Families and Households Topic 3 - family diversity Flashcards
(21 cards)
Functionalist view on the modern nuclear family (one theorist)
Parsons sees the nuclear family as providing the best ‘functional fit’ for modern society. He believes it meets society’s needs due to the division of labour between a husband and wife:
Expressive - the wife takes care of domesticity, emotions and raises the children
Instrumental - the husband is the breadwinner and provides economic capital for the family
Two essential functions of the (nuclear) family:
- Primary socialisation of children: done more effectively with clear roles for the husband and wife
- Stabilisation of adult personalities: clear and definite roles are given to men and women, this keeps society functioning effectively and stops both the husband and wife from feeling lost
- Parsons believes that any other family type is considered to be dysfunctional, abnormal and even deviant
The New Right view on the modern nuclear family
Conservative and anti-feminist, they oppose family diversity and hold the view that traditional nuclear family is the best for society
They believe there are fundamentally biologically differences between men and women. They focus on lone parent families being problematic:
- Lone mothers can’t properly discipline their children
- Leaving boys without an adult male role model (educational failure, delinquency and social instability)
- Families are also welfare dependent and as such a burden on the tax payer and welfare state
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The New Right - cohabitation vs marriage (one theorist)
Benson (2006) found that there was a higher rate of family breakdown during a baby’s first three years for cohab couples (20%) whereas for married couples it stood at 6%
- Argues that marriage offers further stability as it involves a commitment, there are lower rates of divorce among married couples than the rate of breakups within cohab couples
- They believe we should return to traditional values, including marriage, laws and policies such as same sex marriage, divorce and welfare benefits as undermining the conventional family
AO3 - New Right nuclear family beliefs (two theorists)
Oakley (1997) challenges the idea that roles are biological - instead she looks at the cross culture studies that show the variation of roles men and women play.
Feminists argue that the traditional nuclear family favoured by New Right is based on patriarchal oppression and is the main source of gender inequality
Critics argue there is no evidence to show that children from one parent households are more likely to be delinquent than those brought up in a two person family from the same social class
Smart (2011) argues that the rate of cohabitation amongst poorer social groups is higher because poverty causes the breakdown of relationships
Neo-conventional family (one theorist)
Chester (1985) recognises that there has been some diversity in family types however does not see this as a negative change. He argues that the only major shift has been to a ‘neo-conventional’ family, the main difference being that there is a dual earner family.
Suggests that most people do not choose to live alternatives to the nuclear family - mainly up to their life cycles
Chester’s Midway theory (5 points)
- Most people live in a household headed by a married couple
- Most adults marry and have children, most children are reared by two natural parents
- Most marriages continue until death, divorce has increased but most divorcees remarry
- Cohabitation has increased but for most couples it is a temporary phase before marrying or re-marrying
- Although births outside of marriage have increased, most are jointly registered, which indicates parents are committed to bringing their children up together
The Rapoports (1982): five types of family diversity
- Organisation diversity: refers to the differences in the way families are organised e.g. joint conjugal, dual earner
- Cultural diversity: different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures
- Social class diversity: differences in family structure are partly the result of income differences between the households of different social classes
- Life stage diversity: family differs dependent on the life cycle e.g. newlyweds, couples with children
- Generational diversity: older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences that reflect historical periods
Cheal (1993) view on family diversity:
Says there is far more diversity than what modernists/ the Rapoports believe. We no longer live in a modern society that has clear and distinct structure, instead we are now in a chaotic, fragmented and postmodern era. We have many different fragmented family types and individuals have more choice and freedom to choose family types that suit them:
+ greater individual choice and freedom to plot their own life course
- greater freedom of choice means a greater risk of instability as these relationships are more likely to break up
Stacey (1998) Postmodern families:
Argues that greater freedom and choice has benefited women the most and they are the major agents in shaping the family to meet their needs and break free from the patriarchal oppression
E.g. women reject the housewife role - they work, return to education, divorce and re-marry
Divorce extended family (one theorist)
Family whose members are connected by divorce rather than marriage. May include former in-laws such as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
This example shows that postmodern families are diverse and their shape depends on choice
Morgan (1996) view on family diversity
It is pointless to make generalisations about families, like functionalists do, instead we must understand that family is simply whatever arrangements those involved choose to take
Life course analysis (one theorist)
Hareven (1978) found a method of research using in-depth unstructured interviews to understand and explore the meanings individual family members give to their relationship and the choices they make at various points in their lives
Individualisation thesis (two theorists)
Argues that traditional social structures such as class, gender and family have lost their influence over us. In the past peoples roles were very fixed which prevented them from choosing their own life course
We have now, according to Beck and Giddens become freed or disembedded from traditional roles and structures which leave us free to choose our own life courses
-> increased individual choices on families and relationships
The pure relationship (2 reasons, one theorist)
Giddens (1992) argues that in recent decades the family have been transformed by greater choice and equality:
1. Contraception has allowed sex and intimacy rather than reproduction to become the main reason for the relationship existence
2. Women have gained independence as a result of feminism and because of greater opportunities in education and work
Giddens (1992) views on the ‘pure relationship’
- It exists purely to satisfy each partners needs
- It will only survive as long as it serves both partners interests, therefore very unstable
- Stay together because of love and happiness not a sense of duty
- Same sex couples are leading the way towards new more equal relationships
- Pure relationships in the long run can lead to more lone parent families, one person households, divorces ect.
Beck (1992) ‘risk society’:
He argues we now live in a society where tradition has less influence and people have more choice, this results in people being more aware of risks and making choices involves calculating risks and rewards.
- greater gender equality - challenged male domination, women now expect equality at home and work
- greater individualism - peoples actions are now influenced by their own self interests instead of a sense of duty
‘The negotiated family’ (one theorist)
Family who do not conform to traditional norms but vary dependent on the wishes and expectations of their members - results in a more equal family but also makes the family less stable
AO3: Personal life perspective criticism of the individualisation thesis (three theorists)
Smart (2007) and May (2013) agree with Beck and Giddens that there is more diversity but disagree with the explanations they give:
- Individualisation thesis exaggerates how much choice people have. Budgeon (2011) notes that this reflects the neo-liberal ideology that we have complete freedom of choice when in reality traditional norms limit peoples choice
- The thesis wrongly sees people as free-floating it ignores that choices and decisions are made in social context
- The thesis ignores the structural factors such as class inequalities, patriarchal gender norms in limiting our relationship choices
Connectedness thesis (one theorist)
Smart (personal life perspective) - argues that we are social beings whose choices are made within a ‘web of connectedness’. We live within networks of existing relationships that strongly influence our decisions and range of options.
E.g. parents who separate remain linked by their children, often against their will
How gender and class can limit choices (connectedness thesis)
- After a divorce, the children are more likely to stay with the mother making it harder for her to form a new relationship, yet easier for the man
- Men are generally better paid which gives them greater freedom and choice
- The relative freedom of women and children in relationships mean they lack the freedom to choose so remain trapped in, for example, an abusive relationship
