Sociology - Changing patterns in marriage and relationships

Levin - LATs

Living apart together families are now on the rise.

Individuals in a long-term, committed relationship who choose to live in separate households.

Reasons for living in LATs

- Existing responsibilities (children, elderly/sick relatives etc)

- Practical reasons (work, financial etc)

- Desire for greater independence and autonomy

Reasons for growth of LATs

- Changing individualisation

- Risk of conditions leading to a breakup

- Decline of marriage

Lone parent families

The breaking up of the nuclear family through divorce, separation, or death of one spouse.

in 2020, there were 2.9 million lone parent households in the UK.

Reasons for the rise of lone parent families

- Rising divorce rate

- Fewer marriages: unmarried, cohabitating partners are more likely to separate than married couples.

- No longer stigma around an unmarried woman giving birth. Society now accepts forms of family diversity.

O'Neill

Lone parents are more likely to come from working class backgrounds, have lower incomes, or live in poverty than lone-parent families.

Mann

45% of all black caribbean families in the UK were lone parent families, usually lone-mother families.

Functionalist view of lone-parent family

Not overly critical, support government policy to benefit lone-parent families in need of help. However believe that the traditional nuclear family can best fulfil all of the family functions.

Feminist view of lone-parent family

Traditional nuclear family structure is the product of patriarchal ideals, and exploits women. Supports the idea that women can freely divorce their partner and take care of their families alone if necessary.

However, lone-mothers may face emotional and financial difficulties.

New right view on lone-parent families

Negative views on the growing number of welfare-dependent lone-parents and blames a moral decline for the increasing number of separations and divorces within society.

Murray - if welfare benefits were less generous, couples would stay together and preserve the nuclear family.

Post modernist view on lone-parent families

Supports the idea - individualism

Reconstituted families

- A third of divorces will remarry.

- 10% of children in the UK live with a birth parent and a step parent.

- 6% of families with children are reconstituted families.

Classic extended family

The extended family has long been a fundamental part of human society.

Extends beyond the nuclear family and includes relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc

Offers economic, emotional and social assistance to its members.

Groups featuring extended family today

Traveller/gypsy community, south asian families

Modified extended family

The nuclear family and their relatives may live in different households, but due to improved technology can communicate instantly regardless of geographical distance. Transport is also easier.

Aging population - grandparents still help to take care of the children.

Beanpole family

Multi-generational family that is long and thin with less brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Results of aging population and decreasing birth rate. (better healthcare and contraception).

Single person households

Klinenburg - rise of solo living is due to increased individual choice that comes with increasing wealth worldwide.

30% of households in the UK are single person households

Most people who live alone are 65+ (widowed)

Increase of people 20-30 who live alone.

Why are people living alone?

Wealth - generated by the economic growth and social security provided by the modern welfare state.

Communication revolution - the internet allows us to stay connected with others, people aren't socially isolated by living alone anymore due to instant communication.

Mass urbanisation - Klinenburg nonconformists who join subcultures thrive in cities, people in single households that live close together can connect.

Increased longevity - spouses outliving one another.

South asian family statistics

3/4 of Asian British families have children, only 1/3 of White British families.

Male holds senior position

Berthoud: 3/4 of South Asian women are married by 25, only 1/2 of white women.

Arranged marriages

Low divorce rates

Heath

'Clipped wing generation' - children are less likely to follow the traditional life course

Increase of adults living at home with their parents

Rising property prices - cannot afford to leave home

Less independence, may start their own families later on

A03 - Neo-conventional family

Chester - whilst there has been an increase in family diversity, it is not as significant as it is thought to be.

The nuclear family still exists but with a division of labour between the male and female - dual earner family.

Most people still aspire to be in a nuclear family.

Changes in childbearing

Families are getting smaller and the birth rate is declining.

Women are getting older - 55% of mothers in 2017 were aged 30 or over when having children.

Some women are deciding not to have children due to changing attitudes such as independence, feminism, secularisation etc

Reasons for lower birth rate

Changing role of women - due to feminist movement, women now have more independence (socially and financially), greater aspirations, may want to put a career first etc

Individualism - child-free lifestyle for personal fulfilment

Costs - expensive to raise a child

Same sex relationships

Civil partnerships act - 2005

1/35 marriages are now same sex (2015)

Rapoports - family diversity

Ways family life is diverse

Organisational - The way a family might organise itself/refer roles

Cultural - families differ in beliefs and values (different cultural values etc)

Class - availability of resources, quality of housing, leisure opportunities etc

Life course - we live our lives differently and can go through various household types

Cohort - Norms for family life differ from generation, for example amount of siblings.