Postmodernist viewpoints

• why is there more diversity

  .change in laws to allow same sex marriages

  .change in social expectations ,less marriage and more divorce ,changing social and cultural values

  .women's right and changed status ,less reliance of me ,so more divorces or single parent family

  .secularisation-decline in religion
• What do Postmodernists believe about theories

  .they believe structuralist macro theories are simply big theories

  .they are theories that seek to explain everything and apply their research to whole societies
• What are some strengths for Postmodernist ideas

  .offers an explanation of family change and family diversity

  .it acknowledges that different types of family exist and offers descriptions of new family types

  .emphasis the importance of emotions and choices in family life

  .they point out the role of the government policy imposing an ideology and judging what people actually chose to do

  .post modernists point out the importance of life course and decision making family life
• What are some weaknesses of postmodernist ideas

  .vague and not based on evidence

  .overlook the persistence of nuclear family and importance of traditional marriage to most people

  .overstates the amount of social change that takes place in society
• What are post modernists explanations of the family from judith stacey

  .”the belief that married-couple families are superior is probably the most pervasive prejudice in the western world”

  .stacey argues that women are rejecting the traditional housewife role and chosen varied life paths

  .women who divorce men will still be in close contact with ex partners extended family
• What did Beck say about individualism

  .people have more choices available to them and are free to pursue them