4a: What are the different types of family?

nuclear family

* ‘normal’ kind of family
* most common until 1970
* george murdock

extended families

* common in the past
* in decline now as a result of modern industrial society
* include more relatives than a nuclear family
* vertically extended family
* horizontally extended family
* used to live in a shared household or in the same household
* modified extended family

vertically extended family

more than 2 generations

horizontally extended family

* people of the same generation as parents and children
* aunts, uncles, cousins
* lots of children rather than lots of families

modified extended family

families with relatives that regularly communicate and visit to be able to stay in contact and have mutual support

single-parent family

* past: usually a result of death and temporary until parent found a new partner
* increase of single-parent families in modern industrial societies
* increased divorce
* women with more financial independence
* choosing to raise children on their own

reconstituded/step-family

* a reconstituded or s†ep family is created when a person marries again after death or divorce
* new relationships created: step parents, step children, step siblings, etc.
* a newer situation with unclear norms and values
* referred to as blended families

same sex family

* 2 adults of the same sex
* male/female gay couple
* usually raise own/adopted children
* modern industrial societies allow same sex couples
* these couples now have the same rights as heterosexual couples - property rights, welfare benefits
* in a marriage legally known as a civil partnership
* some countries haven’t legalised this, but partners may live in cohabitation
* lesbian couples find it easier to gain custody of children
* children with gay parents are no different to children with heterosexual parents
* lesbian couples are more likely to be accepted as parents compared to gay couples due to the importance of a mother

stratification and family diversity

* extended family strong associated with the working class
* areas with strong manual industries had strong working class communities
* normal for young people to marry and stay in the area with secure jobs
* these industries declined in the 20th century
* men lost jobs and women became main breadwinners
* some men took on domestic roles
* extended family ties weakened as families moved away in search of jobs

2 main minority ethnic groups

* african-carribean
* south asian

ethnicity and family diversity - african-carribean

* higher than average number of matrifocal families
* father plays a reduced role in bringing up children
* mothers are breadwinners
* women strongly supported by female relatives
* pattern began with slavery as women had to take on roles because men couldn’t provide
* absent fathers as a result of unemployment due to racism
* fathers couldn’t play instrumental roles

ethnicity and family diversity - south asian

* strong extended family ties - migration
* large families - have more children than the UK average
* traditional gender roles
* arranged marriages - parents decide who child marries

ethnicity and family diversity - european

higher birth rate than native british as a result of age as young adults and cultural differences

the loss of functions debate - functionalist view

* in order for societies to work, essential tasks must be performed
* the family carries out vital societal functions and is the bedrock
* argue the functions of the family are best performed in the nuclear family
* mother: main responsibility for emotional and home needs
* father: material and well being needs
* argue the gender division suits men and women
* studied how institutions have negative consequences and fail wider functions
* edmund leach
* nuclear families dysfunction can also be proved by extent and abuse within the family

functions of the family (by functionalists)

* reproduction - producing new generations
* socialisation - primary socialisation
* social control - controlling child behaviour
* care of children
* status - family status
* regulation of sexual behaviour

the loss of functions debate - criticisms of the functionalist view

* functions can be met by other types of families
* child care and socialisation is also taken up by other institutions
* most functions can be fulfilled by other institutions

the loss of functions debate - marxist view

* agree with functionalists about the family carrying out important functions
* disagree about functions
* argue the family functions cater to capitalist societies
* main focus: economy and world of work
* narrow view of family
* see family as an insignificant issue
* focused on by marxist feminists

functions of the family (by marxists)

* each generation is socialised into accepting capitalism in families
* the family brings up children - workers
* having families makes it difficult to go on strike - loss of support
* oppressed and alienated men at work compensate for their loss of control towards the family - anger and frustration on wives and children
* family is the main unit of consumption
* women are expected to look after sick - this keeps the workforce healthy and avoids the capitalist responsibility for healthcare

the loss of functions debate - feminist view

* nuclear family contributes to patriarchy
* men have a powerful and privileged role in society
* oppose traditional gender roles
* men benefit from the division of labour
* families socialise boys and girls into gender roles
* liberal feminist: equality can be achieved without fundamental change
* marxist & radical feminists: changes will unlikely achieve anything without society changing completely
* if families are based on male superiority then women should live away from men
* the anti social family (1982)

the loss of functions debate - new right view

* argues we need to return to nuclear family
* new diverse types of families are unable to fulfill functions of contemporary society
* place emphasis on the importance of children growing up in nuclear families
* changes undermining family functions:
* growth of one-parent families
* easy availability of divorce
* cohabitation - instable, impermanent
* rise of feminism - makes women unhappy with their role
* legal abortion - are pro life
* women going out to work - deprives women of their ‘natural’ roles and has negative effects on children
* homosexuality - deviant, moral decadence
* believes these changes are responsible for children failing in school, rising crime rates and dependency culture
* dependency culture: people rely on welfare benefits from the government rather than working for a living
* this disturbs the ‘natural’ order of family life
* politicians advocate cutting welfare benefits, encouraging women not to work and strengthening the idea of a male breadwinner
* advocated by ‘Families Need Fathers’ and other pressure groups opposing divorce
* has been strongly attacked by: pamela abbott, claire wallace, melissa tyler
* they favour tolerance and diversity
* argue in favour of rights of people to choose to live how they want

alternatives to the family

* one-person households (singlehood)
* communes
* friends as family (shared households)
* others

one-person households (singlehood)

the main types of people living alone:

* older widowed people whose children have moved awat
* middle-class women focusing on a career who marry later on
* separates and divorced men

this type of household has increased because of greater opportunities for women and availability of divorce

communes

* groups of individuals who live together and share space, meals and property
* often begin in an idealistic attempt for better living based on religious beliefs
* case study: oneida community

friends as family (shared households)

* some sociologists suggest people rely more on friends than family:
* friends establish independence
* play a greater part in support
* important for divorce
* people rely less on family ties because there’s now freedom of choice
* young people rely on friends of their age
* shared households
* exist for conomic reasons - taking out a joint mortgage and renting provides a household
* friendships are based on equality and reciprocity while families are unequal

others

nayar people of southern india - case study

variations in marriage

* monogamy
* polygamy
* polyandry
* serial monogamy

monogamy

* marriage between only one man and one woman
* the only legal type of marriage in most countries

polygamy

* involves 3 people at least
* two types:
* polygyny: man has several wives
* polyandry: woman has several husbands
* rational adaptations to unusual circumstances
* e.g. jacob zuma
* president of south africa
* married for the sixth time with 3 current wives
* polygamous marriage allowed in south africa

polyandry

* rare
* a woman marrying 2 or more brother (fraternal polyandry)
* prevents division and supports families
* nayar family system

polygyny

* widespread
* allowed by law in some countries
* islam allows a man to have 4 wives
* most marriages are monogamous as support is expensive
* wealthy men take more than one wife
* number of wives is an indicator of status and wealth
* first wife is a senior to other wives
* each wife may have a separate living compound

group marriages

* structured relationship between husband and wife
* 2 or more husbands and 2 or more wives

serial monogamy

* when someone has more than one partner over the course of their life but only one at a time
* common with the rise in divorce rates
* henry VIII

alternatives to marriage

* cohabitation
* civil partnerships

cohabitation

* 2 unmarried people live together in a sexual relationship
* 3 types:
* permanent
* short-term with no commitment
* trial marriages
* marriages are delayed for economic and educational reasons
* continuted social disapproval of extramarital sex

civil partnerships

* marriage of same sex couples
* formal union of sex partners and same regard to tax, pensions and inheritance as heterosexual partners
* in some countries these may be illegal

marriage trends

* fall in the number of marriages
* rise in the number of second and subsequent marriages
* decline in total number of marriages
* feminist argument: this shows that women are realising the

remarriage

* many people now remarry after divorce and death
* these create reconsistituted families
* a growing proportion of all marriages are now remarriage

marital breakdown

* large increase in divorce rate
* law has changed making divorce easier and affordable
* alternatives to divorce:
* separation
* desertion - partner leaves family
* empty shell marriage: couple live together with no substance to relationship

divorce trends

* divorce rate has increased by 3 folds in the UK as compared to 1970
* UK has highest divorce rate
* women decide divorce in the UK
* features of divorce:
* those who marry young
* working-class people are more likely to divorce
* strong religious beliefs - less likely to divorce
* reasons for the rise in divorce rates: (new right view)
* changes in the law
* changes in moral attitudes - general decline in moral standards
* decling of religion - secularisation
* decline of communities - lack of social rules
* reasons for the rise in divorce rates: (feminist and marxist view)
* women stay less as men don’t meet their expectations
* women don’t have to accept the traditional role
* women now know to support themselves
* changes in the law - working class can divorce

lone-parent families

* due to divorce and separation
* amount of support and contact a child has with an absent parent varies
* mostly women
* functionalist view: broken families, damage children, dysfunctional
* new right view: bottom of the social scale, condones crime, unemployment and antisocial behaviour, births an underclass
* large number of single mothers recieve government welfare
* see a large issue with lone-mothers raising boys than girls
* boys who don’t see men growing up are unemployed and irresponsible
* damaging pattern is passed on
* social instability
* children of lone-parents are associatedd with crime and inability to sustain relationships
* challenging the new right and functionalist view:
* lone parents are supported by other relatives and friends and provide a loving environment as compared to empty-shell marriages
* poverty is the largest factor for how kids turn out - children of lone parents don’t face as many issues as ‘normal’ children do
* feminist view: see the rise as a result of women rejecting the patriarchy and being able to raise children without men