familiy diversity

Question 1

new right

Answer 1

• conservative and anti-feminist
• against family diversity as it arguably leads to social problems –>
  concerned with growth in lone parent families:
  lone mothers cant discipline properly, children are left without a male role model (leads to educational failure and social instability), these families are often poorer and so are more of a burden on the welfare state
• the only correct family type is the traditional, patriatrchal nuclear family, as it is natural and based on biological differences between men and women
• the family is a place of refuge and harmony

against cohabitation:
- lone parent families are a result of collapsing cohabiting couples
- Benson –> in the first 3 years of a babies life, breakdown of relationships = 20% cohabiting, 6% married

evaluation:
- Oakley –> wrong to assume that roles are biological, and are actually set in place to benefit the patriarchy
- Smart –> poverty may be the cause of breakdown not cohabitation

Question 2

functionalist

Answer 2

• the main type of family is the nuclear family as it out performs at functions
• other family types are dysfunctional or abnormal as they are less able to perform the functions

Parsons –> functional fit of the nuclear family in modern society, as the structure is uniquely suited to the needs for a geographically and socially mobile workforce. it completes 2 irreducible functions: primary socialisation of children and stabilistaion of adult personalities

Question 3

neoconventional family

Answer 3

Chester:

• family diversity isnt negative or significant
• the only change of importance is the shift to the neo-conventional family
• this a dual-earner family
• despite family diversity, the nuclear family is still the main aim for many
• people wont be part of a nuclear family for their whole life and so statistics can be misleading
• most people follow a “normal” life cycle –> raised by biological, married parents, growup to marry and have children

Question 4

5 types of family diversity

Answer 4

Rapoport and Rapoport:
- diversity is positive as it reflects great freedom of choice and acceptance

1- organisational diversity:
changes to the way that family roles are organised (joint/ segregated)
2- cultural diversity:
different cultural, reigious, ethnic groups have varied family structures (asian extended families)
3- social class diversity:
result of income differences (childcare options)
4- life stage diversity:
family structure based on the stage in the life cycle (newlyweds vs retired couples)
5- generational diversity:
diffrent generations can have varied views that reflect the period they have lived in (attitudes towards divorce)

Question 5

`post modernism

Answer 5

-modern society is now longer predictable and so we no longer see orderly structures such as the nuclear family
- family structures have become more fragmented and there is no longer a single dominant type –> this is due tp individuals having more choice in their lifestyle, relationships and therefore family
- a greater freedom of choice also increases the chance of instability

Stacey:
- more choice has benefitted women and enables themselves to be free from patriarchal oppression, changinging the family structure to fit their needs (like divorce extended family)

Question 6

individualisation thesis

Answer 6

• traditional social structures like class, gender and family have lost influence
• there are less fixed paths to be followed
• we have been freed/ disembedded from traditional roles
• Beck –> the standard biography has been replaced by a do-it-yourself biography

Question 7

pure relationship

Answer 7

Giddens:
- relationships are now based on individual choice and equality

the pure relationships isn’t bound by traditional norms, it:
- exists solely for each partners needs, and will only survive in the interest of each partner
- couples stay together because of love not duty
-however flexibility = istability

Question 8

negotiated families

Answer 8

Beck –>

• tradition has less influence and people are more aware of risk as they make more choices
• the traditional family was oppressive but also provided a stable and predictable basis for family life, this family has been undermined by greater gnder equality and individualism
• negociated family = hasnt conformed to the traditional family norm but varies according to wishes of members (making it more equal)
• individuals are free to leave if their needs arent met

Question 9

zombie family

Answer 9

Beck –>

• it appears to be alive but is actually dead
• people wish the family to secure in an insucure world
• but the family is too unstable itself