Topic 3 - Family Diversity Flashcards
What perspective supports nuclear families provide a theorist. What did they say?
Functionalist
Pasons sees nuclear families as providing the best functional fit for modern society due to the division of labour.
In a nuclear family what role does the wife and husband have. Describe them.
Expressive - the wife takes care of domestic, emotional and child raising roles
Instrumental - the husband is the breadwinner and provides economic capital
What functions do nuclear families allow parents to perform?
- Pimary socialisation of children is done more effectively with clear roles for both genders
- Stabilasation of adult personalities as clear and defined roles are given to both husbands and wives, stopping them from feeling ‘anomiac’ (lost)
How does the New Right view nuclear families? Elaborate.
Like functionalists they view them as best for society.
They see nuclear families as natural as there are biological differences between men and women.
How do the New Right view the decline in Nuclear Families?
It has caused many problems in society.
Lone parents are problematic,
- Increasing welfare dependency
- lone mothers can’t discipline their children
- boys have no male role models
What do The New Right think of cohabitation versus marriage. Provide a theorist.
They believe cohabitation to be a major cause of the increase of lone-parent families.
Benson argues marriage offers further stability as it involves deeper commitments.
Criticise the New Rights view on cohabitation using a theorist.
Oakley challenges the idea that nuclear family gender roles are biological, stating that in other cultures men and women have different roles.
Fully describe and explain the Midway Theory. Who invented it?
Chester recognises there is an increase in family type diversity but doesn’t see it as a bad thing. The only major difference in the movement to dual earner families.
He argues family diversity has been exaggerated. Most people are forced to live in non-traditional family types but idealise/aim for nuclear families.
Evidence
Most people live in married households
Name the five types of family diversity and provide explanations. Who came up with them? What do they believe?
The Rapoports
Argue, there has been a increase in family diversity due to the pluralistic nature of society.
- Organisational diversity - E.g conjugal -> dual earner
- Cultural diversity - E.g, different cultures have different family types
- Social Class diversity - differences due to class
- Life stage diversity - family differs depending on stage in life
- Generation diversity - family differs between age groups
What do postmodernists thing about family diversity (theorist)
Cheal says there is far more diversity then the Rapoports believe due to how chaotic postmodern society is.
How have postmodern families affected women? (Theorist)
Stacey argues that greater freedom and choice has benefited women as they can shape families and break free from patriarchal oppression.
What does Morgan explain about researching postmodern families.
He says it’s pointless to make generalisations about family. Family is whatever arrangements those involve choice. Sociologistsust focus on how people form their family lives.
Define ‘life course analysis’
Life course analysis is a method where in-depth unstructured interviews are used to understand individual family members’ choices at different stages of their life (such as having children)
Explain the individualisation thesis (theorist)
Beck and Giddens In our postmodern society, people are free from traditional roles and expectations and thus can choose their own life course.
Explain the idea of the pure relationship (theorist)
Giddens argues that recently, family has been transformed by greater choice and equality due to contraception and women’s independence.
This means relationships aren’t dictated by external forces such as norms. But to satisfy each partner equally through love and happiness.
