The move towards family diversity Flashcards
What did Chester say about family diversity?
The neo-conventional family - The nuclear family is still dominant but there is an equal division of labour between male and female.
Lone parent families make up what % of all families with children?
22%
A child living with a lone parent is x as likely to go into poverty as a child living with two parents.
twice
Lone parent families ahs increased due to the increase of x?
Divorce
What are the reasons lone parent families tend to be female headed?
- Divorce courts usually give custody of children to mothers.
- Widespread belief that women are by nature suited to an “expressive” or “nurturing” role.
- Single by choice (Cashmore)
- Over generous welfare state (Murray)
Lone parent families:
Single by choice - Cashmore
Cashmore - some w/c mothers with less earning power chose to live on welfare benefits without a partner as they often had experienced abuse.
Lone parent families:
Single by choice - Feminism
Women may want to focus on their career and have a family later on in life.
Women may not want to rely on men.
Lone parent families:
Welfare state - Murray (New Right)
This is due to an over generous welfare state providing benefits for unmarried mothers and their children.
Lone parent families:
Welfare state - Murray (New Right)
What has this created?
A “perverse incentive” - it rewards irresponsible behaviour such as having children without being able to pay for them.
Created a dependency culture
Lone parent families:
Welfare state - Murray (New Right)
How do we solve this?
Abolish welfare benefits - reduce dependency culture which encourages births outside of marriages.
Lone parent families:
Welfare state - Murray (New Right)
Critics argue that lone parents are most likely to be in poverty due to…?
- Inadequate welfare benefits
- Lack of affordable childcare which prevents lone parents from working
- Most lone parents a re women, who generally earn less than men.
- Failure of fathers to pay maintenance.
Step families are also known as x?
Reconstituted families.
Step families account for over x% of all families?
10%
Step families:
Ferri and Smith
What did they find?
Step families are very similar to first families in all major respects and the involvement of stepparents in childcare and childrearing is a positive one.
HOWEVER
Step families are at a greater risk of poverty as their are more children and the stepfather may also have to support children from a previous relationship.
Step families:
Allan and Crow
What did they find?
