modernism

• functionalists and the new right have a modernist perspective, seeing modern society as having a fixed, clear cut and predictable structure
• functionalists see other family types as dysfunctional and deviant since they are less able to perform the two irreducible functions nuclear families can; primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities
• the new right have a conservate and anti-feminists perspective on the family, opposed to family diversity and see the nuclear family as the only correct family type
• the new right believe the decline of the traditional nuclear family and growth in family diversity has caused many social problems
• the new right believe lone mothers cannot discipline children properly, and lone parent families leave boys without an adult male role model, leading to underachievement, delinquency and social instability
• Benson analysed data on the parents of over 15,000 babies and found that the rate of family breakdowns was much higher among cohabiting couples (20%) compared to married (6%)
• Benson concludes that marriage is more stable because it requires a deliberate commitment to each other, whereas cohabitation allows partners to avoid commitment
• Ann Oakley criticise the new right view and argues that husbands and wives roles are not biological, but there have been cross-cultural studies showing variation
• critics of the new right theory argue there is no evidence showing children in lone parent families are more likely to be delinquent
• critics of the new right argue that many see cohabitation as a temporary phase, so disagree with the arguments that cohabitation does not involve commitment but depends on the meaning of the relationship to those involved
• Chester argues that the traditional nuclear family has become a neo-conventional family, where both spouses go out to work
• Chester argues that people are not choosing to live in alternatives to nuclear families on a long-term basis, but those currently were either part of one in the past or will be in the future
• statistics on household composition are misleading as they are merely a snapshot of a single moment
• Chester argues that most live in a house headed by a married couple, divorce has increased but most divorcees remarry and cohabitation is a temporary phase before marrying for many
• Rhona and Robert Rapport argue that family diversity reflects a greater freedom of choice
• Rhona and Rober Rapport identify 5 types of family diversity; organisational (how roles are organised), cultural (lone/black vs extended asian structure), social class, life stage and generational diversity
• organisational diversity refers to the differences in ways family types are organised eg some families may have joint conjugal roles and others separate
• cultural diversity refers to different cultural, religious and ethnic groups having different family structures eg afro-Caribbean families tend to be matrifocal in nature, and Asian households often to be extended families
• social class diversity - differences in family structure are partly the result of differences in income between households of different social classes
• life-stage diversity - family structures differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle, eg newlyweds, then couples with dependent children, then retired couples who are empty nest
• generational diversity - older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences as a result of living different historical periods, eg elderly may have different views about the morality of divorce