Unit 1 Part 2 Family Flashcards
What types of house household structure are developing in the UK?
Cohabitation – people choosing to live together and not marry, or before marriage. Singlehood – people choosing to live alone, this could be after a partner has died or a divorce. Couples and childfree – people living together in an ‘empty nest’ whether children have left home, or choosing to never have children living freer, wealthier lives. Gay families – homosexual couples of both genders can now marry and have children. Reconstituted families – where there are children in a nuclear family from more than one pervious relationship. Lone parenthood – could be as a result of divorce, separation, choice or death of a partner. Many go no to form new relationships. Apart/together – Parents may live in different homes but choose to raise their children together. Multiple parenting – could be through IVF, sperm donation, surrogacy and egg donation.
Is single parenthood a problem for society?
• Many lone parents are likely to live in poverty. • Many do not get money from their former partners and are likely to be on benefits. • Rogers and Pryor say that children from broken families are more likely to have behavioural problems, not do well in school, and be ill. Other studies say they are more likely to take drugs and turn to crime. • Feminists would argue it is better for children to be in a lone parent family, than in one where there are arguments and abuse.
Why are there changing attitudes towards divorce?
Due to legal changes it has been is much easier to divorce since 1970. This means people don’t need to live in empty shell marriages. Secularisation – people being less religious means that they don’t have to follow religious rules against divorce. Changes to women’s lives- women are no longer expected to get married and have children, they can have jobs and careers. They do not have to depend on their husbands for money and they do not have to stay in an unhappy marriage because they depend on their husband for money. Changing norms and values – it is no longer a matter of shame to get divorced. This has resulted in serial monogamy people marry, divorce and remarry, sometimes several times.
How have the roles of people in families changed since the 1950s?
Children In the 1950s there were less toys, not TV or computers. They spent more time outside the home and discipline was harsh Today, Palmer says children have a toxic childhood. This is due to health problems, obesity, and limited freedom fear of paedophiles, abduction and murder. As a society we are more child centred. Children stay in and play computer games rather than play outside. Children are pushed into fashion and sex before they are ready due to the media. The exam system puts children under too much pressure. Children have more rights and material goods than in the past. Older people They live longer due to healthier lifestyles and better healthcare. Many in their 60s and 70s have to care for their own parents and also their boomerang children, who have moved back home after a relationship break down. They also may have to care for grandchildren. They are known as the sandwich generation. They may have to financially support people in the family too. Many older people suffer from dementia or illness and need to be cared for. Men In the 1950s men were the main breadwinner in the family and responsible for discipline. Now we have new men and house husbands who take on the female role in the home. There are also non-resident fathers who care for their children when they don’t live with the mother, and also gay fathers. Women In the 1950s women were dependent on men and confined to the home, due to feminism, contraception, and changing attitudes women now have careers and no longer reply on men.
Is the family under threat?
Yes – Conservatives say yes because of the high divorce rate and fewer marriages. They say people lack family values and are selfish. The think lone parent families develop social problems. No – Giddens says no. He said people were stuck in empty shell marriages before, and now people live in families of choice. This means they have happier relationships which they can work at. Feminist sociologists argue that the traditional family was bad for women as they were dependent on men.
What is the family?
• A group related by blood marriage or adoption. • The ways that families organise themselves is called family structure. • There is a sense of duty and feelings towards members of a family, this is called kinship. • It is responsible for primary socialisation- teachings norms and values in the home. • We have powerful ideas about what a ‘proper’ family should be like, this is known as the family ideology. • It is a cultural universal, this means families are found in all cultures.
What is a nuclear family?
• Is consists of a heterosexual couple and their children. • Some sociologists argue that this is the best family type – but not everyone agrees. • In the 1940s Murdock said all societies have nuclear families. • In the 1950s Parsons said that nuclear families are essential for the proper socialisation of children. • Feminists disagree and say that other types of family are perfectly good if everyone is supported. They say that nuclear families can be dangerous if there is abuse in the relationships. • Conservatives support family values and believe that the nuclear family is best that a father should support his children, that the mother should care for children and the sick and elderly, and other family types are not as good. • David Cameron believes family breakdown is a problem as children need to be brought up by a mother and a father. • Today there are many types of family in the UK.
How have families changed since the 1950s?
1950s families: • Most families nuclear or extended • Poorer people started married life living with their parents • Women married younger and had more children • Women did not have good jobs outside the home • Divorce, sex, children outside marriage was frowned upon • Contraception not easily available 1970s families • Divorce, sex and children outside marriage not acceptable, but more common. • Women now taking jobs outside the home. • Women having children later. • New types of families began to appear. Families today • No such thing as a ‘typical family’ any more • People cohabit, remain single, or have partners of the same sex. • People have children without a partner, and this is seen as acceptable. • Women have access to a range of contraceptives. • The number of children being born is falling. • Fewer people marry even though they have children together. • People can leave unhappy relationships • Divorce is common.
Why have families changed since the 1950s?
• Changing norms and values – homosexuality, cohabitation, and equality between the sexes is more accepted. • Technological change – the pill as a form of contraception meant women had the freedom to choose when to have children. Families became smaller. People live longer due to medical technology. • Secularisation –people are less religious so divorce, and sex before marriage are not seen as a such a bad thing. • Gender attitudes – Feminism has meant that women have become more equal partners in their relationships, they can have jobs outside the home and they don’t have to rely on their husbands for money. They can divorce if they are unhappy.
How do families differ across cultures?
• Some families are patriarchal (male dominated), whereas others are matriarchal (female dominated). • In collectivist cultures family life is more important than the individual. British Asian families believe in izzat, which is a form of family honour and reputation which must be protected. Many have arranged marriages. The needs of the family come before their own. • In Individualist cultures, such as Britain individual needs are seen as more important than the families. People choose their own marriage partners. • Some African cultures practise polygamy which is having more than one wife. This is illegal in the UK.
