What do sociologists think of the Personal Life Perspective/ the Connectedness Thesis?

Question 1

Smart and May (regarding the Personal Life Perspective)

Answer 1

agree that there is now greater family diversity but disagree with Beck and Giddens by saying…

• it exaggerates the freedom people have and ignores the values that still impact people
• it wrongly sees people as free-floating and ignores that decisions and choices are made within a social context
• it ignores the importance of structural factors that limit choices (eg patriarchy and class inequalities)

Question 2

Smart (regarding the Connectedness Thesis)

Answer 2

• came up with the Connectedness Thesis
• believes that ‘where lives have become interwoven it is impossible for the relationship to simply end because it is no longer a ‘pure relationship’’

Question 3

May (regarding the Connectedness Thesis)

Answer 3

disagrees with Beck and Giddens that there has been a weakening of structures and comments that they’ve been reshaped