Families and Households: Family trends since 1900s Flashcards
(21 cards)
Functions of the Pre-Industrial Family
-**Parsons: pre-industrial family was largely extended in structure, since people depended on eachother for survival.
-families were cottage industries (work and home are the same)
-family was also multi-functional, performs several different roles.
What does Parsons claim about the family now?
-with industrialisation, there is changes in family structure and in the roles and relationships between family members. the many functions that the family once performed began to disappear (known as structural differentiation)
1) family becomes increasingly isolated from its extended kinship ties (much less need for a person’s family to perform health and education roles)
2) relationships become a matter of choice rather than a matter of obligation and duty. reduced need for families to depend on each other leading to families becoming smaller and nuclear.
3) extended family networks have also become redundant because modern industrial societies require a geographically mobile workforce
Evaluations on Parson view on pre-industrial and industrial families?
-has significance of extended families really disappeared? –> extended networks remain very important amongst modern British-Asian families.
-‘beanpole’ families are the new extended families. Julia Brannen uses concept ‘beanpole family’ in discussing inter-generational links between relatives.
Julia Brannen: ‘beanpole family’
-claims that extended family remains strong today
-inter-generational links between family members are strong.
-cost of living is increasingly expensive, Brexit was worsened the ‘cost of living crisis’ . High childcare costs mean ‘inter-generational support’ is needed.
Statistics on birth rates
-long-term decline in births in the UK since 1900.
-couples who do have children, now have fewer children than in 1900.
-fewer children born may result in greater child-centredness in families.
Why have birth rates fallen since 1900 (4)?
-changing position of women in society
-availability of contraception
-decline in the infant mortality rate
-increasing costs of living
Explanation for changing position of women in society
-spread of feminist ideas has seen more woemn deciding to focus on careers rather than starting families
-our society now accepts, and encourages, women to strike a balance between what they want from family life and their career.
-SUE SHARPE: rise in feminist movement
-SARAH HARPER:as girls grow up with a better, longer education, more likely to value careers and independence.
EVALUATION: Louis Archer claims girls from poorer, working-class backgrounds are more likely to continue embracing more traditional female identities, girls in her study valued the symbolic capital that having a boyfriend can bring
Points on availability on contraception
-since 1960s, contraception has been widely available on the NHS.
-this enables both men and women to have a greater degree of control over their fertility.
-many couples also delay having children, or decide not to have any at all, total fertility rate falls.
Points on decline in infant mortality rate
-health care and sanitation has massively improved over the years, there has been a fall in infant mortality.
-with babies more likely to survive, parents choose to have fewer of them. In the past, where infant mortality was much higher due to lack of immunisations and poor hygiene, babies were sadly expected to die young so parents had many children to reduce the impact that would have on the family.
Points on increased costs of living
-‘cost of living crisis’
-children were seen as economic assets since they could be sent out to work. Now, children are economic burdens
-consequently, couples decide to have fewer children.
What is the impact on families and society due to falling birth rates?
-a change in women’s gender roles have been taking place.
-greater economic independence among women, is, therefore a growing norm.
-as women delay childbearing in wanting an established career, their ‘fertile window’ narrows and a fall in women’s total fertility rate means fewer children will be born to them.
-parents are more likely to emotionally invest in children, growth in child-centredness
-impact on dependency ratio. in the short term, there are fewer dependents for the older, working population to support. in long-term, as children grow to become of working age, dependency ratio increases especially as they support those who have reached retirement.
EVALUATION: British-Asian families have high fertility rates.
Reasons for falling death rates (5)
-advances in health care
-improved nutrition
-improved education about poor lifestyle choices
-government welfare support
-public health laws and policies
Points on advances in health care
-BRUCE TRANTER:fall in death linked to infectious diseases such as smallpox. better treatments including immunisations have developed
-introduction of NHS in 1948 has also provided free healthcare.
EVALUATION: future of NHS? Waste and inefficiencies are contributing to the problem of overstretching the healthcare which is available. Puts future of NHS in jeopardy.
CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLE: In 2018, Theresa May announced tax increases of £20bn towards NHS
EVALUATION: research suggests that there was clear evidence of death rates falling in society before medical advancements grew.
Points on improved nutrition
-our awareness and understanding of diet and nutrition has improved, healthy eating campaigns.
-growth in the market for healthy eating lifestyles, began to lead to a cultural shift in people’s lifestyles.
EVALUATION: poorer, working class backgrounds cannot access high-quality foods in the same way that people from middle-class backgrounds can.
Points on improved education about poor lifestyle choices
-as health campaigns about dangers of smoking have developed, people have become more aware of lifestyle issues smoking will bring. Free support from the NHS has led to an increase in the numbers of smokers who are now trying to quit the habit.
EVALUATION: obesity has now replaced smoking as an epidemic, BBC News feature highlights how young people in Britain are now consuming on average 4,800 sugar cubes each year in their diet.
Points on government welfare support
-government welfare, including availability of social housing and minimum wage has an impact on death rates.
-welfare enables those at the very bottom of society access a standard of living that prevents life being even worse for them.
EVALUATION: welfare payments have been cut. The Institute of Fiscal Studies in London has recently reported that government welfare spending is currently at a 25 year low.
Points on public health laws and policies
-government laws and policies designed to improve people’s QOL are likely to have an impact on death rates.
-access to pure, clean drinking water and sanitation in homes have all helped to bring down death rates.
-also greater focus on environmental issues.
EVALUATION: World Health Organisation estimates 6 million deaths across the world can be attributed to Covid-19, showing fluctuations in death rates.
What impact has falling death rates had on individuals and society (an ageing population)?
-an ageing population: fewer births and falling death rates, Britain is experiencing longer life expectancy. As more people live to an increasingly older age, two separate age groups emerge among the elderly, the ‘young-old’ and the ‘old-old’. people in 60s-70s are considered healthy and fit, continue to work and rely less on the government. they are taxed reducing the dependency ratio.
-EVALUATION: ageism in society is a growing problem, although they continue to work, the prejudice and discrimination they face makes this difficult. However, changes in law have helped tackles the problem.
LORRAINE GREEN: INSTITUTIONAL AGEISM –> ‘institutional ageism is embedded in British society and involves systematic stereotyping and discrimination of Britain’s homes. Media reports have exposed huge scandals in Britain’s care homes, estimates suggest 1 in every 10 elderly people has experienced some form of mistreatment from a carer or family member.
What impact has falling death rates had on individuals and society (availability of inter-generational support)?
-JULIA BRANNEN: beanpole families –> research points to a shifting trend in typical family structures in modern Britain. With growing life expectancy, the typical family now seems ‘thin and stretched’. With the ‘young-old’ also being healthy, the inter-generational support they provide is invaluable.
-as couples feel the economic pressure to both be at work, grandparents are increasingly looking after their children, creating huge savings in costs.
-BBC NEWS REPORT 2017: research from Uni of Birmingham found that women’s participation in the workforce increased by 26% in cases where parents-in-laws were able to help with childcare. Single mothers were especially reliant on inter-generational childcare support.**
What are the drawbacks of an ageing population?
-poor health +loneliness: huge increases in dementia cases in Britain. Loneliness in old age is a growing problem, and links to an increase in mental health problems.
-Uni of Vienna, claims that 8 hrs of loneliness can be as draining for some people as going without food
-**problems with the dependency ratio: **growing elderly population has had a negative effect on the dependency ratio. **As more people enter retirement, governments have found it difficult to find enough money to ensure that state pensions are paid, and that standard of living is high. GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOW ALSO MADE IT COMPULSORY OR BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS TO PRIVATE PENSION SCHEMES FOR THEIR STAFF, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO RESULT IN FEWER PEOPLE RELYING SOLELY ON THE STATE PENSION.
Donald Hirsch: impact of an ageing population
-takes a New Right view,
