Family Diversity Flashcards
What is family diversity in a nutshell ?
Family diversity has increased, and there has been a shift way from the traditional nuclear family. Nowadays, it is more common for reconstituted, lone-parent and cohabiting families to exist. However, functionalist and the new right reject this instead arguing the nuclear family is the only family type functional for society.
What are functionalists views on family diversity ?
Parsons states that family diversity has increased and there has been a shift way from the traditional nuclear family. However, he would suggest that this is a negative for society since these diverse family structures do not meet society’s needs of a geographical mobile workforce , socialisation of children + stabilisation of adult personalities. He states that we can consider these other types of families as dysfunctional, abnormal or even deviant.
What does the New Right think about family diversity ?
The new right believe that the nuclear family as the only ‘natural’ family type. Other family types produce social problems (e.g. lone-parent families, lead to a dependency culture + harmful to children as lone mothers can’t discipline their children properly + boys without a positive male role model). Generous welfare benefits have encouraged such deviant family types.
What do the Rapoports think about family diversity ?
The Rapoports believe we have moved away from the nuclear family into a range of different family types. Unlike the new right, the Rapoports see family diversity as a positive for society as it responds to people’s needs and wishes. Their 5 types of family diversity include : organisational diversity , cultural diversity , social class diversity , life-stage diversity , generational diversity.
What does Chester state about family diversity ?
Chester states that although there has been some increase in family diversity, the nuclear family still remains dominant. There has been an important change the conventional family ( segregated conjugal roles ) to the neo-conventional family, which adopts a symmetrical family structure where the husband and wife share the expressive and instrumental role equally.
What is Chester’s evidence to support the fact that little family diversity has occurred ?
- most people live in a household headed by a married couple
- most adults marry and have children
- most marriages continue until death
What are some criticisms of the New Right ?
Feminist Oakley argues that the NR wrongly assumes that the husband and wives roles are bound by biology. Many cross-cultural studies have proved this wrong and that men and women in the family share many of the same roles. She states it is an attempt of the NR to go against the feminist campaign
Critics of the NR argue that there is no evidence to support their assumptions of how children from lone-parent families wont do well
