A Level Sociology Family - Family Diversity

• Weston (1992) - Postmodernist


  Found that same sex couples created supportive families of choice from among friends, former lovers and kin.
• Einasdottir (2007)

  New family types such as lesbian couples are tolerated rather than accepted.
• Parsons (functionalist) modernist :

  • Nuclear family fits needs of society
• What are the needs of society? 

  • Creating workforce
  • Stabilising personalities
  • Traditional division of labour
• New right (modernist) :

  • Traditional patriarchal family is best
  • Clear division of labour
  • Nuclear family is natural + based on biology
• New right don't like:

  • Opposed to family diversity
  • Changes in family patterns
  • Eg - gay marriage + cohabitation
  • As causes social problems
• Benson NR (modernist) :

  • cohabitating couples = higher rate of family breakdown
  • Marriage = stable couples
  • As of commitment + responsibility
  • Gov should encourage marriage in policies
• Chester (modernist) :

  • Change from traditional family to neo-conventional family
  • People stay in alternative families on short term basis
  • Eg - lone parents
  • Nuclear family remains as aspired family type
• Stacey postmodernist :

  • Argues greater freedom + choice benefitted women
  • Free from patriarchal oppression + shape their families
  • Many women reject traditional roles
  • Women that work return to education
  • Divorce + remarry often
• Rapoports modernist :

  • Believe moving away from the traditional nuclear family as dominant in the UK
  • Identify 5 different types of family diversity:
  • Organisational
  • cultural
  • social class
  • generational
  • life stage
• Giddens postmodernist - individualisation thesis :

  • Argues that families + marriage have been transformed by greater choice + equality between men and women
• Why does Giddens argues that families + marriage have been transformed by greater choice + equality between men and women?

  • Due to contraception allowing intimacy without reproduction
  • women have gained independence due to feminism + greater opportunities in education + work
• What does Giddens mean by pure relationship?

  • Relationships not held together by law, social norms/tradition but by choice
  • These are now typical but recognises this causes instability
• Giddens view on same sex couples:

  • Sees same sex couples leading the way in democratic relationships
• Beck individualisation thesis:

  • Now = a risk society with less tradition + more choice
  • So we are more aware of risks + calculate them when we make choices.
• Beck :

  • Different to traditional fixed roles
  • Traditional patriarchal roles = oppressive but were stable but has been undermined by two trends
  • greater gender equality
  • individualism (self interest not obligation)
• Beck :

  • People may turn to family to find security even though they also are full of risk = a zombie category
  • it appears to be alive but it is dead
  • People want to believe family is security when in fact it could be less secure
• Beck and Gernsheim Postmodernist :

  • Call the postmodern family the 'negotiated family'
  • = doesn't conform to tradition but is negotiated between the wishes + expectations of their members on an equal basis
  • May be more equal but would be considered less stable
  • as they are free to leave if their needs not met
• Posmodernists such as Smart + May:

  • Agree there is more diversity but feel the individualisation thesis exaggerates how much choice people have
  • Feels it ignores the social context we are in
  • we are not free floating individuals
  • it ignores the structural factors we still have such as class inequalities + gender norms
• Finch + Mason Connectedness Thesis Postmodernist:

  • We live within a network of existing relationships + combined personal histories influencing our decisions = we aren't isolated individuals
  • This challenges the pure relationship as we aren't always able to walk away
  • e.g. parents that separate are still linked by their children sometimes against their wishes.
  • We are still being shaped by social structures such as gender + class