Topic 6: Families and social policy

• Functionalist view

  Parsons: Nuclear family is functionally fit for society

  Nuclear family socialises children and stabilises adult personalities

  Other family structures are dysfunctional and harmful to society
• The new right view

  Agree with functionalism, nuclear family is best.

  Nuclear family is natural and based on biological differences between men and women.

  They oppose family diversity

  Family diversity i.e lone parent families are harmful to children and cause social issues. Main cause of lone parent families is cohabiting couples
• The new right view: Benson


  over the first 3 years of a baby’s life, family breakdown was more common among cohabiting couples at 20% - couples more stable when married.
• Criticisms of New right view

  Feminists: the nuclear family is based on the oppression of women and is the cause of gender inequality.

  No evidence that children in LPFS are more delinquent than children in nuclear families of the same class.

  Idea that marriage = commitment while cohabitation is not always the case
• Chester: neo (new) conventional family


  Responds to the new right thinkers - growth in family diversity is not negative.

  The only significant change is the move from conventional family to neo-conventional family (dual earners).

  Lone parents still aspire to be a nuclear family - evidence:

  • most couples cohabit temporarily with the desire to marry after.
  • most marriages last until after death.
  • increased rates of remarriage
• Stacey - ‘the divorce-extended family’


  Identified ‘the divorce-extended family’. Members are connected by divorce rather than marriage - e.g. ex in-laws or former husbands new partners.

  Conducted case studies in california, results:

  • women reflected the traditional housewife role
  • women choose varied life paths (e.g. some choosing to return to education, divorcing and remarrying, having careers etc.)
• The individualisation thesis


  Traditional thesis argues that traditional social structures like class, gender and family have lost much influence over people.

  Previously, peoples lives were defined by fixed roles that prevented them from choosing their own life course.

  We have been freed from traditional values - more choice to choose how we live life.
• Giddens: choice and equality


  Traditional family were held together by laws and norms against divorce.

  Families and marriage have changed/been transformed by greater choice because

  • women how have independence
  • contraception has allowed sex and intimacy rather than reproduction.
• Giddens: same sex couples as pioneers


  Same sex couples are an example of how in modernity, people are able to develop relationships based on choice.

  This has enabled those in same sex relationships to create family structures that serve their own needs.
• Beck: the negotiated family


  Tradition has less influence and people have more choice.

  Due to more choice, we live in a risk society and because we are more aware of risks, we calculate risk and rewards of different options open to us.
• The traditional patriarchal family has been undermined by


  Greater gender inequality

  greater individualism

  • these trends have led to the ‘negotiated family’. Negotiated families do not conform to the traditional
• Beck: The zombie family


  The family appears to be alive but is dead due to the great uncertainty.

  People want family to be a haven of security in an insecure world but family cannot provide this due to instability
• The personal life perspective: Carol Smart


  Agrees that there’s more family diversity but disagrees with Beck and Gidden‘s explanation.

  Relationships decisions are partly shaped by one’s position within the social structure. Not greater freedom of choice.
• Smart’s criticisms of postmodernity


  Individualisation thesis exaggerates how much choice people have.

  The thesis wrongly sees people as disembedded. Our decisions are made within a social context.

  The individualisation thesis ignores the importance of structural factors e.g. social class inequalities which limit our choices.
• The connected thesis 


  Alternative to individualisation thesis by personal life.

  Argues that we have choice but these are influenced by our networks of existing relationships and personal histories.

  Importance of class and gender

  • class and gender limit our relationships choices and families we create for ourselves.
• How can ones class and gender impact relationship choices?

  Men typically better paid = greater freedom and choice

  Women typically have custody = less freedom and choice.