Postmodernist Views Flashcards
Judith Stacey (1998)
> women responsible for changes in family life
women now reject house wife role and are balancing it with work and personal interests > creating a variety of household types.
increases divorce rates = divorce-extended families (divorced couple keeping connection for the sake of their child).
EVALUATION- critics point out that she exaggerates the extent of change, and the nuclear family is the most common
CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLE- 5:2 relationships ( 5 days for work and focus on themselves: 2 days for relationship time)
Giddens (1992)
> over time, norms and values of society have broken down and are not as useful as they once were.
This is due to growing individualism in society
EVALUATION- He overexaggerates the choices people have to apply to everybody however feminists say he ignores the patriarchy that continues to shape women’s lives leave them with little individual choice
CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLE- Same sex couples show that these relationships can happen with the norms and values in society and society is starting to accept it.
Beck (1992)
• Greater individualism and choice defines the majority of 21st century relationships.
• While relationships are more easily negotiated, the freedom also allows more room for poor choices, leading to unhappiness > this explains why divorce is more common than ever.
Beck overlooks and ignores the families and relationship life are stable, strong and survive long term. > Majority of marriages last in UK.
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995)
• impact of individualism on family and relationships.
• there has been a long-term decline in the constraints that traditional family have.
• people crave love, in todays chaotic world love promises personal fulfilment.
• overlapping expectations in a relationship = unhappiness.
