Family Diversity (Edexcel A-Level Sociology): Revision Notes

Family Diversity

Functionalism and family diversity:

The nuclear family fits the needs of society and provides beneficial functions to meet the needs of its individual members.

Other family types can be seen as unproductive as they are less able to perform the functions required for the family. Thus, they can be seen as undesirable

New Right and Family Diversity:

The nuclear family is based on biological differences between men and women and is therefore the correct family type.

Firmly opposed to family diversity as it undermines the traditional nuclear family and the decline in the nuclear family has caused many social problems

For instance, lone-parent families, in particular lone-mothers:

• Likely to rely on benefits, therefore are a burden on the welfare state
• Unable to adequately socialise their children
• Lack of male role models for boys can lead to educational failure and delinquency

Evaluation:

Little to no evidence that lone parents are part of a dependency culture and that children from lone-parent families are more likely to be delinquent in comparison to those brought up in a two-parent family of the same social class

Feminists: Functionalists and New Right ignore gender inequality within the family, arguing that the traditional nuclear family benefits men. For instance, women are often expected to take on the majority of housework and childcare, in addition to paid work, this has resulted in women experiencing a dual burden.

Marxist-feminist Ansley: Women experience a triple shift as they also absorb men's frustration and anger caused by exploitation, placing a large burden on the wife

Postmodernism and family diversity:

Stacey: Greater freedom caused by family diversity has benefited women. It has enabled them to free themselves from patriarchal oppression and create families that fit their own needs e.g. divorced extended family

Individualisation thesis:

We have become "disembedded" from traditional roles in society and therefore family diversity increases as there is now more individual freedom and choice over how people live their lives

Traditional social structures such as class, gender and the family have lost influence, leaving people with more choice and diversity, but also increasing risk and instability as these relationships may be more likely to break up

Personal life perspective and family diversity:

The personal life perspective agree that there is more family diversity but criticise the individualisation thesis, arguing that it exaggerates the extent of personal choice and freedom as we are often still constrained by norms and structural factors such as class, gender and ethnicity