Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
(22 cards)
What does Allan and Crow say?
Found up to 1960s, there was a standard life course following a sequence of events like marriage, living together, sex and having children.
But since 1960s, theres been major changes in people’s life courses and huge changes in personal relationships - contemporary families bear little resemblance to traditional families
What does Levin say?
He points out that this life course was ‘compulsory’ as there were strong social norms prescribing that this was expected way that people should live their lives.
What does Lewis say?
Suggests today individuals have way too much freedom of choice in personal behaviour and arrangements by which they choose to live their lives, rather than being regulated externally by moral codes.
What does Gabb say?
Points out that relationships outside the family (friends) can affect relationships with the family.
What does Chambers say?
That individualisation is a central explanation for key changes in ideas about love, commitment and family decline and development of new kinds of relationships.
What does Beck-Gernsheim say?
Describes individualisation as the process whereby the traditional social relationships, bonds, customs, values and beliefs that strongly regulate people’s lives are losing their influence and it has changed to more personal opportunity to decide for themself how to shape their own life.
What does Beck-Gernsheim think the underlying cause of growing individualisation is?
Developments of medicine like contraception and artificial insemination which enables sexuality and reproduction to be exasperated from eachother.
What does Giddens say?
Love is moving away from what he calls ‘romantic love’ to ‘confluent love’
What is confluent love?
Has gained significance in a relationship and people are less willing to stay for unsatisfactory reasons
Active and conditional love, in which intimate relationships are characterised by active building of trust, emotional intimacy and understanding between two people.
What does Smart say?
That individualisation exaggerates the extent of family decline and that peoples personal lives and family ties still involve strong social and emotional bonds and connections.
What is the meaning of cohabitation?
- A fairly temporary of informal arrangement
- As an alternative or substitute to marriage
- As a preparation or trial for marriage
What are the reasons for rise in cohabitation?
- Changing role of women
- The reduced function of the family
- Changing social attitutes and reduced social stigma
- The rising divorce rates
- Reduced risk
What is Beck’s ‘risk society’?
People are choosing to avoid the risk involved in long term legal commitments like marriage.
Individuals are less controlled by traditional structures and institutions like the family and there is less loyalty and commitment demanded by social norms of marriage and family life.
What is Living Apart Together (LATs)?
Individuals that are in long-term committed, intimate relationships, define themselves as a couple but they do not share a common home and choose to live in seperate households.
Who said about Living Apart Together (LATs)?
Levin
Why is there a growth in LATs?
The acceptance of divorce and cohabitation contributes to the growth in LATs, as people are more open to new styles of relationships.
What does Duncan and Philips say about LATs?
That they are still subject to the same expectations about commitment and fidelity as marriage and cohabitation.
What are Levin’s three reasons for why people choose LATs rather than marriage or cohabitation?
- Responsibility and care - both individuals in a couple have responsibility
- Practical reasons - work or study, avoids conflict due to moving as indiviudals can stay at same jobs and same place
- Risk - individuals don’t want to repeat previous marriages and so create a difference to past relationships by LATs
Why are there more lone parents families?
- Greater economic independence of women
- improved contraception
- changing male attitudes
- Reproductive technology is available for women
- Changing social attitutes
What does Murray say?
Generous welfare benefits encourage women to have children they could not otherwise afford to support.
How many marriages involve remarriages?
a third
