The individualisation thesis

Giddens (glass half full) and Beck (glass half empty) (influenced by PoMo)

• Effects of increased choice on families and relationships can be called the individualisation thesis

• Traditional social structures (class, gender, family) have lost their influence over us

• Past: lives defined by fixed roles

  • Expectation to marry and conform to gender roles

  • Prevented from creating own life course

• Today: fewer roles and certainties to follow

  • We’ve become freed/disembedded from trad. roles and structures by our freedom to choose

Beck (1992)

• ‘Standard biography’ life course → ‘DIY biography’ that we construct for ourselves

CRITICISM: of individualisation thesis

PLP perspective - Budgeon (2011)

• Exaggerates extent of choice that people have in families and relationships today

  • Reflection of neoliberal ideology that individuals have complete freedom of choice

    • Reality: trad. norms that limit relationship choices haven’t weakened as much as the IT claims

• Wrongly sees people as disembodied/free floating/independent individuals

  • Ignores fact that we make decisions within a social context

• Ignores importance of structural factors such as class inequality and patriarchal gender norms

CRITICISM: of individualisation thesis

PLP perspective - May (2013)

• View of Beck and Giddens is an idealised version of that of a white M/C man

  • Ignores the fact that not everyone has the same ability to exercise choice

• Structures that control our lives are not weakening but being reshaped

  • Despite having more rights and equality now, women still do not ‘have it all’

CRITICISM: of individualisation thesis

Einsadottir (2011)

• Weakening of structures (as said by May)

• Lesbianism is now tolerated but heteronormativity means lesbians feel forced to remain closeted

  • This limits their choices about their relationship and lifestyles