(Family and Households)-Family Patterns

Question 1

What are some major changes in family and household patterns over the past 40-50 years?

Answer 1

Divorce rates have increased, fewer first marriages but more remarriages, a decline in traditional nuclear family households, more cohabiting couples, legal recognition of same-sex relationships, women having fewer children and having them later, and an increase in lone-parent families.

Question 2

divorce

What has been the trend in divorce rates in the UK since the 1960s?

Answer 2

Divorce rates have significantly increased, doubling between 1961 and 1969, and again by 1972, peaking in 1993 at 165,000.

Question 3

What percentage of divorce petitions come from women?

Answer 3

About 65% of divorce petitions now come from women, compared to only 37% in 1946.

Question 4

What changes in the law have contributed to the increase in divorce rates?

Answer 4

Changes include equalizing the grounds for divorce between sexes, widening the grounds for divorce, and making divorce cheaper.

Question 5

What is secularisation in the context of divorce?

Answer 5

Secularisation refers to the decline in the influence of religion, leading to less opposition to divorce from religious institutions.

Question 6

How has stigma around divorce changed since the 1960s?

Answer 6

There has been a rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce, making it more socially acceptable.

Question 7

What do feminists argue about the causes of high divorce rates?

Answer 7

Feminists argue that the dual burden of paid work and domestic labor creates conflict between husbands and wives, leading to higher divorce rates.

Question 8

What is the individualisation thesis regarding divorce?

Answer 8

The individualisation thesis suggests that traditional norms lose their hold, leading individuals to prioritize personal fulfillment over staying in a marriage.

Question 9

What are some changes in marriage patterns in recent years?

Answer 9

Fewer people are marrying, more remarriages are occurring, and people are marrying later.

Question 10

What reasons contribute to changing patterns of marriage?

Answer 10

Changes in the position of women, secularisation, and declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage.

Question 11

What is the trend in cohabitation in the UK?

Answer 11

The number of cohabiting couples is increasing, with 2.9 million cohabiting heterosexual couples in Britain.

Question 12

What factors have contributed to the increase in cohabitation?

Answer 12

Decline in stigma attached to premarital sex, increased career opportunities for women, and changing views on marriage.

In 1989, only 44%of people agreed that ‘premarital sex is not wrong at all’ but 65% took this view by 2012

Question 13

What is the estimated percentage of the adult population in same-sex relationships?

Answer 13

About 5 to 7% of the adult population have same-sex relationships.

Question 14

What is a ‘chosen family’ according to Jeffery Weeks?

Answer 14

A ‘chosen family’ is a kinship network based on friendship, offering security and stability similar to heterosexual families.

Question 15

What is the trend regarding one-person households?

Answer 15

There has been a significant rise in one-person households, with 7.7 million people living alone in 2013.

Question 16

What is ‘living apart together’ (LAT)?

Answer 16

LAT refers to individuals in a significant relationship who are not married or cohabiting, making up about one in 10 adults.

Question 17

registration

What percentage of children are now born outside marriage?

Answer 17

Nearly 47% of all children are now born outside marriage, with most births jointly registered by both parents.

Question 18

LAT

What factors influence whether couples live together?

Answer 18

Both choice and constraints play a part. Some couples may not afford to live together, while a minority actively choose to live apart for reasons such as wanting to keep their own home or due to previous troubled relationships.

Question 19

1986

What percentage of children are now born outside marriage?

Answer 19

Nearly half (47%) of all children are now born outside marriage, which is over twice as many as in 1986.

Question 20

How are births outside marriage typically registered?

Answer 20

Nearly all births outside marriage are jointly registered by both parents, with most cases involving cohabiting parents.

Question 21

What trend is observed regarding the age of women at the birth of their first child?

Answer 21

Women are having children later, with the average age at the birth of their first child rising by four years to 28.1 years between 1971 and 2012.

Question 22

What is predicted about childlessness for those born in 1973?

Answer 22

It is predicted that a quarter of those born in 1973 will be childless by the age of 45.

Question 23

Reasons for changes in childbearing

What are some reasons for the increase in births outside marriage?

Answer 23

Reasons include a decline in stigma and an increase in cohabitation; only 28% of 25-34 year olds believe marriage should precede parenthood.

Question 24

Reasons for changes in childbearing

What reflects women’s changing options regarding motherhood?

Answer 24

The later age at which women are having children, smaller family sizes, and more women remaining childless reflect that women now have more options than just motherhood.

Question 25

What percentage of families with children are lone-parent families?

Answer 25

Lone-parent families now make up 22% of all families with children.

Question 26

# Lone-parent families Who heads over 90% of lone-parent families?

Answer 26

Over 90% of lone-parent families are headed by lone mothers.

Question 27

What change occurred in the demographics of lone mothers in the early 1990s?

Answer 27

Single (never married) women became the biggest group of lone mothers, overtaking divorced women.

Question 28

How does living with a lone parent affect a child's likelihood of poverty?

Answer 28

A child living with a lone parent is twice as likely to be in poverty as a child living with two parents.

Question 29

What has contributed to the rise in lone-parent families?

Answer 29

The rise is due to increases in divorce, separation, and the number of never-married women having children.

Question 30

# Lone-parent families What does Jean Renvoize's research suggest about lone mothers?

Answer 30

Many lone-parent families are female-headed because mothers are single by choice and can support their child without the father's involvement.

Question 31

What did Ellis Cashmore find regarding working-class mothers?

Answer 31

Some working-class mothers with less earning power chose to live on welfare benefits without a partner, often due to past abuse.

Question 32

What is Charles Murray's view on lone-parent families and the welfare state?

Answer 32

Murray argues that the growth of lone-parent families results from an over-generous welfare state that creates a dependency culture.

Question 33

What do critics say about Murray's views on welfare benefits?

Answer 33

Critics argue that welfare benefits are necessary as lone-parent families are more likely to be in poverty due to lack of affordable childcare and failure of fathers to pay maintenance.

Question 34

What percentage of families with dependent children are stepfamilies?

Answer 34

Stepfamilies account for over 10% of all families with dependent children in Britain.

Question 35

What is the composition of children in stepfamilies?

Answer 35

In 85% of stepfamilies, at least one child is from the woman's previous relationship.

Question 36

What issues do stepfamilies face according to Graham Allan and Graham Crow?

Answer 36

Stepfamilies may face problems of divided loyalties and tensions related to contact with the non-resident parent.

Question 37

# Ethnic differences in family patterns What is a notable demographic characteristic of Black families in the UK?

Answer 37

Black Caribbean and Black African families have a higher proportion of lone-parent households, In 2012, just over half of families with dependent children headed by a black person were lone-parent families. This compared with only one in nine Asian families and just under a quarter for the population as a whole.

Question 38

What historical context is given for the high rate of female-headed lone-parent black families?

Answer 38

It is argued that the legacy of slavery established a pattern of family life that persists today, with children often remaining with their mothers.

Question 39

What does Heidi Safia Mirza argue about lone-parent families among blacks?

Answer 39

Mirza argues that the higher rate of lone-parent families among blacks reflects the high value that black women place on independence, not disorganisation.

Question 40

How do Asian households compare in size to other ethnic groups?

Answer 40

Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian households tend to be larger, averaging 4.4, 4.3, and 3 people per household, respectively.

Question 41

# value What cultural factors contribute to larger Asian households?

Answer 41

Larger household sizes reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian cultures, with high rates of marriage and fertility.

Question 42

# Ethnic differences in family patterns What did Roger Ballard find about extended family ties among Asian migrants?

Answer 42

For example, Roger Ballard(1982) found that extended family ties provided an important source of support among Asian migrants during the 1950s and 1960s. In this early period of migration, houses were often shared by extended families. Later, although most Asian households were now nuclear, relatives often lived nearby. There was frequent visiting, and kinship networks continued to be a source of support.

Question 43

What is the current status of the extended family in the UK according to functionalists?

Answer 43

Functionalists argue that the extended family was dominant in pre-industrial society but has been replaced by the nuclear family in modern society.

Question 44

# Extended family What does Nicki Charles's study reveal about three-generation families?

Answer 44

Charles found that the classic three-generation family living together is now 'all but extinct,' with exceptions in the Bangladeshi community.

Question 45

# Extended family What does Peter Wilmott argue about the extended family today?

Answer 45

Wilmott argues that the extended family continues to exist as a dispersed unit, with relatives maintaining contact despite geographical separation.

Question 46

What is a beanpole family?

Answer 46

A beanpole family is described as 'long and thin,' extended vertically through three or more generations without involving aunts, uncles, or cousins.

Question 47

What demographic changes contribute to the existence of beanpole families?

Answer 47

Increased life expectancy and smaller family sizes contribute to the prevalence of beanpole families.