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what perspectives are modernist?
functionalism and the new right as they see modern society as having a fairly fixed, clear cut and predictable structure. they see the nuclear family as the best family type, performing certain essential functions for society
functionalism - the nuclear family
Parsons - there is a functional fit between the nuclear family and modern society.
geographically and socially mobile workforce nuclear family performs the necessary functions for society AND the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities
in functionalist view, we can generalise about the type of family found in society - nuclear family with wife and husband having a division of labour → other family types considered dysfunctional since they are less able to perform the functions required of the family
the new right - the nuclear family
have a conservative and anti-feminist perspective on the family. they are firmly opposed to family diversity
they hold the view that there is only one correct or normal family type - the traditional/conventional patriarchal nuclear family with a clear division of labour.
the new right - view on the nuclear family and the domestic division of labour
see it as natural and based on fundamental biological differences between men and women. the family is a place of refuge and harmony
the new right and changes in the family
they oppose changes to the conventional nuclear family such as cohabitation, same sex marriage and lone parenthood. they argue that the decline of the traditional nuclear family and the growth of family diversity are the cause of many social problems
the new right and lone parent families
in particular concerned about the growth of lone parent families, which they see as the result of breakdown of couple relationships and are harmful to children:
lone mothers cannot discipline their children properly
lone parent families leave boys without an adult male role model → educational failure and social instability
likely to be poorer and this a burden on the welfare state and taxpayers
cohabitation versus marriage
new right claim that the main cause of lone parent households is the breakdown of cohabiting couples. Benson found that couples are more stable when they are married e.g. the rate of divorce is lower than the rate of breakups among cohabiting couples → marriage is more stable because it requires a deliberate commitment to each other
new right and conservative politicians - family and society are ‘broken’
only a return to traditional values including that of marriage can prevent social disintegration and damage to children
regard laws and policies such as easy access to divorce and same sex marriage, and welfare benefits as undermining the conventional family
argue that government needs to encourage couples to marry through policies that support marriage
criticisms of the new right
feminist anne oakley - new right wrongly assume that husbands and wives’ roles are fixed by biology
feminists also argue that the conventional nuclear family is based on the patrairchal oppression of women and is a fundamental cause of gender inequality. prevents women from working, keeps them financially dependent and denies equal say in decision making
no evidence that children in lone parent families are more likely to be delinquent than those brought up in a two parent household of the same social class
depends on the meaning of the relationship to those involved, marriage is not necessarily more valid than cohabiting
rate of cohabitation is higher among poorer social groups - maybe poverty is the cause of breakdown not the decision not to marry
Chester - changes in family diversity
recognised that there has been some increased family diversity. does not see it as significant or in a negative light. argues that the only important move is from the conventional nuclear family to the neo-conventional nuclear family
other than this, he sees no other evidence of major change - most people are not choosing to live in alternatives to the nuclear family on a long-term basis
most people have been or will be in a nuclear family at some point e.g. widow/young people who have not yet married
what is the neo-conventional nuclear family - Chester
a dual earner family in which both spouses go out to work, similar to the symmetrical family by Young and Willmott
Chester - evidence that little has changed
most people live in a household headed by a married couple
most marriages continue to death, divorce has increased but most remarry
cohabitation has increased, but is often a temporary phase
The Rapoports
argue that family diversity is of central importance in understanding british families today. they believe we have moved from the traditional nuclear family as the dominant type, to a range of different types
they see diversity as a positive response to people’s different needs and wishes, not as abnormal or a deviation from the assumed norm of a proper nuclear family
Rapoports - 5 types of family diversity
organisational diversity - different ways that roles are organised. e.g. joint conjugal roles or separate
cultural diversity - different groups have different family structures
social class diversity - differences in family structure are partly the result of income differences between households of different social classes
life stage diversity - differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle e.g. young, newlyweds, widows etc
generational diversity - older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences that reflect the historical period they have lived in
