Topic 6 - Family diversity Flashcards
(18 cards)
1
Q
what is the new right view on family ?
A
- strongly opposed to family diversity.
- Believe there is only one “correct” family type: A patriarchal nuclear family with: Married couple with dependent children and clear gender roles:
- they see this family as Natural”, based on biological differences. The foundation of society, providing stability, harmony, and emotional support.
- oppose, cohabitation, same sex, and lone parent
- they oppose lone parent due to lack of discipline from lone mothers and there being no male role models for the boys which leads to bad behavior and poor results in school, and it also increases poverty among these families as there is an alliance on the welfare state
2
Q
what is the new right view on cohabitation and marriage ?
A
- Cohabitation is unstable, and marriage is more stable.
- Marriage creates a secure environment for raising children.
- Benson found that 20% of cohabiting couples with a baby broke up within 3 years
- NR support marriage because marriage involves deliberate commitment.
- Cohabitation allows people to avoid responsibility.
- They want government policies to: Encourage marriage and discourage lone parenthood and easy divorce
3
Q
evaluation of new right perspective
A
- Oakley argues Gender roles aren’t based on biology – they’re socially constructed. And argues that the nuclear family is patriarchal, oppresses women, and causes gender inequality. Keeps women financially dependent on men.
Limits women’s career and decision-making power. - Critics argue there’s no evidence that children in lone-parent families do worse, if social class is considered.
- Cohabitation can be committed too, as some see it as a trial marriage
- Smart argues Cohabiting couples are more likely to be poor. So relationship breakdowns may be caused by financial stress, not cohabitation itself.
4
Q
what does Chester argue ?
A
- accepts that family diversity exists, but he argues it is not very significant or permanent. He believes the nuclear family remains the norm – just in a new, modified form.
- known as the neo conventional family which consists of 2 dual earners and is similar to the symmetrical family described by young and wilmott
- also notes that Most people still live in nuclear families, just not always at every moment in life
5
Q
what do the Rapoport’s argue ?
A
- argue that family diversity is central to understanding family life in modern Britain. They believe society has moved away from the dominance of the traditional nuclear family to a range of different family types
- They identify five types of family diversity
6
Q
what are the 5 types of family diversities according to Rapoport’s ?
A
- organisational diversity, refers to differences in how family roles are arranged. For example, some families have joint conjugal roles and both partners work, while others have segregated roles with only one wage-earner.
- Cultural diversity recognises that different ethnic and religious groups have different family structures. For instance, African-Caribbean families often have a higher proportion of female-headed lone-parent households
- Social class diversity highlights how family life varies based on income and class.
- Life-stage diversity means that a family’s structure changes depending on where individuals are in the life cycle. For example, newlyweds, couples with young children, empty nesters, and elderly widows
- Generational diversity refers to the different attitudes and experiences held by older and younger generations
7
Q
what is the modernist perspective on nuclear family ?
A
- Emphasise the dominance of the nuclear family in modern society.
- Take a structural or “top-down” approach: the family shapes the behaviour of its members.
- Individuals have little choice in their family roles.
- Most people are expected to: Marry, Have children and Raise them in a nuclear family
8
Q
what is the post modernist perspective on the family ?
A
- PM such as Cheal argue that society has entered a postmodern stage—chaotic, fragmented, and uncertain.
- No longer a single dominant family structure like the nuclear family
- Greater choice and diversity in: Family structures and Personal relationships
9
Q
what does Stacey argue ?
A
- Post Modernist argument
- Argues greater freedom has especially benefited women.
- Based on life history interviews in California.
- Found that women are the main agents of change in the family.
- Many women had: Rejected the traditional housewife/mother role. Pursued work and education.
Divorced and remarried. - As a result, they created new family types that suited their needs better than traditional forms.
- For example the divorce extended family
10
Q
What is the Individualisation Thesis ?
A
- Argued by Giddens and Beck
- Influenced by postmodernist ideas, particularly around choice and change in society.
- Explores the impact of increased individual choice on families and relationships.
- Traditional structures (class, gender, family) have less influence on individuals today.
- In the past, lives were shaped by fixed roles
- However today, individuals are disembedded from these roles and structures
- People construct their own “do-it-yourself biography”
- Greater freedom to choose lifestyle and relationships.
- Leads to greater family diversity and less predictable life patterns
11
Q
What does Giddens argue about choice and equality ?
A
- Argues family and marriage now based on choice and equality between men and women
- This is because of 2 key changes
- Contraception: sex is now more about intimacy, not reproduction
- Feminism: women have greater independence and opportunities in education and work.
- In the past relationships held together by laws, social norms, religion, and duty.
- Today: Couples define relationships themselves; less reliant on traditional roles.
- For example no need to marry to have children
12
Q
What is a pure relationship according to Giddens ?
A
- A new type of relationship based on individual choice and equality.
- Exists only to satisfy each partner’s needs.
- Survives as long as it is mutually beneficial.
- Not based on tradition, duty, or religion.
- Couples stay together for love, happiness, or sexual attraction.
- However, more choice = more instability
- Relationships can be ended easily and leads to greater family diversity such as lone parent families and one person households
13
Q
What is Giddens view on same sex couples ?
A
- believes same-sex relationships not shaped by tradition in the same way as heterosexual ones.
- They are often stigmatised or criminalised historically, so less bound by norms
- Allowed to create more equal and democratic relationships.
- Relationships built on choice, not tradition.
14
Q
What does Beck argue ?
A
- Beck argues we live in a “risk society” where tradition has less influence and individuals have more choice.
- People are now more aware of risks, as choices involve calculating risks and rewards.
- In the past, roles were fixed by tradition (e.g., lifelong marriage, traditional gender roles).
- The patriarchal family was: Unequal and oppressive
- But now has been undermined by greater gender equality and greater individualism, where people prioritise self interest over obligations to others
- He believes the negotiated family has replaced the patriarchal family as it does not conform to traditional norms
- Roles and expectations are based on negotiation between members.
- However it is more unstable because individuals can leave if their needs are not met
15
Q
what is a zombie family ?
A
- People turn to the family for security in a risk society.
- But the family can’t provide stability, because it is itself unstable.
- Because people have more chouce and freedom to choose their relationship so they can leave at any time
- Beck calls it a “zombie category” – appears alive, but is effectively dead.
16
Q
what do the personal life perspective argue ?
A
- Smart and May agree that family diversity has increased
- But criticise the individualisation thesis (Giddens and Beck).
17
Q
criticisms of individualisation thesis
A
- Exaggerates choice – traditional norms still influence people.
- Wrongly portrays people as independent – ignores social context.
- Ignores structural factors – like class and gender inequality.
- May’s critique: Giddens and Beck’s individual is an idealised white, middle-class man, not representative of all people.
18
Q
What is the connectedness thesis ?
A
- Proposed by Smart
- is an alternative to the individualisation thesis.
- argues We are not isolated individuals, but live in a “web of connectedness”
- Our choices are shaped by: Existing relationships, Personal histories, Family obligations
- Finch & Mason Found that people can negotiate relationships to some extent, but:
- They are still embedded in family connections and responsibilities.
- Also challenges Giddens pure relationship by arguing that relationships can never just end, for example separated parents remain linked by their children
- highlights how social structures limit choices: For example men getting more paid gives them greater freedom in relationships as a higher income means they gave greater independence and are less financially dependent on partners so they can leave more easily
