Family Diversity

• Chester argues that while diversity is good, we tend to exaggerate the extent of diverse family life, and recognises that the nuclear family is still a very popular structure
• The Rapoports identify 5 types of diversity within families: class, generational, life course, cultural and organisational
• Class diversity: there are significant differences within families across class boundaries
• Generational diversity: different families will have members with different life experiences and backgrounds
• Life Course diversity: different families will be at different stages of their life course
• Cultural diversity: families from different parts of the country, and with different ethnic makeups, will be different
• Organisational diversity: the organisation of power is different across different families (eg gender, age)
• Parsons suggests the nuclear family is the most effective way of performing family functions
• Parsons says there are two purposes of the family: personality stabilisation for adults, and primary socialisation for children
• Murray argues divorce reflects society breaking down and rejecting traditional values, motivated by women seeking benefits by becoming single mothers
• The New Right says nuclear families are the most stable and thus the best way to raise children
• Alan and Crowe came up with the Life Course Analysis based on their research in the 60s: every family followed the same general pattern of events like marrying, having children, children leaving, etc
• Lewis argues the life course analysis is slowly opening up as family life becomes more diverse and there is no one set path a family follows
• In a California study, Stacey found women have increasing say in important life choices like proposing, choosing where to live, getting a divorce etc
• Beck suggests the individualisation thesis: people no longer follow a pre-written standard biography, but instead a do-it-yourself biography as society is less able to dictate how one's life progresses
• Smart suggests the connectedness thesis: we may never have true freedom of choice within the family as we remain connected - parents must stay in touch after divorce due to children, you cannot separate yourself from who you are related to etc
• Secularisation, where religion becomes less relevant in society, may have meant religious beliefs surrounding divorce are less prevalent
• Changes in the law mean divorce becomes easier to obtain and more forgiving, meaning some people divorce simply because they were unable to before
• Divorce, mostly between opposite sex couples, has recently declined, but the overall trend shows an increase
• The 1969 Divorce Reform Act, which allowed for divorces where no one was at fault, saw a large increase in divorces obtained
• People now have greater expectations in a relationship and when these aren't met people are more willing to end it to find a better match
• Giddens says confluent love has replaced romantic love
• Beck says relationships are negotiated
• The more divorce rates increase, the less stigma surrounds it, and less perception of it as a 'failed marriage'
• People are living longer, and so have more time to find new partners if they are unsatisfied - 'til death do us part' will take a lot longer!
• Two thirds of divorces are incited by women, suggesting women are increasingly unsatisfied with married life
• The rise of feminism may mean women no longer feel the need to be complacent with unhappy marriages
• Feminism also means women have greater financial independence, and thus do not have to stay married to survive; they will be okay on their own
• Beck's individualisation thesis suggests people would rather look after their own needs than sacrifice these for their family
• Functionalists might say divorce is not necessarily bad - there are many remarriages happening so the nuclear family is maintained. It is just an example of serial monogamy
• The amount of people getting married is declining each year
• The changing role of women and their greater financial independence means they no longer have to get married to get by
• Women are also more career-oriented now so tend to get married later
• Women can also delay having children thanks to contraception and reproduction rights, so marriage isn't considered necessary for sexual relations
• Marriage is no longer considered the only option in life - there are now alternatives in a relationship like LATs or cohabitation
• People opt for serial monogamy over lifelong relationships
• People may choose not to marry due to the fear of divorce
• The increased instability in relationships means people may try to limit the emotional risks they face, such as by not marrying
• As remarriage becomes more common, the fear of divorce may decrease
• Only 23% of weddings in 2017 took place in religious buildings, evidencing secularisation