Family Diversity

• Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.
• The variety of family types and structures which exist within society; this diversity is the consequence of changing family patterns.
• What's causing diversity in society?

  • Globalisation.
  • Migration.
  • Changes in law and policy.
  • Changing social attitudes.
  • Changing position of women.
  • Material and economic factors.
  • Secularisation.
• Modern society is clear and predictable in structure and can be seen as fairly 'static' or non-moving.

  • Functionalism and the New Right.
  • The ideal family type is Nuclear Family.
• Functionalism

  • Parson's Functional Fit Theory.
  • The nuclear family is best suited to fulfilling the needs of society and its members.
  • A geographically mobile workforce and achieved status.
  • Two irreducible functions.
  • The nuclear family is still the ideal family type for performing these essential functions.
• The New Right

  • Firmly opposed to family diversity in all forms:
  • Cohabitation.
  • Same-sex marriage.
  • Single-parent families.
  • The nuclear family is the best type of family.
  • The nuclear family is 'natural' and based on biology.
  • The decline of the nuclear family is responsible for the breakdown of society and the cause of many social problems.
• In particular the New Right are critical of lone mothers as:

  • They are usually dependent on the welfare state.
  • Lone mothers are unable to discipline children properly.
  • Absent fathers leads to deviancy and educational failure, particularly in boys as they have no positive role model.
• Benson(2006)

  • Analysed the parents of 15,000 babies.
  • The rate of breakdown in relationships during the first three years of the child's life.
  • 20% failure rate among cohabitation compared to a 6% failure rate of marriages.
  • This is evidence that marriages are better environments for childrearing.
  • Couples are more stable when married; evidenced by a lower rate of divorce in married couples than breakups in cohabiting couples.
• Benson (2006)

  • Marriage is more stable because it is a more deliberate and formal commitment to one another; cohabitation makes breakups easier and more likely as it avoids the commitment and responsibility of marriage.
  • Governments should be encouraging couples to marry and promoting policies which do so.
  • This will encourage a return to traditional values and family structures i.e. the nuclear family.