Family diversity

What are the 5 types of family according to The Rapoport?

1. Cultural diversity

2. Life course analysis

3. Organisational Diversity

4. Generational Diversity

5. Social Class Diversity

What is cultural diversity?

Different cultures different norms → Asian families tend to be extended, Afro-Caribbean are matrifocal

Life Course Analysis

Hareven → family strides and organisations change as we go through our lives laughing the time of life we are at and our needs

Organisational Diversity

Refers to how the family is structured in terms of its members and power structures → who has the most power → lone parent, empty nest and nuclear

Generational Diversity

Shared historical experiences that a group has which will shape their family structure→ contraceptive pill or WWII

Social class diversity

Inequalities in lifestyle possibilities have increased since the 1980s → wealth and income have obvious impact in terms of the type of housing, room, financial problems

What are 6 causes of family diversity?

1. Changes in law

2. changes in social attitudes

3. changing role of women

4. secularisation

5. globalisation

6. material factors

Changes in law

P: Laws have given women more status and power in relationship and their own lives. This has led to increased family diversity.

E: For example, the legalisation of contraception in 1967 and the abortion act of 1969 has reduced family sizes. Additionally, the Divorce reform act gave women more choice over finding a new partner.

E: There is increased family diversity today and increased flexibility

Changes in social attitudes

P: Society is far more liberal and tolerant towards people of different identities today than ever before.

E: This may be explained by the rise of secularisation as religion has far less power over controlling somebody’s beliefs today.

E: Society has moved forward so cohabitation, same sex relationships and stay at home fathers are far more acceptable

Changing role of women

Rise in feminine and growing equality has given women more freedom and independence→ more symmetry → change of roles

Secularisation

The decline in the influence of the Church has lessened influence in the family → changes in church teachings have also had an impact → allowing contraception

Globalisation

As technology has advanced we have seen the rise of the dispersed extended family → close emotionally but not geographically → new types of family come to UK

Material factors

Greater affluence, greater geographical and social mobility → the greater economic independence→ increased lifespan

5 Theories of family diversity

1. Parsons - functionalist

2. Murray - New Right

3. Postmodernism

4. Stacey - Feminism

5. Chester - neoconvential family

Functionalism

P: Parsons argued the functional fit theory → it is not diversity yet the structure of changing to meet the needs of society

E: This allows family to continue to meet the needs of society at the present time.

New Right

P: Murray argues that diversity is the cause of society breakdown.

E: Only type of family is correct → patriarchal, nuclear family with a clear cut division of labour → husband is instrumental, wife is expressive

Postmodernism

P: Diveeisty is increasing and a result of growing choice and globalisation in the modern world.

E: Society has become individualiased due to development of medicine, technology and female equality.

E: Relationships are based on confluence love → pure relationship

Feminism

P: Stacey argued that growing diversity is a positive move for women.

E: Family diversity has allowed women to break away from traditional roles and create family arrangements which meet their needs

Neo-conventional family

P: Chester argued that statistics are misleading regarding the extent of family diversity

E: The neo-conventional family is becoming more common → nuclear but with more symmetry in division of labour

What are the 5 views on family diversity?

1. Functionalism

2. The New Right

3. Marxism

4. Feminism

5. Postmodernism

Functionalist

P: Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is the best family type as it is best suited to meet the needs of society.

E: Parsons argued the biologically determined expressive and instrumental roles. Additionally, primary socialisation + warm bath theory (stabilisation of adult personalities)

E: This creates social cohesion and stability → without it there is a breakdown of society

L: Nuclear family is the best

E: Functionalists overlook conflict within families, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and power imbalances.

The New Right

P: Oppose family diversity - only traditional heterosexual monogamous married couple with children → other types are abnormal and unnatural → breakdown of society

E: For example, the New Right are highly critical of single parent families → Murray argues that single parent families cannot provide discipline and are a burden on the welfare state → state replace the economic function of the family → allows people to have families that shouldnt → harms society

L: Nuclear family is best

E: The New Right blames single mothers and the welfare state for wider social problems, which can be victim-blaming and lacks nuance.

Marxism

P: Marxists argue that the family adapts to meet the needs of capitalism → always will continue to socialise children into being obedient workers and adults accept hard work, little authority for low pay → maximise profits

E: Zaretsky → unit of consumption

Feminism

P: Feminists view family diversity as positive → both men and women have more choice so men can choose to be househusbands and women can be the breadwinner → needs of family are met

E: Stacey Family diversity has allowed women to break away from traditional roles and create family arrangements which meet their needs. Feminists argue that rising family diversity weakens the dominance of the male breadwinner model. → ESCAPE PATRIARCHY

Same-sex and dual-earner families challenge fixed gender roles.

E: Women have more power within relationships → raising standards → can cohabit as no longer have to financially depend on partners → trial marriage to ensure a partner will treat them right

L: Family diversity gives women more power

E: Some family forms still reinforce female oppression.

Example: In lone-parent families, women often carry a double burden of paid work and childcare, sometimes without adequate state support.

Postmodernists

P: Individualism has results in people prioritising their own needs and wants above following traditional norms. → new types of family

E: Giddens argues that today relationships are based on ‘confluent love’ → couples stay together as long as their emotional and sexual needs are satisfied → rise of divorce, remarriage and cohabitation → decline of traditional nuclear family

E: Beck argues that we live in a risk society → make decisions based on risk and reward → traditional nuclear family was unequal but stable and predictable with clear roles and responsibilities → instrumental and expressive

E: Today we have a negotiated family → less stable and no traditional norms → leave if their needs aren’t met

L: Family is less stable

E: Weeks Most families are still very traditional

Black families single parents families

P: 57% of afrocarribean families are matrifocal compared to only 22% of White British

E: High rates of separation and divorce → more single families → over half of black males ages 16-24 are unemployed (may be explained by racism) → unwise to rely on a male partner → more financially beneficial to be single as no one relies on them → allows more independence

E: Postmodernists argue that this is a result of growing individualism → there is no traditional patriarchal nuclear family in black communities → not the same sense of duty or expectation

L: Higher rates of single parent

E: Not independent but a reliance on the welfare state

South Asian

P: Extended families containing 3 generations → grandchildren to grandparents → close-knit, wide support network, traditional family values

E: These are based on the expectation that couples will be heterosexual and will have children within marriage → often tends to be arranged and are matched by their parents based on status and background → displays respect for parents and family loyalty

L: Larger families

E:

Globalisation reasons

1. Travel

2. Technology

3. Trade

4. Increased risk

Travel

P: Globalisation involves cheap and fast travel → creation of low cost airlines like EasyJet → more linked with each other more than ever

E: More people travel to the UK to work so live in shared households → save money to rent a room → also international students → increase in one person households

No longer is as relevant today due to Brexit and more restrictions

Technology

P: Over 100 years, there’s been a rapid increase in technology and the internet has completely changed the world.

E: Therefore, families can contact with each other for free and instantly → WhatsApp, snapchat → easier to move abroad as you do not lose connections

E: This allows couples to stay together despite living in different countries → Living Apart Together and modified extended families →

L: Long term separation can put a strain → more divorce and separation

E: Quite rare

Trade

P: The creation of international bodies (European Unions and World Trade Organisations) has increased trade links.

E: More countries are buying from and selling to each other than ever before → countries are more interconnected and interdependent → rely on each other for resources

E: Decline of traditional nuclear family → both partners take advantage of new employment opportunities internationally → dual earner families will increase and more people living together due to high prices

Increased risk

P: Due to increased risk → more immigration

E: Harder to protect from radicalisation → Shamima Begum → predators can easily contact online or cheap travel through globalisation

E: Higher risk for trauma of grooming or exposer to natural distTwrs

L: Parents and children become more anxious→ try to avoid risk → paranoid parenting