Oakley

• Conventional family


  A nuclear family comprising a married couple and their children who live together
• Conventional family


  • Women are expected to do unpaid work inside the home
  • Men are expected to do paid work outside the home
  • The man's economic power is linked to his income from paid work
  • The woman's dependence on the man's wages is one aspect of inequality
• Statistically, the conventional family is no longer the norm but the idea of conventional family life is powerful
• People expect the conventional family to bring them happiness but, in reality, it can be stressful
• Groups exploring other ways of living


  • Particularly among the educated middle class
  • Dual-worker and lone-parent families are increasing
• Conventional families are self-perpetuating over time - they set the pattern for the next generation of parents</b>
• Norms are not changing across all social groups because conventional families are self-perpetuating over time