate is lower than cohabiting breakups
Return to traditional values will prevent social collapse
Divorce laws, gay marriage, and welfare benefits undermine the nuclear family
Governments should support marriage

Question 4

criticisms of the new right

Answer 4

Oakley (1997)
Family roles are not fixed by biology
Internationally men and women’s roles vary within nuclear families
Feminists
The family supports patriarchy and the New Right seek to enforce it
Lack of evidence
No evidence children from lone parent families are more likely to commit crime
Coast – 75% of cohabiting couples intend to marry
Smart
Poverty and finances cause relationships to break down, rather than the decision not to marry

Question 5

important change in families

Answer 5

The move from the traditional or conventional nuclear family to the neo conventional family - Chester

Question 6

neo conventional families

Answer 6

Chester describes this families as a dual-earner family in which both spouses go out to work. Similar to the symmetrical family described by Young and Willmott. Family diversity has occurred due to life-cycle
Young people cohabit, adults marry, elderly live alone
Most people live in a married household with children
Most divorcees re-marry
Cohabitation is a stepping stone

Question 7

Rapoports - five types of family diversity

Answer 7

Rapoports argues that diversity is of central importance in understanding British families today. Families are more diverse now. This is positive and reflects a changing society. Families have adopted to a pluralistic society one in which cultures and lifestyles are more diverse - this reflects greater freedom of choice and the widespread acceptance of different cultures and ways of life in today’s societies.

Question 8

types of family diversity

Answer 8

Organisational Diversity - differences in the ways family roles are organised. Some couples have joint conjugal roles while others have separate conjugal roles
Cultural diversity - Different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures. For example, there is a higher proportion of female headed lone parent families among African-Carribean households and a higher proportion of extended families among Asian households
Social Class Diversity - Differences in family structures are the result of income differences between households of different social classes.
Life-stage diversity - Family structures differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle - eg widows who are living alone
Generational Diversity - older and younger generations have diff attitudes and exp that reflect the historical periods in which they have lived

Question 9

postmodernism and family diversity overview

Answer 9

Cheal argues that we no longer live in modern society with its predictable orderly structures like the nuclear families. Society has entered a new chaotic post-modern stage, and family structures have become more fragmented into many different types and individuals now have more choices in their personal relationships and family arrangments

Question 10

advantages and disadvantages of greater diversity

Answer 10

1. It gives individuals greater freedom to plot their own life course and to choose the kind of family and personal relationships that meet their needs.
2. Greater freedom of choice in relationships means a greater risk of instability since these relationships are more likely to break up

Question 11

postmodern families

Answer 11

Stacey argues that greater freedom and choice have benefitted women. It has enabled them to free themselves from patriarchal oppression and to shape their family arrangements to meet their needs. People have more freedom and choice when structuring
families. She used life history interviews to construct a series of case studies of postmodern families in Silicon Valley. She found that women rather than men have been the main agents of changes in the family. One of these new family structures is called the divorce extended family, whose members are connected by divorce rather than by marriage. Such cases illustrate the idea that PM families are diverse and that their shape depends on the active choices people make about how they live their lives. Morgan argues that it is pointless trying to make large-scale generalisations about the family as if it were a single thing as functionalists do. Rather a family is simply whatever arrangements those involved choose to call their family

Question 12

individualisation thesis

Answer 12

Modernism has fixed life courses
Class, gender, family
School – work – marriage – kids – retire – die
Postmodernism gives the individual more choice
Life is uncertain, unstructured, and adaptable
People no longer identify with traditional categories. Giddens and Beck explore the effects of increasing individual choice on families and relationships. Traditional social structures have lost much of their influence over us. People today have fewer certainties or fixed roles to follow. We have therefore become freed or disembedded from traditional toles and structures, leaving us with more freedom to choose how we lead our lives. This change has huge implications for family relationships and family diversity.

Question 13

life-course analysis

Answer 13

Hareven used Unstructured interviews to identify key turning points in the individual’s life
Focus on which mile-stones are important to the individual

Question 14

giddens - choice and equality

Answer 14

Giddens argues that family and marriage have been transformed by greater choice and a more equal relationship between men and women. This transformation had occurred because - contraception had allowed sex and intimacy rather than reproduction to become the main reason for the relationship’s existence
Women have gained independence as a result of feminism. As a result, the basis of marriage and the family has changed. Giddens argues that in the past, trad family were held together by external factors such as laws governing marriage contracts and by powerful norms against divorce and sex outside marriage. By contrast, today couples are free to define their relationship themselves rather than simply acting out roles that have been defined in advance by law or tradition - divorce is now easily accessible - no more til death do us part

Question 15

pure relationship

Answer 15

Giddens argues that intimate relationships nowadays are based on individual choice rather than traditional institutions and norms. The key feature in pure relationships is that it exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs. As a result, the relationship is likely to survive only so long as both partners think it is in their own interest to do so. Couples stay together because of love, happiness or sexual attraction rather than because of tradition or because of children. Individuals are free to enter and leave relationships as they see fit. However, Giddens notes that with more choices, personal relationships have become less stable. The pure relationship is a kind of rolling contact that can be ended more or less at will by either partner rather than a permanent commitment - this produces greater family diversity by creating more lone-parent families and step-families etc

Question 16

same-sex couples as pioneers

Answer 16

Giddens argues that same-sex couples are not influenced by tradition like het couples. As a result, same-sex couples have been able to develop relationships based on choice rather than traditional roles, since these were largely absent. This has led to same sex couples to negotiate personal relationships and to actively create family structures that serve their own needs, rather than having to conform to traditionally norms like het couples. For example, Weston found that same-sex couples created supportive family structures based on families of choice from among friends former lovers and biological kin

Question 17

negotiated family

Answer 17

Beck argues that we now live in a risk society where tradition has less influence and people have more choices. As a result, we are now aware of the risks. This is because making choices involves calculating the risks and rewards of the different options open to us. This contrasts with earlier times when people’s roles were fixed by tradition and rigid social norms. For example in the past, people were expected to marry for life. However, the patriarchal family has been undermined by greater gender equality and greater individualism- people’s actions are influenced more by calculations of their own self-interest than by a sense of obligation to others. These trends have led to a new type of family replacing the patriarchal family. Beck calls this negotiated family - do not conform to the traditional family norm but vary according to the wishes and expectations of their members who decide what is best for themselves by negotiation

Question 18

criticism of individualisation thesis

Answer 18

Budgeon - Traditional norms that limit people’s relationship choices have not weakened as much. The thesis wrongly sees people as disembedded, independent individuals, It ignores the fact that our decisions and choices about personal relationships are made within a social context. It ignores the importance of structural factors such as class inequalities and patriarchal gender norms in limiting and shaping our relationship choices. As may, argues Giddens and Beck’s view of the individual is based on an idealised version of a white middle-class man, They ignore the fact that not everyone has the same ability as this privileged group to exercise choice about relationships

Question 19

connectedness thesis

Answer 19

Smart argues that instead of seeing us as disembedded isolated individuals with limitless choices about personal relationships. Smart argues that we are fundamentally social beings whose choices are made within a web of connectedness. We live in networks of existing relationships and interwoven personal histories and these strongly influence our range of options and choices in relationships. For example, parents who separate often remain linked to their children.

Question 20

class and gender

Answer 20

The connectedness thesis emphasises the role of the class and gender structures in which we are embedded. These structures limit our choices about the kinds of relationships we can create for ourselves. For example, after divorce gender norms generally dictate that women should have custody of children, which may limit their opportunity to form new relationships

Question 21

the power of structures

Answer 21

May argues that structures are not disappearing they are simply being reshaped. Women have gained important rights but this does not mean they have it all. Einasdottir (2011) Life is not unstructured and we are not free to choose Homosexuals may feel pressured to remain “in the closet” limiting family choices. - Women are more pressured to be het - this limits their relationships and lifestyles.