modernism & the nuclear family

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