Theoretical Approaches to Family Diversity

Types of Family Diversity - The Rapoports

See family diversity as a response to people’s different needs and wishes

• Organisational Diversity: differences in how family roles are organised

• Cultural Diversity: different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures

• Social Class Diversity: differences are result of income differences between households of different social classes

• Life-Stage Diversity: family structures differ according to the stage reaches in the life cycle

• Generational Diversity: older & younger generations have different attitudes and experiences - reflect historical periods in which they lived

Functionalism

The nuclear family is the norm, while other family types are considered less capable and thus dysfunctional or deviant

Functionalism - Parsons

Nuclear family fits modern society by supporting a mobile workforce and performing essential functions

• primary socialisation of children

• stabilising adult personalities

The New Right

See the family as ‘natural’ and based on fundamental biological differences between men and women

The New Right - Murray

Traditional nuclear family is the cornerstone of society - growth of family diversity are the cause of many issues in society

• concerned about the growth of lone-parent families: incentivise welfare dependency and discourage marriage

The New Right: Lone-parent families

Harmful to children

• lone mothers cannot discipline their children properly

• leaves boys without an adult male role model

• more likely to be poorer and thus a burden on the welfare state and taxpayers

Lone-parent families result mainly from cohabiting couples’ relationship breakdowns

The New Right: Cohabitation - Benson

Found a higher breakup rate among cohabitating couples

• 20% compared to married couples 6%

Argue marriage provides a more stable environment for children due to its commitment and responsibility

Usefulness of The New Right

• Oakley: wrongly assumes gender roles are biologically fixed

• Feminists: nuclear family oppresses women and causes gender inequality

• No evidence shows lone-parent family children are more delinquent

• Carol Smart: Cohabitation is higher among poorer social groups due to poverty

Neo Conventional Family - Chester

The only important change is a move from the dominance of the traditional or conventional nuclear family to the ‘neo-conventional family’

• Gender division of labour has changed to a Neo-conventional one - dual earners and shared domestic labour

The extent and importance of family diversity has been exaggerated - Chester sees the nuclear family as dominant

Postmodern Views of the Family

There is no longer one single, dominant, stable family structure such as the nuclear family

• instead family structures: fragmented into many different types and individuals have much more choices in their lifestyles

Postmodern Views of the Family: Greater Diversity - Positive

It gives individuals greater freedom to plot their own life course - to choose the kind of family and personal relationships that meet their needs

Postmodern Views of the Family: Greater Diversity - Negative

But greater freedom of choice in relationships means a greater risk of instability, since these relationships are more likely to break up