Diversity of the family Flashcards
(47 cards)
Define family diversity
The idea that families may vary in terms of their size, structure and internal organisation.
Define household
A group of people who live under the same roof. A single person living alone also constitutes as a household
Define Kin
People who are related by blood or family
The majority of the households in the UK are made up of
Families
What is a nuclear family
Family that consist of a mother and father who are married and their children. Fathers are the main earners of the family and are the ‘head of the household’. Mothers stay at home and tend to be full time housewives.
Has the nuclear family been declining
YES
What is argued about the decline of the nuclear family
It is argued that in the 21st century that there is no such thing as a normal or typical family and that the nuclear family is indeed in decline.
What family type is becoming more present in working class families
Extended families
How are extended families present in working class families
Because most families have strong relations with extended kin and would mutually support one another.
Male relatives might help others find jobs or lend one another money. Female relatives would help other female relatives with childcare.
What do Young and Wilmott (1973) say about extended family
They found that most these families had evolved into a new type of nuclear family called the symmetrical family in the 70s
What is a symmetrical family?
A type of nuclear family associated with Young and Wilmott in which the married couple share domestic labour and decision making.
What is Dispersed extended family?
Networks of nuclear families who may be geographically separated from one another but feel obligated to send time with one another still, like Christmas.
What is said about nuclear units and dispersed extended family
That even though most people are apart of nuclear units they are still members of dispersed extended family too. They can stay in contact via social media etc.
What do postmodernist sociologists say about family diversity
They argue that people have much greater choice and flexibility today in how they organise their personal and family lives. Consequently family diversity has become the norm - there are now many social groupings that qualify as families.
What are Lone-parent families
Single-parent families, that are mostly headed by mothers and their children (Normally stay with their mothers after divorce or separation)
Lone-parent families made up about…
a quarter of families with dependent children in 2013
What do lone-parent families often evolve into
Reconstituted families
What are Reconstituted families
A step-family formed by people with children from previous relationships marrying one another.
What are blended families
A type of reconstituted family in which the couple have their own children, for example step children may be supplemented with half-brothers and sisters.
How are reconstituted families made from lone parent families
As lone parent mothers often remarry or cohabit and their children acquire a step-father who may also bring children to the family.
What does Grant (2006) observe
That men are increasingly likely to be living with other mens children while their own grow up elsewhere
What are the ONS statistics on reconstituted families
In 2011 about 11 percent of families with children were reconstituted families.
What are LATs (Living apart together) family
A couple in a committed relationship who spend time together but live at separate addresses.
What does Taylor say about LATs
They are popular amongst young couples because they allow individuals to combine the freedom of living alone with the intimacy of being part of a couple.
