family diversity Flashcards
Functionalism
> PARSONS - ‘Functional fit’ between the nuclear family and modern society
‘Irreducible functions’ - primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities
Other families seen as dysfunctional as they are less able to perform functions.
The New Right
> Family is based on fundamental biological differences between men and women
Concerned about lone-parent families - cannot discipline children properly, leave boys without a male role model, likely to be poorer so burden welfare state
Cohabitation vs Marriage
> Only marriage can provide a stable environment for children to grow up - BENSON - over the first three years of baby’s life, cohabiting (20%) and married (6%) - marriage is more commitment
Government needs to encourage couples to marry by means of policies that support marriage.
Criticisms of the New Right
> Feminists - nuclear family based on patriarchal oppression and gender inequality.
Depends on the meanings of the relationship - cohabitation may be temporary phase or it could be a permanent alternative to marriage.
Rate of cohabitation is higher among poorer groups - SMART - may be poverty that causes breakdown of relationship
CHESTER - Neo-conventional family
> Doesn’t see change as significant or see it in a negative light
Change to a dual earner family - similar to Y+W symmetrical family
Nuclear family remains the ideal - major part of peoples lives
Most couples see cohabitation as temporary phase before marrying
Births outside marriage are most jointly registered, meaning the parents are committed to bringing up the children
RAPOPORTS - Five types of family diversity
> Organisational - differences in the way family roles are organised
Cultural - different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different structures
Social class - income differences between households
Life-stage - structures differ according to the stage reached in life
Generational - different attitudes that reflect the historical periods they lived
GIDDENS and BECK - Individualisation thesis
> Individuals in todays society have fewer certainties or fixed roles to follow
‘Disembedded’ from traditional roles and structures - freedom to choose how we lead our lives.
‘Standard biography’ of life course has been replaced by the ‘do-it-yourself biography’
GIDDENS - Choice and equality
> Contraception - sex and intimacy rather than reproduction
Women gained independence - Feminism and greater opportunities in education and work
GIDDENS - The pure relationship
> Exists to satisfy each partners needs
People are free to enter and leave relationships as they see fit
However, relationships become less stable - ‘rolling contract’
BECK - Negotiated family
> Do not conform to traditional family norms, but vary according to the wishes and expectations of their members
Enter the relationship on an equal basis
Instability - leads to greater family diversity
BECK - Zombie family
> People want it to be a haven in an insecure world, but todays family cannot provide this because of its own instability
SMART - Connectedness thesis
> Choices are always made ‘within a web of connectedness’
‘Where lives have become interwoven and embedded, it becomes impossible for relationships to simply end’
