Family and Households Flashcards
(21 cards)
Family and households definition
A family is a group of people related by blood, marriage, civil partnership, or adoption.
A household is a group of people who live together and share living arrangements.
Nuclear family
Definition: A family consisting of two parents (a mother and father) and their biological or adopted children.
Examples: The traditional family structure, often seen in Western societies.
Key Theorists:
Talcott Parsons - Argued that the nuclear family is essential for maintaining societal stability, providing primary socialisation and stabilising adult personalities.
Extended family
Definition: A family structure that includes relatives beyond the nuclear family, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Examples: Grandparents living with their children and grandchildren, or extended families living close by and maintaining strong ties.
Key Theorists:
Willmott & Young (1973) - Found that extended families played a supportive role in working-class communities, offering emotional and economic support.
Reconstituted (Blended) Family
Definition: A family formed when one or both partners have children from previous relationships.
Examples: A stepmother, father, and children from previous marriages.
Key Theorists:
Zaretsky (Marxist) - Saw reconstituted families as a form of family diversity, shaped by the capitalist system.
Criticism: The challenges of blended families often involve adjusting to new family dynamics and negotiating complex roles.
Single-Parent family
Definition: A family where one parent is solely responsible for raising the children.
Examples: A single mother raising her children after divorce or choosing to raise them alone.
Key Theorists:
Feminists argue that the rise of single-parent families is a sign of women’s liberation and the empowerment to raise children independently.
Criticism: Single-parent families may face economic challenges and have to deal with the stigma of not fitting the traditional family norm.
Same-Sex family
Definition: Families where the parents are of the same sex, and they may have children through adoption, surrogacy, or previous heterosexual relationships.
Examples: Two women or two men raising children together.
Key Theorists:
Feminists and Postmodernists highlight that same-sex families challenge traditional gender roles and showcase family diversity.
Beanpole family
Definition: A type of extended family structure with multiple generations but fewer children per generation.
Examples: Older people living longer but having fewer children, resulting in long chains of family members across generations.
Key Theorists: Harper - Found that the increase in life expectancy has led to more generations within families but fewer children, creating a beanpole structure.
Cohabiting families
Definition: A family in which a couple lives together without marrying, often having children together.
Examples: Two unmarried parents raising children together.
Key Theorists:
Chester - Argued that although cohabitation is rising, many people still eventually move toward marriage or long-term commitments.
The new right view on the family
Definition: The New Right perspective sees the nuclear family as the ideal family structure, necessary for maintaining social order and moral stability.
Beliefs:
The traditional nuclear family is based on clear gender roles, with men as the breadwinners and women as homemakers.
Social problems, such as crime and juvenile delinquency, are linked to the decline in the traditional family model.
Key Theorists:
Charles Murray (New Right) - Argued that the rise of single-parent families and welfare dependency contributes to social breakdown, suggesting that traditional family values should be reinforced.
Criticism: The New Right perspective is criticised for being conservative and for idealising the past, ignoring the diverse nature of families and social problems that go beyond family structure.
The functionalist view on the family
Definition: Functionalism views the family as a vital institution that maintains social stability and order.
Key Theorists:
Talcott Parsons - Argued that the family performs two essential functions:
1. Primary Socialisation: Instilling societal norms and values in children.
2. Stabilisation of Adult Personalities: Offering emotional support to help adults cope with stress.
Criticism: Functionalism is critiqued for its idealisation of the nuclear family and ignoring the negative aspects of family life, such as domestic violence.
The Marxist View of the Family
Definition: Marxists view the family as serving the interests of the capitalist system, perpetuating social inequality and maintaining the power of the ruling class.
Beliefs:
The family supports capitalism by socialising children to accept the hierarchical structures of society.
The family acts as a unit of consumption, helping to reproduce and maintain the capitalist economy through consumer goods.
Women’s oppression: Marxists, like Engels, argue that the family serves the interests of the capitalist economy by ensuring reproduction of the labour force.
Key Theorists:
Engels - Argued that the rise of the nuclear family marked the beginning of women’s oppression in capitalist societies.
Zaretsky - Saw the family as a key institution that supports capitalism and helps the ruling class maintain control.
The Feminist View of the Family
Definition: Feminists argue that the family serves the interests of men and upholds gender inequality within society.
Beliefs:
The family reinforces patriarchy by maintaining traditional gender roles where men have power and control.
Women are expected to perform unpaid domestic labour and are often economically dependent on their male partners.
The nuclear family is seen as a site of women’s oppression, particularly with regard to domestic labour and childcare.
Key Theorists:
Kate Millett - Argued that the family is a key site of patriarchal oppression.
Ann Oakley - Critiqued the traditional division of labour in families and how it keeps women confined to domestic roles.
Wilkinson - Discussed how family life contributes to gender inequality and domestic violence.
The Postmodernist View of the Family
Definition: Postmodernists see the family as diverse and fluid, influenced by individual choice, personal relationships, and the decline of traditional norms.
Beliefs:
Families no longer follow a set structure; there is a plurality of family forms based on personal choice.
Postmodernists argue that family structures are increasingly flexible, with people able to create relationships that suit their needs rather than conforming to traditional norms.
The family is a site of diverse relationships where roles are negotiated, and the emphasis is on individual fulfilment.
Key Theorists:
David Cheal - Argued that in postmodern society, the family is a negotiated institution with fewer clear-cut roles and expectations.
Ulrich Beck - Believed that family structures are no longer predictable or based on fixed gender roles; families are more individualised in contemporary society.
Changing in family patterns (Decline in Marriage)
Definition: There has been a significant decline in the institutionalisation of marriage in many Western societies.
Impact:
Fewer people are getting married today, with marriage being delayed or rejected in favour of other forms of commitment, like cohabitation.
Changing social norms, such as individualisation and secularisation, have led to less emphasis on marriage as the only socially acceptable way of organising relationships.
Some sociologists argue that personal choice is now prioritised over traditional marriage vows.
Key Theorists:
Chester - Observed that marriage rates have declined, but this doesn’t mean people are rejecting family life altogether. Many still view cohabitation as a precursor to marriage.
Changing in family patterns (Increase in Divorce)
Definition: The divorce rate has risen significantly in the past few decades.
Impact:
There is greater social acceptance of divorce, with people more willing to leave unhappy marriages.
Economic independence, particularly for women, has made it easier for individuals to exit unhappy or abusive relationships.
Divorce rates are often used as evidence of the fragility of family relationships in modern society.
Key Theorists:
Giddens - Believed that the rise in divorce was part of a wider transformation of intimacy, where personal happiness and individual fulfilment are prioritised.
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim - Argued that divorce is a consequence of individualisation, as people are no longer bound by traditional roles or norms in relationships.
Changing in family patterns (Rise in Cohabitation)
Definition: More couples are living together without getting married.
Impact:
Cohabitation is now seen as a legitimate alternative to marriage, with many young people opting for it as a step before marriage or as a long-term arrangement.
Cohabitation has led to the rise of serial monogamy, where individuals engage in multiple long-term relationships rather than lifelong marriages.
Cohabitation rates are higher among younger generations, who view living together as a more flexible and less formal commitment than marriage.
Key Theorists:
Chester - Believes that cohabitation does not fundamentally challenge traditional family values, but serves as an alternative form of commitment before marriage.
Changing in family patterns (Increase in Single-Parent Households)
Definition: A single-parent household is where only one parent raises the children.
Impact:
Divorce and unmarried motherhood have contributed to the rise in single-parent households.
Many single parents are women, though the number of single-fathers is increasing.
Single-parent households are often more economically disadvantaged, with many single mothers relying on state benefits.
Key Theorists:
New Right (e.g., Charles Murray) - Views single-parent households negatively, linking them to increased poverty and social problems.
Feminist perspectives see single-parent families as a reflection of women’s independence and an alternative family model.
Secularisation
Secularisation refers to the decline of religious influence on society.
As society becomes more secular, traditional religious views on marriage, gender roles, and family structure lose their significance.
Many people now reject religious authority when it comes to family matters, allowing for more flexible and diverse family structures.
Secularisation has contributed to the rise of cohabitation, the decline in marriage and church weddings, and more liberal attitudes towards family life.
Economic factors
Economic independence: Women’s increased participation in the labour market has led to changes in family patterns, such as delayed marriage, delayed childbearing, or choosing to live independently.
Changing role of women: As women gain greater economic autonomy, they are more likely to challenge traditional gender roles in the family.
Increased living costs: Rising housing and childcare costs contribute to delayed marriage and childbearing, as many individuals opt for financial stability before starting families.
Welfare state: Government benefits and support structures, like single-parent benefits and child allowances, have made it easier for individuals, particularly women, to live outside of traditional family structures.
ONS Statistics (Family and Households - UK)
Total Families (2023): 19.5 million families in the UK.
Married or Civil Partnered Couples Without Children: 7.96 million families (most common family type).
Married or Civil Partnered Couples With Dependent Children: 5.21 million families.
Lone-Parent Families: 3.1 million (18.7% of all families).
85.9% are mother-led, 14.1% are father-led.
Stepfamilies (Blended Families): 781,000 (70% contain dependent children).
Same-Sex Couple Families: Increasing but still a minority.
Key Laws Relating to Families
Parental Responsibility (Children Act 1989)
Mothers automatically have it.
Fathers get it if married to the mother or on the birth certificate.
Family Law Act 1996
Covers divorce, separation, and family mediation.
Matrimonial Causes Act 1973
Defines grounds for divorce and financial settlements.
Adoption and Children Act 2002
Allows unmarried and same-sex couples to adopt.
Civil Partnership Act 2004
Legal recognition for same-sex couples before marriage equality.
Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013
Legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
