Individualisation thesis Flashcards
Describe the pure relationship
Intimate based on choice and equality
Pure - typical today - no longer bound by norms
Exists solely to satisfy partners needs - stya together due to love not duty
Frees to choose to enter and leave relationships: process of self identity - establishing who we are
Rolling contract not permanent commitment - produces diversity by more lone parents
Describe same sex couples as pioneers
Leading the way to new family types - more equal
Not influenced by tradition unlike heterosexuals
Develop relationships on choice, negotiate personal relationships and creates structure to serve their own needs
What did Weston say?
Supportive families of choice from friends and biological kin
What did Weeks say?
Friendship functioned as kinship
What did Beck say?
Now live in a risk society where tradition has less influence and momre choice so we are more aware of risks - past roles were fixed
Traditional patriarchal family was unequal but it provided a stable and predictable basis for the family however its been undermined
What are the 2 trendsthat undermine the family?
Greater gender equality
Greater individualism -actions influenced by calculations of their own self interest
What did Beck and Beck - Gernsheim say?
Negotiated families don’t conform to the traditional family norm but vary according to wishes and expectations of their members who decide whats best for them - equal basis
However its less stable as individuals are free to leave
Describe the zombie family?
Appears to be alive but in reality its dead
People want it to be a haven of security in an insure world but todays family cannot provide this due to their own instability
Describe Giddens choice and equality
Family has been transformed by greater choice and more equality due to contraception allowing sex and intimacy and women have gained independence
In the past relationships were held by laws and norms and now theyre able to define their relationship
