Family Diversity Flashcards
New Right: Family Diversity
The New Right has a conservative & anti- feminist perspective on the family and are opposed to family diversity
New Right: Conventional Patriarchal nuclear family
The New Right sees this family as ‘natural’ & based on biological differences between men and women, they also oppose most changes in the family as they believe it is the cause of many social problems. They see lone-parent families as harmful to children.
Cohabitation vs Marriage : New Right
Benson ( 2006 ) analyzed data on the parents of over 15,000 babies and found that in the first 3 years of the baby’s life, the rate of family breakdown was much higher among cohabiting couples, he believes that marriage is more stable as it requires commitment to each other.
Feminists also argue that the New Right favors the conventional nuclear family based on the oppression of women & is a cause of gender inequality.
Criticisms of the New Right
Ann Oakley ( 1997 ) argues that husband and wife roles are not fixed by biology, instead cross-cultural studies show great variation in the roles men & women perform within the family.
Neo-Conventional Family
Chester ( 1985 ) recognizes that there has been some increase in family diversity, he argues that the only important change is a move from the dominance of the conventional nuclear family. He defines the neo-conventional family as a dual-earner family similar to the symmetrical family.
Types of Family Diversity
Rapports ( 1982 ) argues diversity is a positive response to people’s different needs and wishes.
- Organisational, Cultural, Social Class, Life-Stage, Generational diversity
Postmodernity : Family Diversity
There is no longer one single, dominant, stable family structure such as a nuclear family. less stable but more individual personal choice about their personal relationship.
‘Pick & Mix’ Postmodernity
Society is increasingly fragmented, with an ever greater diversity of cultures & lifestyles, and people can pick and mix their identities.
Stacey : Postmodern Families
Stacey ( 1998) argues that greater freedom and choice have benefited women, and have enabled them from patriarchal oppression. Stacey used real-life interviews and many women she interviewed had rejected the traditional housewife-mother role, instead they worked & created a new type of family called the ‘ divorce - extended family.’
Morgan : Postmodernity Family
Morgan argues, that it its pointless trying to make large-scale generalizations about ‘ the family ‘ as if it were a single thing, as functionalities do
Individualization thesis
Individualization thesis argues that traditional social structures such as class, gender & family have lost much of their influence over us, and lives were defined by fixed roles, in today’s society there are fewer fixed roles to follow. Therefore we have become disembedded from traditional roles & structures.
Negotiated Family : Beck
Beck (1992) argues that we now live in a ‘risk society’ where tradition has less influence and people have more choices, such as making choices involves calculating the risk and rewards.
However, the patriarchal family has been undermined by two trends which are greater gender equality & individualism which lead to negotiated families, not conforming to the traditional family norms, and entering the relationship on an equal basis. This leads to greater family diveristy.
Life Course Analysis
Hareven (1978) unstructured interviews, it explores the meanings that individual family members give to the relationships.
Choice & Equality
Giddens ( 1922 ) argues that in recent decades the family & marriage have been transformed by greater choice and more equal relationships and this has happened because of contraception and women have gained independence. He argued that in the past, traditional family relationships were held together by external forces such as laws governing the marriage contract, today couples are free to define their relationship.
Criticisms of the Individualisation thesis
Budgeon ( 2011 ) notes, that this reflects the neoliberal ideology that individuals today have complete freedom of choice, however, traditional norms that limit people’s relationship choices have not weakened as much as the thesis claims.
