family diversity

Question 1

classic extended family

Answer 1

multiple generations living together or near each other

Question 2

beanpole family

Answer 2

multiple generations not including aunts, uncles and cousins

Question 3

step family

Answer 3

one or both parents previously married or previous children

Question 4

lone parent family

Answer 4

lone parent with dependant children

Question 5

privatised nuclear family

Answer 5

self-contained family, separate

Question 6

empty nest family

Answer 6

children left home

Question 7

boomerang family

Answer 7

children left then come back to parents

Question 8

Functionalism - Parsons views on nuclear family

Answer 8

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

Question 9

what are other families considered as to functionalists

Answer 9

dysfunctional abnormal and deviant since theyre less able to perform functions needed of the family

Question 10

New Right views on family diversity

Answer 10

opposed to family diversity, believe only one normal family - view family as cornerstone of society

Question 11

why are the NR concerned about growth of single parent families

Answer 11

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

Question 12

how do the NR see marriage in comparison to cohabitation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

to fix a broken society what do the NR believe needs to happen

Answer 13

a return to traditional values including value of marriage can prevent social disintegration and damage to children

Question 14

evaluation of NR view on family diversity

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

how do the views of Chester (neo conventional family) differ to those of the New Right

Answer 15

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

Question 16

how does the conventional family different to the neo conventional family

Answer 16

• conventional = nuclear family with division of labour between breadwinner and homemaker
• neo-conventional = dual-earner family where both spouses work

Question 17

what Patterns does Chester suggest to support his view that the nuclear family is the ideal

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

how do the views of Rapoports differ to that of Chester

Answer 18

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

Question 19

how do the views of Rapoports differ to that of the New Right

Answer 19

they see diversity as a positive response not as abnormal or a deviation from the assumed norm of the nuclear family

Question 20

5 types of family diversity that exists in Britain according to the Rapoports

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

diversity and fragmentation - postmodernists and family diversity

Answer 21

• society today is increasingly fragmented with greater diversity of cultures and lifestyles - people can pick and mix, creating their identities and lifestyles

Question 22

+and- that come with greater diversity and choice (postmodernism)

Answer 22

+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

Question 23

postmodernism - what does Stacey argue about freedom and choice (women)

Answer 23

greater freedom and choice has benefitted women, can free themselved from patriarchal oppression

Question 24

outline findings found from Stacey

Answer 24

women rather than men have been the main agents of changes in the family - postmodernist families are diverse

Question 25

what does Morgan conclude about the findings from Stacey

Answer 25

its pointless trying to make large-scale generations about the family asif it is only a single experienced thing

Question 26

what does the individualisation thesis conclude

Answer 26

traditional social structures such as class, gender and family have lost much of there influence over us

Question 27

according to the individualisation thesis how are we different today than how we were in the past

Answer 27

in the past peoples lives were defined by fixed roles when in todays society they have fewer certainties/fixed roles to follow

Question 28

what does Giddens believe has given people greater choice leading to family diversity

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

how does the personal life perspective criticise the individualisation thesis

Answer 29

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

Question 30

what is the connectedness thesis

Answer 30

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

Question 31

how do class and gender influence the types of families that we can create

Answer 31

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