Postmodernist View on The Family

Question 1

How has Families changed in Postmodern societies

Answer 1

Moral certainties such as marriage and the nuclear family have been undermined by a greater choice in the types of personal relationships now available.
Freedom of choice has therefore led to family diversity and fluidity

Question 2

What do Postmodernist sociologists argue about sociological studies of the family

Answer 2

That they should focus on the ‘life-courses’ of individuals rather than ‘the family’. Families change as people experience personal events like marriage and death etc.

Question 3

What should Life-course analysis focus on

Answer 3

The diversity of the family practices that occur during the life-course

Question 4

What does Stacey argue about the change in Family to the postmodern society

Answer 4

• Family life is not about living in a static and unchanging type of family structure
• Families and households are no longer concrete things people should strive to attain (as argued by functionalist and new right)
• Family life is in a continual state of flux and change. There is no such thing as the perfect family because everything is unique to different people

Question 5

What does Smart (2007) recommend

Answer 5

Using the term ‘personal life’ instead of ‘family’

Question 6

What does Smart argue

Answer 6

That the concept of ‘personal life’ is more neutral and flexible because it goes beyond marriage and biological kin to include newer types of relationships.

Question 7

What is the common idea of Postmodernists

Answer 7

The idea that families and relationships are no longer fixed but constantly changing in postmodern society

Question 8

What have Postmodernists exaggerated

Answer 8

The degree and diversity of choice available in personal relationships. In particular, postmodernists have neglected to recognise that structural forces such as social class, patriarchy and ethnicity still exert influence