Postmodernists - Families and households

Question 1

Carol Smart

Answer 1

People are free to construct their own individual network of ‘family’. However, choices they make in terms of relationships are influenced by their family history, social class, ethnicity, previous personal experiences, and societal trends and expectations.

Question 2

Judith Stacey
Diverse and fluid

Answer 2

Women are no longer restricted to one type of family arrangement; they can create family structures to suit their individual needs. As a result, their life choices may be very diverse and fluid in comparison to traditional eras where women had limited choices in shaping their lives.

Question 3

Giddens

Answer 3

“Need based Family” - No family stays in the same structure or divisions, they change as circumstance change.

Question 4

Ulrich Beck (1992)

Answer 4

‘negotiated family’ - The roles and power structure within the family is negotiated by the members to satisfy all members.

Question 5

Postmodernist Focus of Families and Households

Answer 5

Diversity
Individual Choice
Fluidity: Families and households are dynamic
Globalisation & Technology: (online dating)
Consumerism: Family life shaped by consumption patterns.

Criticisms: Overemphasises choice, neglects inequalities (e.g., class, gender), and lacks empirical evidence.

Question 6

Beck and Beck-Gernsheim

Answer 6

We live in a risk society where social life is based on the construction of lifestyles and identities which are based on the avoidance of risk.

A process of individualisation is occurring- no longer tied to fixed roles or identities as they were in the past.