personal life perspective

• sociologists (Smart & May) agree that...

  -there's now more family diversity
• sociologists (Smart & May) disagree with Becks & Giddens...


  -disagree with their explanation of family diversity

  -criticise the individualisation thesis
• criticisms of individualisation thesis


  -exaggerates how much choice people have about family relationships

  -wrongly sees people as disembedded, independent individuals

  -ignores the importance of structural factors such as social class inequalities & patriarchal gender norms in limiting & shaping our relationship choices

  -
• Budgeon - criticising the exaggeration of individuals choice in IT


  -says it reflects the neoliberal ideology that individuals today have complete freedom of choice

  -in reality, traditional norms that limit people's relationship choice haven't weakened as much as the thesis claims
• the connectedness thesis made in response to criticisms about the individualisation thesis
• Smart - connectedness thesis


  -we are fundamentally social beings whose choices are always made 'within a web of connectedness'
• according to the connectedness thesis, we live in...


  -networks of existing relationships

  -interwoven personal histories

  -these strongly influence our range of options & choices in relationships
• Finch & Mason's study - connectedness thesis


  -although individuals can to some extent negotiate the relationships they want

  -they're also embedded within family connections & obligations

  -challenge notions of the pure relationship as families include more than just the couple Giddens focuses on

  > parents that separate remain linked by children

  -becomes impossible for relationships to end as they're interwoven
• connectedness thesis emphasises role of class & gender structures in which they're embedded


  -these structures limit our choice about kinds of relationships, identities & families we can create
• examples of class & gender in connectedness thesis


  > after divorce, gender norms dictate how women should have custody, limiting opportunity to form new relationships

  > men generally paid better, giving them greater choice & freedom

  > relative powerlessness of women & children compared to men means many lack freedom to choose so remain in abusive relationships
• May - social structures aren't disappearing


  -they're being re-shaped

  -women now gained important rights but still don't 'have it all'
• Einsadottir


  -while lesbianism is now tolerated, heteronormativity means many lesbians feel forced to remain 'in the closet'

  -limiting choices & relationships they form
• personal life perspective emphasises importance of social structures in shaping the freedoms many people now have to create more diverse family types
• personal life perspective emphasises the continuing importance of social structures


  -patriarchy & class inequality still restrict people's choices