Ethnic and cultural differences in family patterns

Married/civilly partnered families (2016)

• Highest proportion: British Asian families, 84%

• Lowest proportion: Black British families, 47%

Cohabiting families (2016)

• Highest proportion: White British families, 18%

• Lowest proportion: British Asian families, 2%

Lone parent families (2016)

• Highest proportion: Black British families, 43%

• Lowest proportion: British Asian families, 14%

Shaw (2014) - migrants bringing family patterns from their counrty of origin to the UK

• Family patterns change as migrants interact with the changing culture of Britain

Berthoud (2000) - changes to British culture

• Becoming more individualistic

  • This is impacting on patterns of family life amongst ethnic groups

Berthoud (2000) - British South Asian families compared to British Black Caribbean and White British families

Bhatti (1999) - izzat

• More trad. family life

• Higher rates of marriage and lower rates of cohabitation

• Younger marriage

• Higher TFR

• Arranged marriages common among Sikhs and Muslims

• Little interracial marriages

• Bangladeshi and Pakistani housewives usually full-time homemakers

• Higher rate of 3 generation households

  • Assisting kin seen as important. strong sense of duty to elders

  • Izzat (Bhatti) (family honour) very important, espcially in relation to daughters

Berthoud (2000) - White British families compared to British Black Caribbean and British South Asian families

• Lower marriage and fertility rates

• Smaller families

• Higher rates of cohabitation and divorce

• Arranged marriage basically unknown

• Interracial marriage common

• Post-marriage norm: set up a household

Berthoud (2000) - British Black Caribbean families compared to White British and British South Asian families

• Lower marriage rates

• Similar fertility rates to WB

• High rates of single parenthood

• High rates of interracial marriage, espcailly with WB

Berthoud (2000) - conclusions from comparisions

• Desipte differences, all 3 groups are basically moving in the same direction (towawrds modern individualism)

Changes in British Asian families - Bhatti (2002)

• Changing attitudes amongst young causing conflict with elders

  • E.g. sons marrying outside of their ethnic group

• Increasing rates of lone parenthood

  • 1991-2001 - LP Pakistani families 10% → 17%

Changes in British Asian families - Qureshi et al (2014; 2015) - Pakistani families

• 1st generation Pakistani migrants previously strongly opposed to divorce, now there’s a growing acceptance

• Cultural conflicts in arranged marriages are a source of instability and seen as risk

  • Between UK born and Pakistan born Pakistani spouses

• Attitudes not seen as individualistic in wider society but British Pakistani families are becoming less distinctive

Changes in Black British families - Berthoud

• Low rate of marriage and higher rates of divorce and separation key feature of Caribbean families

• High proportions of single parents

  • Continuation of matrifocal families with reliance on female and fictive kin

    • Often no men present in these households

Changes in Black British families - Reynolds (2002)

• Many SP families are stable and supportive

  • May have a LAT/visiting partner who plays a full paternal role

• Fluid and adaptive nature of black family relationships

  • Often transition into cohabitation/marriage

Changes in Black British families - Mirza (1997)

• High rate of LP Black families shows high value Black women place on their independence

  • Reflection of Berthoud’s idea that BBC families are leading the trand towards modern individualism and personal choice