family diversity Flashcards
classic extended family
multiple generations living together or near each other
beanpole family
multiple generations not including aunts, uncles and cousins
step family
one or both parents previously married or previous children
lone parent family
lone parent with dependant children
privatised nuclear family
self-contained family, separate
empty nest family
children left home
boomerang family
children left then come back to parents
Functionalism - Parsons views on nuclear family
there is a functional fit between nuclear family and modern society - nuclear family is uniquely suited to meeting needs of modern society, primary socialisation of children and stabilation of adult personalities contribute to overall stability of society
what are other families considered as to functionalists
dysfunctional abnormal and deviant since theyre less able to perform functions needed of the family
New Right views on family diversity
opposed to family diversity, believe only one normal family - view family as cornerstone of society
why are the NR concerned about growth of single parent families
think it will result in harm to children, argues that lone mothers cant discipline children and they leave boys without an adult male role model resulting in educational failure, delinquency and social instibility - also burden on welfare state
how do the NR see marriage in comparison to cohabitation
claim main cause of lone-parent families is the colapse of cohabiting relationships - Benson found over the first 3 years of a babies life, the rate of family breakdown was much higher - cohabitation = 20%, married = 6% - Benson argues couples are more stable as it requires a deliberate commitment to eachother
to fix a broken society what do the NR believe needs to happen
a return to traditional values including value of marriage can prevent social disintegration and damage to children
evaluation of NR view on family diversity
- feminists argue the conventional nuclear family is based on the patriarchal oppression of women
- there is no evidence that children from lone-parent families are more likely to be delinquent
- the rate of cohabitation is higher among poor social groups, maybe poverty causes breakdown
how do the views of Chester (neo conventional family) differ to those of the New Right
he doesnt regard more diverse families as significant/negative - only important change is a move from the dominance of traditional/conventional nuclear family = type of family the NR described with division of labour between breadwinner and homemaker to the neo-conventional
how does the conventional family different to the neo conventional family
- conventional = nuclear family with division of labour between breadwinner and homemaker
- neo-conventional = dual-earner family where both spouses work
what Patterns does Chester suggest to support his view that the nuclear family is the ideal
- most people live in a household headed by a married couple
- most adults marry and have children
- most marriages continue until death
- cohabitation has increased but mostly just for a phase
how do the views of Rapoports differ to that of Chester
Rapoport argues diversity is of central importance in understanding family life - they believe weve moved away from the nuclear family - cultures and lifestyles are more diverse
how do the views of Rapoports differ to that of the New Right
they see diversity as a positive response not as abnormal or a deviation from the assumed norm of the nuclear family
5 types of family diversity that exists in Britain according to the Rapoports
- organisational - differences in ways family roles are organised
- cultural - different cultures, religions and ethnic groups have different family structures
- social class - differences in family structures result mostly in income differences
- life-stage - family structures differ according to stage reached in life
- generation - older and younger generations have different attitudes
diversity and fragmentation - postmodernists and family diversity
- society today is increasingly fragmented with greater diversity of cultures and lifestyles - people can pick and mix, creating their identities and lifestyles
+and- that come with greater diversity and choice (postmodernism)
+gives individuals greater freedom to plot thwir own life course, can choose things to meet their needs
-but a greater freedom of choice = greater risk of instability
postmodernism - what does Stacey argue about freedom and choice (women)
greater freedom and choice has benefitted women, can free themselved from patriarchal oppression
outline findings found from Stacey
women rather than men have been the main agents of changes in the family - postmodernist families are diverse
what does Morgan conclude about the findings from Stacey
its pointless trying to make large-scale generations about the family asif it is only a single experienced thing
what does the individualisation thesis conclude
traditional social structures such as class, gender and family have lost much of there influence over us
according to the individualisation thesis how are we different today than how we were in the past
in the past peoples lives were defined by fixed roles when in todays society they have fewer certainties/fixed roles to follow
what does Giddens believe has given people greater choice leading to family diversity
- contraception - allowed sex rather than reproduction to become the main reason for relationship existence
- women have gained independance as a result of feminism and greater opportunities in education and work
how does the personal life perspective criticise the individualisation thesis
they say it exagerates how much choice people have about family relationships, in reality traditional norms haven’t weakened as much as it claims, wrongly sees people as disembedded, free-floating, independant individuals - it ignores that our decisions are made within a social context - it ignores the importance of structural factors such as class inequalities and patriarchal gender norms
what is the connectedness thesis
we are fundamentally social beings whose choices are made within a web of connectedness - we live within networks of existing relationships and interwoven personal histories - even couple reltionships arnt always pure
how do class and gender influence the types of families that we can create
they limit our choices about kinds of relationships, identities and families that we can create, e.g. men are better paid than women = greater freedom and choice in relationships, after divorce, norms dictate that women should have custody which may limit forming new relationships
