postmodernism

• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Rappoports - CLOG

  1. cultural - ethnic groups have different family structures eg south asians have extended families
  2. life stage - eg older parents may have empty nest
  3. organisational - roles eg joint or segregated conjugal roles (bott)
  4. generational differences - older and younger generations have different views on birth outside marriage
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Beck + Giddens

  • society today is a risk society
  • more choices enables us to be more aware of the risks involved in making these choices
  • in the past there were no choices but more stability - gender equality and individualism led to the decline of the patriarchal family
  • people have more freedom to leave relationships if needs aren't met
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Stacey

  • argues women have benefited from greater choice
  • women have been empowered to free themselves of patriarchal family oppression
  • conducted research in silicon valley, California - they had worked, returned to education, improved job prospects, got divorced and remarried
  • divorce-extended family - members are connected by divorce, not marriage
  • case study: Gamma married young in the 50s, divorced, cohabited then remarried. She created a divorce - extended family with the woman who cohabited with her husband
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Weeks

  • major social attitude shifts since 1950s
  • Became increasingly more accepting of sexual + family diversity, more in favour of cohabitation and same sex families 
  • However, most families still = traditional , most children are brought up by couples and divorced couples often remarry 
  • says new right is fighting a losing battle 
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  view

  • no dominant Family type
  • people have the power to choose their families - leads to diversity and freedom from patriarchal oppression
  • Giddens said with increased choice comes increased instability as the chosen family form only lasts as long as it meets the needs of the individual
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Evaluation

  • Chester - nuclear family type is still dominant, diversity in family did increase, but the postmodernist claims are exaggerated
  • Feminists agree that women have more freedom to make their own choices, they‘re still harshly judged by wider society for not conforming to traditional familial expectations e.g. having children
  • race, gender and social class still impact a significant amount of people's lives and choices. There is not as much choice with personal relationships as claimed by postmodernists
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Personal life perspective

  • neither consensus or conflict - is influenced by postmodernism and social action theories

  Key concepts

  • Fictive kin - close friends who are treated as relatives
  • chosen families - supportive networks of friends
  • Sociology of personal life
  • donor-conceived children
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Personal life perspective

  Contributors

  Smart + Nordqvist

  • argues that we need to take a wider view of relationships and family ties, beyond traditional notions of blood and marriage eg relationships with friends, dead relatives, donor conceived children
  • views intimate relationships as performing an important function = a sense of belonging and relatedness 

  Tipper

  • study (2011) of children’s views of family relationships, discovered that children often view pets as a part of their family 
• Postmodernist: family diversity

  Personal life perspective

  Evaluation

  • Nordqvist and Smart offer a contrast to the top down perspectives rather than accepting the imposed definitions of family put forward by the structural theories
  • they can also be accused of taking too broad a view of family and ignoring what is special to many about blood and marriage ties to kin