P & T In Families And Households

Question 1

What are reconstituted families?

Answer 1

Essentially blended families or step families

These families are mainly born out of post-divorce parenting (however they can be constructed by widows too) where divorced people or single parents remarry and at least one partner has a child or children from a previous relationship (marriage or cohabitation)

This type of family unit has increased along with the rise in divorce

Reconstituted families account for 10% of all families with dependent children in Britain

In 86% of reconstituted families at least one child is from the woman’s previous relationship while in 11% there is at least one child from the mans previous relationship - 3% children from both parents previous relationships

Question 2

What is a growing trend in reconstituted families?

Answer 2

A growing trend today is that an increasing number of children experience co-parenting where they spend a part of the week with their mother and stepfather and the rest with their biological parent

Some experts see this as a bi-nuclear family (two separate post break up households)

Question 3

Which key sociologists are used when explaining reconstituted families?

Answer 3

Allan and crow

McCarthy et al

Ferri and smith

Question 4

What did Allan and crow say about reconstituted families?

Answer 4

According to Allan and crow reconstituted families may face particular problems of divided loyalties and issues such as contact with the non-resident parent

Question 5

What did McCarthy et al say about reconstituted families?

Answer 5

McCarthy et al argues that there is great diversity amongst reconstituted families - some have tensions whilst others have no more tensions than intact conventional nuclear families

Question 6

What did Ferri and Smith say about reconstituted families?

Answer 6

Ferry and Smith found that reconstituted families are at greater risk of poverty because often there are more children to support and often the stepfather may have to support children from a previous relationship

Nevertheless they did conclude that the involvement of step parents in childcare and childrearing is usually a positive one

Question 7

What is the difference between a bi nuclear family and a reconstituted families?

Answer 7

Bi-nuclear - two separate post break up households

Reconstituted - one household which is a blend of one or more families (where at least one parent is remarrying abs has a child)

Question 8

Fewer people today are living as couples, there has been a big increase in the number of people living alone and as a result this is one of the key trends in contemporary British society, give a fact to support this

Answer 8

In 2006, almost 3 in 10 households contained only one person, nearly 3 times the figure for 1961 aged 16-64

Of this age group the majority were male

Question 9

What has created an increase in single parent households?

Answer 9

The increase in separation and divorce has created more one person households, especially among men under 65 - this is because following a divorce children are more likely to live with their mother, their father is more likely to leave the family home and become a single person household for some time

Additionally the decline in numbers marrying, couples with the trend towards people marrying later means that more people are remaining single or experience some time living in a single person household - the number of people in this age group living alone has tripled since 1961

Question 10

For those aged 65 or over what is the pattern for single person households?

Answer 10

At this age the majority of people living alone were female

This is partly due to demographic factors such as the ageing population and that there are more women than men in the total population aged 65 or over due to women’s higher life expectancy (3 times the number of men living alone)

Question 11

What key sociologist is used to talk about single person households?

Answer 11

Stein

Duncan and Phillips

Question 12

What does stein say about single person households?

Answer 12

Stein argues that a growing number of people are deliberately choosing to live alone what he calls “creative singlehood”

Question 13

What does Duncan and Phillips’ research show about single person households?

Answer 13

Research done by Duncan and Phillips for the British Social Attitudes Survey found that about 1 in 10 adults are “living apart together” - they are in a significant relationship but are not married or cohabiting

Question 14

Overall, what are the 3 trends contributing to the increase in SPHs (single person households)?

Answer 14

Couples living apart

Ageing population leaves 1.7 million widowed women living alone

Increase in divorce leaves 2 separate households for some time

Question 15

How long have gay men, lesbians abs bisexual people been parents for?

Answer 15

A long time

Some have children from a previous heterosexual relationship, some adopt and others become foster parents

Question 16

More recently what campaign group had helped LGB people become parents?

Answer 16

STONEWALL

Stonewall has worked hard to ensure that all lesbian, gay and bisexual people have the same legal rights to parenthood as everyone else

This is because they know that gay people are just as capable of creating loving and supportive families and they want to make sure that LGB people know parenting is an option for everyone - regardless of their sexual orientation

Question 17

What is parenting like for LGB people living in the UK?

Answer 17

In the UK it is legal for lesbian gay and bisexual people to both adopt and foster children

According to the British Association for adoption and fostering growing numbers numbers of gay men and lesbians have been entering into the joint adoption proceedings since adoption for same-sex couples became legal in 2005 (always been able to adopt as individuals)

Question 18

What is the human fertilisation and embryology act 2008 and the civil partnership act 2004?

Answer 18

Made it easier for lesbian couples to secure parental rights for any children they conceive through artificial insemination

Question 19

Which key sociologist is used for same sex families and households?

Answer 19

Einasdottir

Question 20

What does Einasdottir say about same sex families and households?

Answer 20

Einasdottir notes that while many gays and lesbians welcome the opportunity to have their partnerships legally recognised others fear that it may limit the flexibility and negotiability of relationships and enforce heterosexual norms on gay and lesbian relationships

Question 21

What did the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge do in relation to same sex families and households?

Answer 21

Conducted interviews for STONEWALL with children and young people who have lesbian, gay or bisexual parents to learn more about their experiences both at home and at school

The study “Different Families” found very young children with gay parents tend not to see their families as being any different to those of their peers

Many of the older children said they saw their families as special and different but only because all families are special and different though some felt that their families were a lot closer than others

The report found children with gay parents like having them and would not want things to change but that sometimes they wish other people were more accepting - may experience widespread use of homophobic language, bullying and exclusion of their families and LGB people in school

The children had very clear recommendations for schools in how to tackle these issues

Question 22

In contrast to the media representation and stereotype of single/lone parents what is the average age of lone parents with dependent children in the UK?

Answer 22

The average age of lone parents with dependent children in the UK in 2011 was 38.1 years

In the UK in 2011 2 million lone parents have dependent children which has significantly grown from 1.7 million in 2001

These figures are last on figures so they don’t change often

Today 1 in 4 children live in a single parent family

Question 23

In the past how were most single-parent families formed and what is the reason now?

Answer 23

In the past more single-parent families emerged as a result of divorce

However in 20 11 51% of lone parents with dependent children had never been married, an increase from 42% in 2001 - one contributory factor to this is the increase in cohabiting couples

It also reflects the reality that some mothers are single and this is by choice

7 % of male lone parents with dependent children are widowed, more than double the percentage of female lone parents

9 out of 10 lone parent families are headed by single mothers

Question 24

In 2011 women accounted for 92% of lone parents with dependent children why is this?

Answer 24

Women are more likely to take the main caring responsibilities for any children when relationships break down and therefore become lone parents

This reflects a widespread belief that women are by nature suited to an expressive a naughty nature in role - as a result divorce courts are usually give custody of children mothers

Research also shows that in general men are less willing to give up work to care for children - reflects traditions

Question 25

What are the 2 key sociologists to use for single parent/lone parent households?

Answer 25

Duncan and Rogers

Question 26

In relation to lone parent households households what did Duncan and Rogers find?

Answer 26

Duncan and Rogers found that less than a third of children born into a single parent family stayed in one throughout their childhood

Therefore it is important to appreciate that single-parent families are not necessarily a permanent state but a transitionary one - it reflects the notion of a family life cycle

Question 27

What is the view of single-parent families from right-wing commentators?

Answer 27

Right-wing commentators idealise the nuclear family and have traditionally been critical of the single-parent families

The last time the Conservatives were in power in 1979-1997 they were very vocal regarding the disdain of single-parent families

However they have been less vocal since returning to power as part of the coalition government in 2010 but are still critical

Right-wing commentators saw single-parent families as a social problem linked to levels of crime, delinquency, educational underachievement etc

Question 28

Right-wing commentators were largely critical of single-parent families as a result of three key factors what were they?

Answer 28

Expensive

Lack moral responsibility

Dysfunctional

Question 29

Explain why right-wing commentators (conservatives) view single-parent families as expensive

Answer 29

They are viewed as expensive because there’s only one source of income coming into the household

They are disproportionately more likely to be dependent on welfare benefits and therefore costly to the state

Question 30

Explain why right when commentators (Conservatives) see single-parent families as lacking moral responsibility

Answer 30

As supporters of marriage of the nuclear family, single-parent families deviate from this

For example women are having children outside of marriage or even divorced/marital breakdown due to a lack of effort

They also believe they lack in moral responsibility as they are not financially independent and only have one source of income

Question 31

Explain why right wing commentators (Conservatives) view single-parent families as dysfunctional

Answer 31

They argue that children in a single parent family are disadvantaged as they don’t have the benefit of two parents

They claim that boys/sons miss out on having a father figure to act as a role model and this can lead to discipline problems

Question 32

Which 3 key sociologists is used in the debate of single-parent families?

Answer 32

Murray

Cashmore

Morgan

Question 33

What did the new right wing commentator find in regards to the debate of single-parent families?

Answer 33

Murray saw the growth of single-parent families as a result from an overgenerous welfare state rewarding irresponsible behaviour

Therefore when last in government the Conservatives set up the child-support agency (CSA)

This was designed to reduce the number of single-parent families by stressing the financial responsibility of parents by enforcing absent parents to financially support their children

They believed that parents may think twice before leaving their family/children if they knew they were forced to pay maintenance

Question 34

Simply what is the view of right-wing and left-wing?

Answer 34

Right-wing idealise the nuclear family

Left-wing support diversity

Question 35

What role did the political left play in the debate of single parent families?

Answer 35

Those on the political left attribute many of the problems encountered by some SPFs to poverty rather than a reflection of being a particular type of family unit or type

They would question the assumption made by many on the political right that benefits act as a financial incentive to become a SPF as there is a significant link between low living standards and SPF

Most evidence suggests that single parents who are reliant on state benefits do not enjoy being dependent and would prefer to work fo improve their standard of living, if it was practical to do so

Left wing media would see that SPFs are more normal in a way it is not their fault

Question 36

What is Cashmores view on single parent families (debate)?

Answer 36

He questions the assumption that children brought up in SPFs are always worse off than those in a 2 parent family, claiming that it is often preferable for a child to live with one parent in a stable setting than with two parents in an unstable setting

Question 37

What is Morgans view on single parent families (debate)?

Answer 37

Argues that it is dangerous to generalise about the effects of SPFs although much research does point to the fact that children often do less well than those in a 2 parent household

Question 38

Explain ways an agaeing population may have led to policies that affect families and households today

Answer 38

Taxation policies (smaller prop. of pop. working pop. working and paying tax)

Healthcare spending (health needs of older people)

Employment policies (pivot gen. needing flexibility in work patterns)

Housing policies (for single older people=smaller houses, &multi-gen. families=bigger houses)

Benefits (older people in poverty)

Policies to encourage marriage&procreation

Reduced need for spending on services for younger people

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