Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
Secularisation
- as religion has become less central to UK society, so people are more likely to consider alternatives to marriage and also there is a reduced stigma to divorce.
Legal changes
divorce has been made easier, therefore leading to more family types.
There are a number of reasons for this increased diversity, including:
Secularisation + Legal changes
what is THE NUCLEAR FAMILY
A nuclear family is two generations of a family living together in one household.
what is THE BEANPOLE FAMILY
A Beanpole family is a multi-generational family that is long and thin with few aunts, uncles and grandparents.
what is THE LONE PARENT FAMILY
A mother or father living without a partner (either married or cohabiting) with their dependent children.
The child MUST be under 19 and in full-time education.
what is THE MATRIFOCAL FAMILY
Women are at the centre of the family although maybe not head of the household. They often consist of a women and her dependent children. They are mainly found in low income and poor families.
The matrifocal family STATISTICS AND FACTS
In the USA 30% of black families are matrifocal.
In the UK they are associated with “baby fathers” a term coined by Augustus (1999) who argued black men have lots of children with different women to demonstrate their masculinity. This has been criticised for racially stereotyping black men.
what is THE EXTENDED FAMILY
The extended family in a classical sense is when three or more generations live together in one household.
The traditional make-up of this family type would be grandparents, parents and children.
Horizontal
. A household made up of aunts, uncles and cousins: the family extended horizontally across the same generation rather than vertically.
Vertical
A vertical extended family is one that includes at least three generations of parents and children residing together under one roof. For example, you would have grandparents, their children, and their children’s children all living together.
what is THE SYMMETRICAL FAMILY
The symmetrical family is where a family divides all responsibilities equally between partners with shared employment, domestic labour, childcare, emotional support, leisure time.
Who was the symmetrical family theorised by?
This was created and theorised by Willmott and Young (1970) as one of the phases the modern family has shifted into.
what is THE RECONSTITUTED FAMILY
A reconstituted family is when two families join together after one or both partners have divorced their previous partners.
This family option can sometimes be referred to as the blended family or step family.
what is THE DUAL CAREER FAMILY
Both parents in a nuclear family are employed in paid work. The female is a wife and mother that is important for her self development.
The income from both earners is important to maintain the standard of living.
