Postmodernism

• timeline


  > Pre-modern (pre 1750) - villages, farming, extended families, horse and cart, unit of production

  > Modernity (1750-1950) - urbanisation, factories, nuclear family, cars, science, gender roles, unit of consumption

  > Postmodernism (1950-now) - all over commutes, not a job for life, diverse families, women work, media, tech
• Postmodern family


  > freedom to chose; both the structure types of roles in family

  eg. same sex families, lone parent families, reconstituted families

  (PICK n MIX SOCIETY)
• The Rapoports


  5 types of family diversity to understand life today: (CLOGS)

  > cultural diversity - more female headed in Afro-Caribbean

  > life-stage - newly weds, retired

  > organisational - joint/segregated conjugal roles

  > generational - views differ to grandparents

  > social class - income and childbearing difffer due to $
• Stacey


  divorce extended family

  > new type - freed women from patriarchal oppression- shape to meet needs
• Beck


  individualisation thesis

  > past- prevented from choosing life course

  > now - ‘disembedded’ from tradition so have ‘negotiated families

  > ‘risk society - tradition has no influence’

  > ‘zombie category’ family appears to be alive but is dead
• Giddens


  confluent love - based on love and emotion = greater choice = ‘pure relationships’

  contraception allowed sex and intimacy rather than kids

  women gin independence - greater opportunities
• Criticism - PLP (Smart)


  connectedness theisis

  > choices influenced by ‘web of connectedness’

  > eg ex will still be in your life if you have kids

  choices we make are dependant on our surroundings