family diversity

• family diversity

  differences between families in terms of organisations, structures and roles with the family.
• Murdock on family diversity


  does not believe in family diversity and thinks that the nuclear family is natural and universal.
• Wilmott on family diversity


  believes that family diversity has been exaggerated but family structure has changed to a dispersed extended family.
• Brannan on family diversity


  believes that family structures have changed and the new family type is the beanpole family
• Anderson on family diversity


  argues that family diversity has always been present, not just in structure but in terms of power, roles and relationships.
• Rappaports 5 types of family diversity


  Cultural diversity

  Life course analysis

  Organisational diversity

  Generational diversity

  Social class diversity
• cultural diversity

  there are cultural differences in both family structures and organisations. Asian families tend to be extended and Afro-Caribbean families tend to be matrifocal in nature.
• life course analysis

  Hareven - family structures and organisations change as we go through our lives, matching the time of life we are at and our needs at that time.
• organisational diversity

  refers to how the family is structured in terms of its members and power structures
• generational diversity

  shared historical experiences a group has which shape their family structure and organisation.
• social class diversity

  inequalities in lifestyle possibilities have increased since the 1980s; wealth and income have an obvious impact on types of housing, room sizes and numbers, and financial problems.
• causes of family diversity

  • changes in law
  • changes in social attitudes
  • changing role of women
  • secularisation
  • globalisation and immigration
  • material factors
• changes in law

  laws such as the divorce reform act 1969, legislation of contraception and the civil partnership act have increased family diversity.
• changes in social attitudes

  society has progressed and family structures such as lone parent, same sex and stay at home fathers are more widely accepted now.
• changing role of women

  the rise of feminism and growing equality have given women more freedom and independence from men which has changed the structure of families; families now have more symmetrical roles.
• secularisation


  decline in the power of the church has lessened its influence on the family; changes in church teaching have also had an impact e.g. same-sex relationships.
• globalisation and immigration

  as technology has advanced, there has been a rise of the dispersed extended family (close emotionally but not geographically). immigration has also caused new family types to arise in the UK.
• material factors

  greater affluence = greater geographical and social mobility. greater economic independence of women = increased lifespan.
• functionalism on family diversity


  parsons.

  functional fit theory; it is not diversity but the changing of structures to meet the needs of society. the functional fit theory is where the family structure is constantly changing and adapting to meet the current needs of society.
• new right on family diversity


  murray.

  diversity is causing the breakdown of society. only one family type is correct: the patriarchal nuclear family with a clear-cut division of labour between the wife (expressive housewife) and the husband (instrumental breadwinner).
• postmodernism on family diversity


  diversity is increasing, and as a result there is growing choice and globalisation in the modern world. society has become individualised due to the development of medicine, technology and female equality. relationships are now 'pure relationships'.
• feminism on family diversity


  stacey.

  growing diversity is a good thing for women. family diversity has allowed women to break away from traditional roles and create family arrangements which suit their needs.
• Chester: neo-conventional family


  statistics are misleading regarding the extent of family diversity. the neo-conventional family is becoming more common, which is a nuclear family but which far more equality and symmetry in the division of labour.