Chester (1985) and the neo-conventional family

Chester’s views on family diversity

• Rise of family diversity in recent years is neither significant or negative

• Important change: move from PNF (‘conventional family’) as dominant to the ‘neo-conventional family’

The conventional family

• Nuclear as described by the NR and Parsons (patriarchal)

The neo-conventional family

• Dual earning symmetrical family, similar to that described by Young and Wilmott

Major changes in family patterns and diversity

• Very little, extent and importance has been exaggerated

• Most people still don’t choose to live in alt. family types long-term (e.g. lone parent)

• Nuclear family still seen as an ideal that most people aspire to and spend a major part of their lives in

  • Although people aren’t part of it at any one time, this is due to the lifecycle

    • E.g. single-person households could be elderly widows (were part of NF for many years before), divorced men (were part of a NF family) or young people who are yet to be married (will be part of a NF in the future)

• Statistics about households are misleading and don’t show this as are simply a snapshot

Evidence of lack of major changes in family patterns

• Most adults live in a household headed by a married couple

• Most adults marry and have children

• Most children are raised by their biological parents

• Most marriages are ended by death, not divorce

• Most divorced people remarry

• Most cohabitants treat it as a pre-marital temp. stage

• Most couples get married before they have children

• Most births outside marriage are jointly registered and the parents bring the child up as a couple

Actual change to family patterns

• NF still dominant but now neo-conventional, not conventional (Parsons → Young and Wilmott)