Modernism and the nuclear family Flashcards
Functionalism
-Pason-there is a “functional fit” between the nuclear family and modern society
he sees the nuclear family as uniquely suited to meeting the needs of modern society for a geographically and socially mobile workforce
performing two functions = The primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation.
-because of the family’s ability to perform these essential functions
we can generalise about the type of family that we will find in modern society(nuclear family)
with a division of labour between husband and wife.
-Other family types are seen as dysfunctional, abnormal or even deviant=they are less able to perform the functions required of the family.
The new right
have a conservative and anti-feminist perspective on the family.They firmly oppose family diversity.
-Like functionalists, they hold the view that there is only one correct or normal family types.
-This is the traditional patriarchal nuclear family consisting of a married couple and their dependent children and a division between breadwinner and homemaker
-they see nuclear family as “natural” and based on biological differences between men and women.
-they oppose changes in family patterns that such as cohabitation,gay marriage and lone parenthood.
They argue the decline of the traditional nuclear family and the growth of family diversity are the cause of many social problems.
New right concerns
-the growth of lone parents family-see them as harmful
-lone parents mothers cannot discipline their children properly
-they leave boys without a male role model results to educational failure,deliquency,social instanbility
-they are more likely poor and a burden to the welfare system
Criticism of New right
-Oakley argues that the New Right wrongly assume that husbands and wives’ roles are fixed by biology.
Oakley believes that the New Right view is anti-feminist and dont want equality
-Feminists also argue that the nuclear family is based on the patriarchal oppression of women and it prevents women working, keeps them financially dependent on men, and denies them an equal say in decision-making.
-Critics of the New Right argue that there is no evidence that children in lone-parent families
are more likely to be delinquent than those brought up in a two parent family of the same social class.-
Cohabitation VS marriage
-Benson argues that couples are more stable when they are married.
the rate of divorce among married couples is lower than than the rate of breakups among cohabiting couples.
-marriage is more stable because it requires a deliberate commitment to each other
whereas cohabitation allows partners to avoid commitment and responsibility.
-Benson argues that government needs to encourage couples to marry by policies that support marriage.
New right criticism of the governments
law
They regard laws and policies such as easy access to divorce, gay marriage and widespread availability of welfare benefits as undermining the conventional family.
Chester:the neo-convetional family
-recognises that there has been some increased family diversity in recent years.
argues that the only important change is a move from the dominance of the traditional nuclear family, to what he describes as the “neo-conventional family”
(is a dual-earner family in which both spouses go out to work and not just the husband)
This is similar to the symmetrical family(Young and Willmott)
-Chester sees the nuclear family as dominant.
Chester identified a number of patterns:
-Most adults marry and have children.
-Divorce has increased, but most divorcees remarry.
-Cohabitation has increased, but for most couples its a temporary phase before marrying or remarrying.
-Most couples get married if they have children.
The rapoports:
five types of family diversity
-Rhonda and Rapoport (1982) argue that diversity is of central importance in understanding family life today.
They believe that we have moved away from the traditional nuclear family as the dominant family type, to a range of different types.
In their view, family diversity reflects greater freedom of choice and the widespread acceptance of different cultures and ways of life in today’s society.
-see diversity as a positive response to people’s different needs and wishes
and not as abnormal or a deviation from the norm of a “proper” nuclear family.
(Five different types of family diversity): Cultural diversity
Different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures.
There is a higher proportion of female-headed lone-parent families among African-caribbean households and a higher proportion of extended families among Asian households.
(Five different types of family diversity): Social class diversity
Differences in family structure are a result of income differences between households of different social classes.
Likewise, there are class differences in child-rearing practices.
(Five different types of family diversity): Life stage diversity
Family structures differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle, for example young newlyweds, couples with dependent children, retired couples whose children have grown up and left home, and widows who are living alone.
Postmodernism and family diversity
-modernist perspectives emphasise the dominance of one family type in modern society(nuclear family)
Modernist take a structural or “top down” view.
-they see the family as a structure that shapes the behaviour of its members so that they perform the functions society requires
-Individuals have no choice about the pattern of family life.
Most people marry, go on to have children and so on.
there may be some limited variety in family life, such as the five types of diversity
(Five different types of family diversity): Generational diversity
Older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences that reflect the historical periods in which they have lived.
For example, they may have different views about the morality of divorce or cohabitation.
Cheal
Postmodernists view that we no longer live in “modern” society with its predictable structures(nuclear family)
society has entered a new postmodern stage.
-there is no longer one single dominant stable family structure
Instead,family structures have been broken into many different types and individuals now have much more choice in their lifestyles
but greater freedom of choice in relationships means a greater risk of instability, since these relationships are more likely to break up.
The individualisation thesis
-argues that traditional social structures such as class, gender and family have most of their influence over us.
-In the past, people’s lives were defined by fixed roles which prevented them from choosing their own life course.
Everyone was expected to marry and to take up their appropriate gender role.
But individuals in today’s society have fewer fixed roles
-we have become freed from traditional roles and structures, leaving us with more freedom to choose how we lead our lives.
Stacey:postmodern families
-argues that greater freedom from patriarchal oppression and choice has benefited women
-used interviews to construct of case studies of postmodern families in California.
She found that women rather than men have been the main agents of changes in the family.
-Many of the women she interviewed had rejected the traditional housewife-mother role.
-They had worked, returned to education as adults, improved their job, divorced and re-married.
-These women had often created new types of family that better suited their needs.
-One of these new family structures is the “divorce-extended family”,a family type where family members are connected through divorce, not marriage.
may maintain connections with their ex-spouse’s family members,current wife/spouse
Giddens:choice and equality
argues that in recent decades the family and marriage is more equal and theres more choice between men and women
This transformation has occurred because:
-Contraception has allowed sex and intimacy to become the main reason for the relationship’s existence rather than reproduction
-Women have gained independence from feminism and greater opportunities in education and work.
Giddens
-The basis of marriage and the family has changed.
-he argues that in the past, traditional family relationships were held together by external forces
(eg) laws governing the marriage contract and by powerful norms against divorce and sex outside marriage.
-Today couples are free to define their relationship themselves
A couple nowadays don’t have to marry to have children
-divorce is accessible so they don’t have to stay together
The pure relationship
-Giddens
-pure relationships exists to satisfy each partner’s needs
-Couples stay together because of love, happiness or sexual attraction,rather than because of tradition
-individuals are free to choose to enter and to leave relationships as they see fit.
Relationships become part of the process of the individual’s self discovery or self identity
-trying different relationships becomes a way of establishing “who we are”
However, Giddens notes that with more choice; personal relationships inevitably become less stable.
The pure relationship can be ended by either partner
This produces greater family diversity by creating more lone parent families, one person households, stepfamilies and so on.
Beck:risky society
-Beck argues that we live in a “risk society”
where tradition has less influence and people have more choice.
As a result, we are more aware of risks.
This is because making choices involves calculating the risks and rewards of the different options open to us.
-this contrasts with an earlier time when people’s roles were more fixed by tradition and norms dictated how they should behave.
-In the past, people were expected to marry for life and men were expected to play the role of breadwinner and make the most important financial decision, while women took responsibility for the housework, childcare and care of the sick and elderly.
-Although this traditional patriarchal family was unequal and oppressive it provided stablity and predictable for family life by defining each member’s role and responsibilities.
Same-sex couples as prisoners
Giddens sees same-sex relationships as leading the way towards new family types and creating more equal relationships.
-they are not influenced by tradition like heterosexual relationships are
-they develop relationships based on choice.
-those in same-sex relationships create family structures that serve their own needs rather than having to conform to pre-existing norms
Beck:risky society
The patriarchal family has been undermined by two trends:
gender equality-has challenged male domination in all aspects of life. Women now expect equality both at work and in marriage.
Greater individualism where people’s actions are influenced more by calculations of their own self-interest
