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which theorists are modernist?
functionalists & New Right
what is modernist?
see modern society as having a fairly fixed, clear cut and predictable structure
who does Parsons say about the nuclear family & modern society?
there is a functional fit between them as the nuclear family is uniquely suited to meet the needs of a geographically & socially mobile workforce
what two irreducible functions of the nuclear family does Parsons identify?
primary socialisation
stabilisation of adult personalities
who is opposed to family diversity?
the New Right
how does the New Right view the nuclear family?
as the one correct family type that is natural & the cornerstone of society
what are the New Right most concerned about?
the growth of lone-parent families
how are lone-parent families seen as harmful to children?
lone mothers cannot discipline properly
leave boys without an adult male role model
welfare dependency
what does the New Right see as the main cause of the lone-parent families?
the collapse of relationships between cohabiting couples
what did Benson do?
analysed data of parents of over 15k babies and found that over the first 3 years of their life, the rate of family breakdown was much higher among cohabiting couples
20% vs 6%
why do the New Right think marriage is more stable than cohabitation?
it requires a deliberate commitment
what does Benson argue the government must do?
encourage couples to marry by means of policies that support marriage
how does Oakley criticise the New Right?
wrongly assumes roles are fixed by biology as cross-cultural studies show great variation within the roles men and women take in the family
what are the weaknesses of the New Right?
conventional nuclear family is based on the oppression of women
no evidence that children in lone-parent families are more likely to be delinquent
marriage does not mean more commitment than cohabitation because it depends on the meanings given to the relationship
how does Smart criticise the New Right?
cohabitation is higher among poorer social groups so it might be poverty that causes the breakdown of relationships rather than the decision not to marry
who came up with the neo-conventional family?
Chester
what is the neo-conventional family?
dual-earner family in which both spouses go out to work
what does Chester say about family diversity?
people still aspire to the nuclear family and other family types tend to be temporary
what patterns suggest that people still aspire to the nuclear family?
most people live in a household headed by married couple
most adults marry & have children
most divorcees remarry
what do the Rapoports say about family diversity?
family diversity reflects greater freedom of choice and acceptance of different ways of life in today’s society
what 5 types of family diversity do the Rapoports identify?
organisational
cultural
social class
life stage
generational
