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Sociology: Families & Households > 17. Family Diversity > Flashcards

17. Family Diversity Flashcards

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1
Q

Who are Modernists

A

functionalists
New right

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2
Q

How do modernists see the family

A

only see the nuclear family as normal
other family types are deviant

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3
Q

What does Chester see as the major change in family perceptions

A

neo-conventional families

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4
Q

What does Rapoport identify

A

the five types of diversity

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5
Q

What do Postmodernist sociologists believe

A

individuals have more choices in their relationships and family practices

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6
Q

What is the Individualisation thesis

A

traditional structures have lost influence leading to more choice and diversity but also risk and instability

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7
Q

What do individuals now seek in relationships

A

pure relationships based solely on satisfying their own needs

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8
Q

What is the Connectedness Thesis

A

people are not simply isolated individuals and that wider structures still limit choice and diversity

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9
Q

Why are modernists known as modernists

A

they believe society is modern, having a fairly fixed clear cut predictable structure

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10
Q

What do modernists see as the best family type

A

The nuclear family as it maintains and performs essential functions

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11
Q

What does Talcott Parsons say about the nuclear family

A

there is a functional fit between the nuclear family and modern society needs
uniquely suited to meet the needs of a geographically and socially mobile workforce.

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12
Q

What are the 2 irreducible functions according to Parsons

A

the primary socialisation of children
the stabilisation of adult personalities
these contribute to the overall stability and effectiveness of society

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13
Q

What is the overall Functionalists view on the nuclear family

A

because of its ability to perform the essential functions it can be generalised that its the best type of family in modern society, with division of labour between the husband and wife.

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14
Q

How are other family types viewed in functionalism

A

dysfunctional abnormal and deviant, as they are less able to perform the functions required of the family

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15
Q

What type of views does the New Right have on the family

A

conservative and anti-feminist
firmly opposed to family diversity

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16
Q

What is the best family type in the New Right

A

the traditional and conventional patriarchal nuclear family consisting of a married couple and their dependent children with a clearcut division of labour between the bread winner husband and homemaker wife

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17
Q

How is the Functionalist view the same as the New Right view

A

distinction between instrumental and expressive roles performed bu the husband and wife respectively.

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18
Q

How do the New Right view the nuclear family

A

natural as based on fundamental biological differences between men and women
the family is the cornerstone of society, as a place of refuge contentment and harmony.

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19
Q

What does the New Right oppose

A

any changes like cohabitation, gay marriage, lone parenthood
the growth of family type diversity causes many social problems

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20
Q

Which family type are the New Right particularly worried about

A

the growth of lone-parent families which result from the break down of couple relationships
they are harmful to children

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21
Q

Why are Lone Parent families harmful to children according to New Right

A

lone mothers cannot discipline children properly
boys are left without a male role model resulting in educational failure, delinquency and social instability
families are poorer and a burden on the welfare state and tax payers

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22
Q

What does the New Right claim about Lone Parent families

A

the main cause of them is collapse of relationship between cohabiting couples

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23
Q

What does Harry Benson 06 say about cohabiting couples (NR)

A

analysed 15,000 parents with babies
the first 3 years of a babies life the rate of break down was higher among cohabiting couples, 20% compared to 6% married couples

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24
Q

What does the NR say about marriage

A

marriage can provide a stable environment in which to bring up children

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25
What does Harry Benson say in 2010/11 about marriage (NR)
couples are more stable when married the rate of divorce in married couples is lower than that of break ups of cohabiting couples. marriage is a deliberate commitment to each other but cohabitation allows avoidance of commitment and responsibility
26
What do NR thinkers and conservatives say about family and society in general
family and society at large are broken only a return to traditional values, like marriage can prevent social disintegration and damage to children They regard laws and policies like easy access to divorces, gay marriage and availability of welfare benefits as undermining the conventional family
27
What does Robert Chester 1985 say about families
there has been increased family diversity in recent years it is not very significant and also not negative
28
What is the important change in families according to Chester
move from dominance of the traditional conventional nuclear family, to the neo-conventional family
29
What does chester meant by conventional family
the nuclear family described by Parsons and the NR with its division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female homemaker
30
What does chester meant by neo-conventional family
a dual-earner family where both spouses go to work and not just the husband similar to symmetrical family of Young and Wilmott no other evidence of major change
31
What does Chester day about nuclear families
people are not choosing to live in alternatives to the nuclear family on a long-term basis, and the nuclear family is still the ideal family type
32
Why are people not in nuclear families according to Chester
due to life cycle people living in one-person households are elderly widows, divorced men or young people who are not yet married they are all either used to be part of will be part of a nuclear family at some point
33
Why are statistics confusing according to Chester
misleading because they only show a snapshot of a single moment in time
34
What are the patterns Chester identifies
-most people live in a household headed by a married couple -most adults marry and have kids -most children are reared by 2 natural parents -most marriages continue until death -divorce has increased, but most divorcees remarry -cohabitation has increased but it is mostly just a temporary phase before marriage or remarriage -births outside of marriage have increased, most are jointly registered indicating commitment of both parents
35
What does Chester say about family diversity
the extent and importance of family diversity has been exaggerated the nuclear family is still dominant, the only important difference between Chester and Functionalists that Chester see the change in tradition of both spouses are breadwinner instrumental for the house
36
What did Rhona and Robert Rapoport 1982 argue
diversity id of central importance in understanding family life today
37
What did the Rapoport's believe about the nuclear family
we have moved away from the traditional nuclear family as the dominant family type
38
How have British families adapted according to the Rapoport's
pluralistic society, where cultures and lifestyles are more diverse
39
What does family life reflect according to the Rapoport's
family life reflects the diverse greater freedom of choice and wide spread acceptance of different cultures and ways of life in todays society
40
How are the Rapoport's different to the NR
see diversity as positive response to peoples different needs and wishes, not as abnormal or a deviation from the assumed proper norm of nuclear families
41
What are the five different types of family diversity according to the Rapoport's
Cultural diversity Life stage diversity Organisational Diversity Generational Diversity Social Class Diversity
42
What is Cultural Diversity (RP)
different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures higher proportion of of female headed lone parent families in African-Caribbean households higher proportion of extended families among Asian households
43
What is Life-stage Diversity (RP)
family structures differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle, newly weds, couples with dependent children, retired couples whose children have left home and widows who live alone all have different family structures.
44
What is Organisational Diversity (RP)
refers to the differences in the ways family roles are organised some couples have conjugal roles and two-wage earners, while others have segregated conjugal roles and one wage earner
45
What is Generational Diversity (RP)
older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences that reflect the historical periods in which they have lived they may have different views about the morality of divorce or cohabitation
46
What is Social Class Diversity (RP)
differences in family structure are partly the result of income differences between households of different social classes there are class differences in child-rearing practices
47
What type of approach do Modernists take
structural, top down view family as a structure that shapes the behaviour of its members so they perform the functions society requires individuals have no real choice about the pattern of family life
48
How do modernists see the pattern of family life
behaviour is orderly structured and predictable most people marry, go on to have children there may be some limited variety in family life such as the five types of the Rapoport's
49
What are the 2 key characteristics of Post Modern family life according to Postmodernists
Diversity and Fragmentation Rapid Social change
50
What is Diversity and Fragmentation according to PM
society is increasingly fragmented with greater diversity and cultures an lifestyles more collections of subcultures than a single culture shared by all people pick and mix creating their identities and lifestyles from a wide range of choices different ethnic and youth subcultures, sexual preferences and social movement such as environmentalism all offer sources of identity
51
What is Rapid Social Change according to PM
new technology and the electronic media have dissolved old barriers of time and space, transformed our patterns of work and leisure and accelerated the pace of change one effect of this rapid social change is to make life less predictable
52
How does family life adapt due to the 2 PM characteristics
less stable but gives individuals more choice about their personal relationships family life is nor far more diverse no longer possible to generalise like Parsons has done in the past
53
What does PM David Cheal 1993 think
we no longer live in a modern society with its predictable structures society has entered a new chaotic postmodern stage there is no longer one single dominant stable family structure such as the nuclear family more fragmented into many different types and individuals have choice over their personal lifestyles and family arrangements
54
What are the PM pros and cons over greater diversity and choice in life
greater freedom to plot your own life course choose the personal relationship based on your needs and wants greater freedom of choice means greater instability since relationships are more likely to break up
55
What did Judith Stacey 1998 argue
greater freedom and choice has benefitted women
56
How have women benefitted according to Stacey
free themselves from patriarchal oppression and to shape family arrangements to meet their needs
57
How did Stacey research
life history interviews to construct a case study of postmodern families in Silicon Valley CA
58
What did Stacey find
women rather than men have been the main agents of changes in the family they rejected the traditional housewife role worked, returned to education as adults, improved job prospects, divorced and remarried. created new types of families to suit their needs
59
What was one of the families structures Stacey found
divorce extended family members are connected by divorce rather than marriage
60
What are the key members of the divorce extended family according to Stacey
female, former in laws, or the mans ex wife and new partner etc
61
What did Pam-Gamma do according to Stacey
created a divorce extended family married young, then divorced and cohabited for several years before remarrying her second husband has been married before as well
62
How did the divorce extended family help each other out
Pam's divorced husbands new wife Shirley helped each other out domestically and financially, exchanging lodgers responding to the changing needs of their households
63
What does the divorce extended family illustrate about postmodern family diversity
PM families shape depends on the active choices people make about their lives when to get divorced, cohabit, come out as gay etc
64
What did David Morgan argue in response to Stacey
it is pointless trying to make large-scale generalisations about the family as if it were a single thing like Functionalists do a family is whatever arrangements those involved to choose to call their family sociologist should focus their attention on how people create their own diverse family lives and practices

Sociology: Families & Households (15 decks)

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