Topic 5 - Changing family patterns

Question 1

What are the 3 main reasons for the decline in marriage rate?

Answer 1

Social change and changing attitudes
Secularisation
Gender roles and female perspectives on marriage rate

Question 2

What are some examples of social change?

Answer 2

Giddens - people seeking pure relationships
Brenda Almond - family is fragmenting

Question 3

What are reasons for secularisation?

Answer 3

Younger generations are less attached to religion (CAGE)

Question 4

What are examples of gender roles declining marriage?

Answer 4

Changing position of women means decline in marriage - Ruspini
Focus on careers

Question 5

What family has there been a growth of since divorce has increased?

Answer 5

Reconstituted family (step)

Question 6

Why are LATS on the rise?

Answer 6

Divorce and separation has increased
Growing individualisation and choice
Modern technology

Question 7

Why are people choosing LATs over marriage or cohabitation?

Answer 7

Practical reasons
Risk

Question 8

How has the value of marriage increased divorce?

Answer 8

Fletcher - the higher expectations people place on marriage today

Question 9

How has conflict between spouses led to increased divorce?

Answer 9

Women as wage earners created a new source of conflict between spouses leading to divorce

Question 10

How has the rise of feminism led to divorce?

Answer 10

More women are working meaning they have less time and energy for the emotional work which contributes to divorce - Hochschild

Question 11

How has modernity and individualisation led to more divorce?

Answer 11

Giddens - People now seek the pure relationship making relationships more fragile

Question 12

How has the ease of divorce led to more divorce?

Answer 12

1969 - Divorce reform act
Secularisation - less influence on society
2005 - Civil partnership act

Question 13

What is the cereal packet family?

Answer 13

A functionalist concept that argue that the idealised version of the family is the nuclear family of mother father, 2 children

Question 14

What are the Rapoport’s 5 family types?

Answer 14

Organisational diversity
Cultural diversity
Social class diversity
Life-stage diversity
Cohort diversity

Question 15

Why is there increased family diversity?

Answer 15

New Right: Blame the welfare state
Late/Postmodernists: Family has lost its sense of exclusivity
Lib Fem’s: Thanks to social change

Question 16

What does Brannen call the new shape of the extended family?

Answer 16

The beanpole family - ageing population means more generation’s in a household

Question 17

Stats for an increase in lone-parenthood

Answer 17

The majority of 2.9 million lone-parent families were headed by the mother (84%)
% of lone parents families have tripled since 1971 (UK)

Question 18

Causes of more lone parent families

Answer 18

Greater economic independence of women
Changing social attitudes
Increase in divorces

Question 19

What is the view that lone-parenthood is an issue?

Answer 19

New Right blames the over-generous welfare state
Blamed for increase in crime and housing shortages

Question 20

What are some characteristics of British South Asian families?

Answer 20

High rates of marriage
Low divorce rates
Traditional family types

Question 21

Characteristics of British Caribbean families?

Answer 21

High rates of lone parenthood
Lower marriage rates

Question 22

Characteristics of White British families?

Answer 22

Lower marriage rates
High rates of divorce