Changing family patterns

• Marriage rate


  THIS RATE:

  The rate of marriages of the population of a particular area or during a period of time. Number of marriages per one thousand people per year - this is declining.
• Decline in stigma


  THIS TERM:

  - refers to a negative label or social disapproval attached to a person, action or relationship.

  - The decline in negative attitudes means the stigma surrounding issues such as divorce and other changing family patterns is decreasing.
• Secularisation


  THIS TERM:

  - The decline in the influence of religion in society. Leads to less marriage, more divorce, children out of wedlock.
• Examples of Law changes

  EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

  Male homosexual act, 1967. Sex discrimination act. Divorce reform act. Civil partnership, 2004. Same-sex marriage, 2014. Equal pay act.
• Change in Attitudes toward divorce

  THIS TERM:

  - Attitudes have changed: Divorce has become more socially acceptable. Same Sex Relationships are more acceptable and so are different family types.
• Change in the position of women

  THIS REASON:

  Women are now receiving a higher quality of education, meaning they will be able to have a better career. They will be able to earn enough money to support themselves financially, and will no longer be financially dependent on men.
• Ideology of romantic love

  THIS TERM:

  An idea that has become dominant over the last couple of centuries- belief marriage should be based solely on love. This is leading to rise in expectation of marriage.
• Feminist view of divorce

  THIS THEORY

  - These sociologists believe: Women do the dual burden BUT in work they feel valued, whereas at home frustrated. This is a new source of conflict between spouses = rise in divorce.

  BUT in families where the man shares the burden, the divorce rate is much lower.
• New Right view


  THIS THEORY

  These sociologists don't like lone parents as it causes inadequate socialisation. New right like the nuclear family as it is more stable.
• Functionalist view


  THIS THEORY

  High divorce rate is a result of people's higher expectations of marriage today. Higher rate of re-marriage is due to people's continuing commitment to the idea of marriage.
• Interactionist view


  THIS THEORY

  These sociologists: Aim to understand what divorce means to the individual, as every person's interpretation is different.
• Cohabitation


  THIS TERM:

  is when a couple live together but aren't married.
• friendship is kinship' and 'Chosen families'

  THESE TERMS:

  Weeks: Same-sex create networks where friendship becomes kinship. E.g. friends are family.

  Therefore families are 'CHOSEN
• Quasi- marriage'

  THIS TERM:

  Weston: describes same-sex cohabitation as 'quasi-marriages'. She notes that many gay couples are choosing to cohabit as stable partners.
• Living apart together


  THIS TERM:

  LAT means: they are in a relationship but are not cohabiting, they are living apart but are in a relationship
• Childbearing


  THIS TERM:

  Childbearing is when a child is born to a couple that aren't married but are cohabitating. Just under half (47%) of children born are born outside of marriage.
• Reconstituted families


  THIS TERM:

  This is also known as a Step family this is when one or both parents have children from a previous relationship and they form a new family
• Black Caribbean and Black African families

  THIS GROUP:

  Ethnic patterns - Over half of lone-parent families headed by a black person. Mirza: high value that black women place on independence.
• Asian (Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian)

  THIS GROUP

  Ethnic patterns - Asian families tend to be larger. Sometimes contain three generations, but most are nuclear rather than extended. High value placed on extended family.
• Beanpole family


  THIS TERM:

  There are many generations in the family, but have few siblings. (For example, great grandparents, grandparents and parents)
• Fictive kin


  THIS TERM:

  Choosing non blood family members; e.g. Mum friend= auntie
• Divorce-extended family


  THIS TERM:

  According to Stacey - families are now connected via divorce. offering support.
• Pure relationships


  THIS TERM:

  Giddens - This relationship exists solely to meet individual needs and only survives if it is in their own interests to do so.
• Plastic Sexuality


  THIS TERM:

  Giddens - Due to contraception, there is now sexual and emotional equality. No longer associated with reproduction (e.g. having children) - it indicates sexual freedom.
• Zombie family

  THIS TERM:

  Beck - this family - it appears to be alive, in reality it is dead. It is unstable
• Individualisation thesis


  THIS THESIS:

  - Giddens and Beck - argue in a postmodern modern world, we are disembedded from tradition and now focus on individual needs.
• Connectedness thesis


  THIS THESIS:

  Smart and May - argue that we are NOT isolated/disembedded in reality our choices and decisions are made within a 'web of connectedness', which includes family obligations.
• Postmodern view


  THIS THEORY:

  - Believe that family diversity is high in this type of society.

  - Family life has become fragemented
• Rapoports


  THESE SOCIOLOGISTS:

  - Argued that there is FIVE type of family diversity

  CLOGS

  - Cultural

  - Life stage

  - Organisational

  - Generational (cohort)

  - Social class