FAMILY DIVERSITY AND THE FAMILY

Question 1

PERSONAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE-WHAT DOES CAROL SMART SAY?

Answer 1

• SAYS THAT STRUCTURAL THEORIES IGNORE THAT PEOPLE HAVE CHOICE IN CREATING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
  — INFLUENCED BY INTERACTIONIST IDEAS AND ARE MORE CONCERNED THE INDIVIDUALS POINT OF VIEW
  -TAKES A WIDER VIEW ON RELATIONSHIPS THAN JUST TRADITIONAL FAMILY ONES OR MARRIAGE TIES E.G PEOPLE MAY NOT FEEL CLOSE TO THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS BUT CARE FOR SOMEONE WHO THEY ARE NOT RELATED TO
  -SUCH AS FRIENDSHIPS,GAY AND LESBIAN CHOSEN FAMILIES,DEAD RELATIVES AND PETS

Question 2

WHAT IS CONNECTEDNESS THESIS?

Answer 2

-THE IDEA THAT OUR CHOICES ARE INFLUENCED BY OTHER PEOPLE AND WIDER SOCIETY, WE DO NOT HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Question 3

WHAT IS THE NEW RIGHTS VIEW ON FAMILY DIVERSITY

Answer 3

-OPPOSED TO FAMILY DIVERSITY, BELIEVE THAT THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS THE ONLY COORECT TYPE
- SEE THE NUCLEAR FAMILY AS NATURAL AND BASED ON FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, IN THEIR VIEW THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIETY

-OPPOSE COHABITATION,GAY MARRIAGE AND LONE PARENTHOOD AND ARGUE THAT THE DECLINE IN THE TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY AND THE GROWTH OF FAMILY DIVERSITY ARE THE CAUSE OF MANY SOCIAL PROBLEMS

-PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROWTH OF LONE PARENT FAMILIES, THEY SEE THEM AS HARMFUL TO CHILDREN ARGUING THAT:
*LONE MOTHERS CANNOT DISCIPLINE THEIR CHILDREN PROPERLY
* LONE PARENT HOUSEHOLDS LEAVE BOYS WITHOUT A MALE ROLE-MODEL
* SUCH FAMILIES ARE LIKELY TO BE POORER AND THUS A BURDEN ON THE WELFARE STATE AAND TAXPAYERS

Question 4

NEW RIGHT- WHAT DOES BENSON SAY ABOUT COHABITATION AND MARRAIAGE?

Answer 4

• ARGUES THAT COUPLES ARE MORE STABLE WHEN THEY ARE MARRIED
• IN BENSONS VIEW MARRIAGE IS MORE STABLE BECAUSE IT REQUIRES COMMITMENT TO EACHOTHER WHERAS COHABITATION ALLOWS PARTNERS TO AVOID COMMITMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY
• ARGUES THAT ONLY A RETURN TO TRADITIONAL VALUES CAN PREVENT SOCIAL DISINTEGRATION. AND DAMAGE TO CHILDREN
  REGARDS LAWS AND POLICIES SUCHAS EASY ACCESS TO DIVORCE AND WIDESPREAD AVAILABILITY OF WELFARE BENEFITS IS UNDERMINING THE CONVENTIONAL FAMILY

Question 5

CRITICISMS OF THE NEW RIGHT?

Answer 5

-FEMENISTS-THE CONVENTIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY FAVOURED BY THE NEW RIGHT IS BASED ON THE PATRIACHAL OPPRESSION OF WOMEN AND IS A FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE OF GENDER INEQUALITY
-THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT CHILDREN IN LONE-PARENT HOUSEHOLDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE DELINQUENT THAN OTHERS

Question 6

WHAT DOES CHESTER SAY ABOUT THE NEO-CONVENTIONAL FAMILY?

Answer 6

• SAYS THAT THE ONLY IMPORTANT CHANGE IS A MOVE FROM THE DOMINANCE OF THE CONVENTIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY TO THE NEO-CONVENTIONAL FAMILY
• CHESTER DEFINES THE NEO-CONVENTIONAL FAMILY AS A DUAL-EARNER FAMILY IN WHICH BOTH SPOUSES GO OUT TO WORK
• APART OF THIS CHESTER DOESNT THINK THERE HAVE BEEN ANY OTHER MAJOR CHANGES
• HE ARGUES THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT CHOOSING TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY ON A LONG TERM BASIS
• ARGUES THAT PEOPLE WERE EITHER PART OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY IN THE PAST OR WILL BE IN THE FUTURE
• SAYS THE EXTENT OF FAMILY OF FAMILY DIVERSITY IS EXAGGERATED AND THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS STILL DOMINANT

Question 7

POST-MODERNISM- WHAT DO POSTMODERNISTS THINK?

Answer 7

• WE NO LONGER LIVE IN A MODERN SOCIETY, AND WE ARE NOW IN A NEW CHAOTIC PHASE
  -IN A POSTMODERN SOCIETY THERE IS N ONE SINGLE DOMINANT FAMILY STRUCTURE
• SOME ARGUE THAT THIS DIVERSITY AND CHOICE GIVES PEOPLE GREATER FREEDOM TO PLOT THEIR OWN LIFE COURSE AND CHOOSE THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS THAT MEETS THEIR NEEDS
  -HOWEVER GREATER FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN RELATIONSHIPS MEAN GREATER RISK OF INSTABILITY

Question 8

POSTMODERNISM-WHAT DOES STACEY SAY?

Answer 8

-CARRIED OUT INTERVIEWS TO SEE HOW GREATER FREEDOM HAD IMPACTED WOMEN AND FOUND THAT THEY REJECTED THE HOUSEWIFE ROLE AND WERE INSTEAD CREATING NEW FAMILY STRUCTURES TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS SUCH AS THE DIVORCE EXTENDED FAMILY
- WOMEN TAKING MORE INITIATIVE IN MAJOR DECISIONS SUCH AS ENDING RELATIONSHIPS

Question 9

POST MODERNISM- WHAT IS INDIVIDUALISATION THESIS?

Answer 9

• ARGUES THAT FACTORS LIKE CLASS,GENDER AND FAMILY HAVE LOST INFLUENCE
  -THEREFORE PEOPLE ARE MORE FREE TO LIVE THEIR LIVES

Question 10

POST MODERNISM-WHAT DOES GIDDENS SAY?

Answer 10

-NOT A POST MODERNIST BUT INFLUENCED BY IT,- BELIEVES IN INDIVIDUALISATION THESIS
-ARGUES THAT FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS HAVE BECOME MORE EQUAL BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AND THIS HAS CREATED THE ‘PURE RELATIONSHIP’ WHERE COUPLES EXIST TO SATISFY EACH OTHERS NEEDS AND STAY TOGETHER BECAUSE OF LOVE INSTEAD OF TRADITION OR FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR CHILDREN

• ALSO DISCUSSES PLASTIC SEXUALITY- THE FACT THAT PEOPLE HAVE GREATER SEXUAL FREEDOM AS A RESULT OF CONTRACEPTION
• NOTES HOW WITH MORE CHOICE RELATIONSHIPS BECOME LESS STABLE WHICH INCREASES FAMILY DIVERSITY E.G LONE PARENT FAMILIES
  -SEES SAME -SEX COUPLES AS A REPRESENTATION AS THEY ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY TRADITION AND DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON CHOICE

Question 11

POST-MODERNISM-WHAT DOES BECK SAY?

Answer 11

• AGREES WITH GIDDENS THAT INDIVIDUALISATION HAS LED TO MORE PURE RELATIONSHIPS
• SAYS THAT THE NEGOTIATED FAMILY HAS REPLACED THE NUCLEAR ONE
  -NEGOTIATION FAMILY-COUPLES ENTER THE RELATIONSHIP ON AN EQUAL BASIS AND ARE FREE TO LEAVE IF THEIR NEEDS ARE NOT MET

Question 12

HOW CAN POST MODERNISM BE CRITICISED?

Answer 12

-PERSONAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE- EXAGGERATES THE EXTENT OF PERSONAL CHOICE SAND IGNORES EXTERNAL INFLUENCES(CONNECTEDNESS THESIS)