family diversity - chester Flashcards
what does chester (1985) recognise?
there has been some increase in family diversity in recent years
what does chester regard family diversity as?
not very significant and does not view it in a negative light
what is the only important change?
a move from the dominance of the traditional or conventional nuclear family, to what he describes as the neo conventional family
what chester mean by conventional family?
the type of nuclear family described by the new right and parsons, with its division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female homemaker
what does chester describe the neo conventional family as?
a dual earner family in which both spouses go out to work
what does chester argue?
many people are not part of a nuclear family at any one time
this is because of the life cycle since many people who are currently living in a one person household, such as elderly widows, divorced men or young people who have not yet married were either part of a nuclear family in the past or will be in the future
five patterns which support chester’s view that little has changed
most people live in a household headed by a married couple
most adults marry and have children
most marriages continue until death. divorce has increased, but most people remarry
cohabitation has increased, but for most couples it is a temporary phase before marrying or remarrying
although births outside marriage have increased, most are jointly registered, indicating that the parents are committed to bringing up children as a couple
what family does chester believe is dominant?
the nuclear family
