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    13 views24 pages

    Family 1

    Uploaded by

    Can't Relate B

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 24
    Marl Learning objectives The objectives of this chapter involve understanding: ‘= how the family can be defined, different types of family and the difference between families and households = different family and household structures. = the family and social change, focusing on industrialisation, urbanisation and globalisation 1 the fit thesis’ and post-industrial society the diversity of contemporary family forms and relationships = whether the nuclear family is a universal feature of societies alternatives to the conventional nuclear famiy the relationship between the family and others, institutions such as the economy changing family functions the roles of parents, children and grandparent debates about gender equality within changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, sp divorce and childbearing how family life impacts on individual f the social construction of childhood and old a family lymen the experience of childhood. The family and social change The distinction between households and families, and between types of family To understand the significance of families as a major social institution (a pattern of shared, stable, behaviour that persists overtime) itis necessary to define the concept ‘of the family both in terms of what itis and how it differs from other types of communal living, such as households Exclusive definitions can be useful for distinguishing. between family and non-family groups. However, they may exclude household forms, such as single-parent and homosexual (gay and lesbian) households, that are considered to be families in many modern societies. Popenoe (1988) suggests that a contemporary exclusive definition can encompass both single parents and homosexual relationships, while Giddens (2006) suggests an alternative, inclusive, definition that focuses on kinship and the general relationships that make families different from other social groups. Kin relationships, for example, can be based on: Qum Families ‘Murdock’s (1949) conventional definition of a family suggests that it is characterised by: y ‘= biology, such as mother and child 1 affinity, such as two adults living together = law, such as marriage. = common residence = economic co-operation and reproduction = adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship = oneormore children, own or adopted. ‘This functionalist definition is exclusive because it is based ‘on the idea that families have characteristics that make them different from other social groups, such as schools ‘This definition is flexible enough to accommodate different types of family relationship and organisation. For example, families do not have to be monogamous (one man married to one woman); they can also be polygamous. One man can be married to a number of women (polygyny) or one woman married to a number of men (polyandry), According to Giddens, families are defined through people directly linked by kin connections, where adult ‘members take responsibility for childcare, One advantage of an inclusive definition like this is that it covers a variety of possible family forms and relationships. There isa drawback, however - if the definition is too broad, it may include groups that most people would not normally consider to be families. Ambert (2003) suggests that an alternative definition should focus on both kinship (inclusive) and function (exclusive). Families involve two or more people, bound by ties of mutual consent, who assume responsibility for: 1 the physical maintenance and care of group members 1 procreation or adoption 1 socialisation and social control of children ‘athe production, consumption and dstbution of goods and services 1 affective nurturance (childcare) Households A household can be defined as one or more people iving ina particular dvelng This definition " includes families, ofcourse, but while all families are pera Pa Botte ate families. Ths idea can be illustrated by loo coe, joking at three different types of 1. Single-person households are where an adult lives alone, either because of the death ofa partner the breakdown of a relationship o through personal choice. 2 Couple households consist of two people without ctildren, Such households may include: = couples who have not yet started 3 family t= those whose children have lfthome ts those who have chosen to remain Roseneil (2006) suggests that an additional category in thistype of households ‘coupes who ie apart: These are people whoareina stable elatonship and who spend ¢ Ugnieant amount of time together but whe donot share ame. Some coupes do this because work demands and Sierent routines would make it dificult ive together ther couples choose this lifestyle Because they want to ‘maintain some independence, 4 shored households involve a group of unrelated people ving together Ths may be temporary, such aswhen stdentslve together, or permanent, such as people ‘who livein communes. Commune: sheredhouschold involving a group of largely ‘unrelated peopl vingtogether ay \dentify and explain one difference between a family and ahousehold Types of family jst as there ar diferent types of houschold structure, there are also different types of family structure. ‘Nuclear families consist of parents and their children (wo generations). Contact with wider kin, such as {randparents, tends to be infrequent and impersonal, telephone, for example) rather than meeting regulary, person This type of Family isa self-contained economy ‘unit whose members are expected 10 SUPPOF ach Othe, socially and psychologically. tis sometimes ced the poate nuclear fay t reflec its PYSIA Saration fram wider kin and its economic isolation From the rey of society. ucea fami: fry untbased on wD generat parents and ther dependent chieren some variations on this two-generalion structure uted or step-families resulting from, iy, due to death or divorce, nd iy through marriage oF Cohabitatig imes called a common-law ‘Thereare “These include reconstit the break-up of one fami reassembly as anew famil outside of marriage (someti family), Step-famiies may include children from both olg and neve families. Amore recent variation onthe trating snlea family involves same-sex (gay oF lesbian) couples these cases, the children of the family may be adopted come froma previous (heterosexual) relationship o* from fry treatments, In the UK, same-sex couples have been abe to form a civil partnership that gives each partner similar gal jed heterosexual couples since 2005. In 2014 rights to mari wed same-sex couplet ‘anew law was introduced that allo legally marry in civil ceremonies. Reconstituted family: sometimes called a step-fari involves the break-up of one family and its reassembly asa new family tough mariage or cohabitation. Divorce: legal dissolution ofa marriage. Common-taw family: adult couple and children living together as a family without the adults being legally rmasried. CGivilpartnership: same-sex lationship giving the participants similarlegal rights to married couples Partnership: being part ofa couple often lving as married people but without any legal ties ng Sages tw reasons forthe erase inthe curber ofreconsttute amis ia modern instal Cac e ACL Both types of extended family exist in contemporary industrialised societies, but Gordon (1972) suggests that the norm for this type is now the modified extended family. In this form, wider family members keep in touch both physically, through visits or exchanges of help and services, and emotionally, via telephone and email perhaps, without necessarily having frequent personal contact. Willmott (1988) further suggests three variations on the modified extended family. 1 Locally extended types involve wo or three nuclear families in separate households’ ving close together and providing mutual help and assistance. \Why might nucear families be seen asisolatedin modern socetesr. _®-Dispersed-extended types involve less frequent personal ent family contact between family members pees ee amvingasingleadultplus dependent _Attenuated-xtended types include young couples conn called a broken muclear fan before they have children’, gradually separating from their especialy when tries from the break-up oto parent original fa family (through death, separation or divorce). Single-parent e families, while headed by alone parent are an important vation because they donot eu fom a family break up, cos Modified extended family: contemporary form of extended family: family members maintain contact but rarely ive in close proximity to one another, Lone-/single-parent family: both consist ofa single adult and dependent children. Lone parenthoodis usually inguished from single parenthood on the basis of factors such as divorce or the death of a partner, rather than choice, Meee Whats the diference between a dispersed-extended family and a locally extended family? Extended families are a different type of family structure that takes two basic forms: = Vertically extended families involve three or CTIVITY more generations (grandparents, parents and ae children) living in, or close to, the same household. Draw a kinship diagram to show members of your Matrifocal families are a female-focused variation on immediate and extended family. this for example a female grandparent, parent and children, Patrifocal families are focused on men. = Horizontally extended families are those with branches. Changes in family and household structure within generations, such as aunts and uncles, livingwith . and their relationship to industrialisation, or close to each other. urbanisation and globalisat ‘The diversity of family and household structures in A —E J contemporary societies indicates that both ae sensitive to I social change. We can explore how major forms of change, Extended family: family structure containing more than including industrialsation, urbanisation and globalisation, the parents and children of nuclear structures. A vertically have influenced the nature of family and houschold structures. extended family, for example, involves three or more generations, such as grandparents, parents and children > ia ae Matrifocal family: family that focused on women, such as R — = a female grandparent, parent and children. Urbanisation: the development and growth oftowns Patrfocal family: family structure focused on men. and cites Tobegin with, we need to be clear about these three ideas: 1 Industralisation refers t Widely used in the prod One result of mechanis; factories and the ability Such as clothes, cars ay '0a process in which machines are luction of goods (mechanisation). ‘ation is the development of 'y to mass produce consumer goods ind mobile phones. Urbanisation involves: the movement of a population ay from relatively small-scale rural village) ving to 'arger communities based in towns and cities. This is Sometimes called social migration from the countryside ‘towns - urban areas that developed alongside industrialisation and factory production. Globalisation takes a number of forms - economic as wells political - but here the focus is more on cultural Elobalisation This involves rapid global movement of different ideas, styles and products that canbe picked UP, discarded and, most importantly, adapted to fit the needs of different cultural groups, Industrialisation and urbanisation are closely associated with the idea of modern industrial societies, Globalisation 'smore closely linked to the ida ofa postmodern, post industrial society. In such a society, the ability to create and distribute services from security to software, is more ‘important than the ability to build and manufacture physical soods. Taking Britain (the first country to industrialise) as an example, there are two ways of applying these concepts {o-explain the changes in family and household structures, These are the fit thesis and post-industrial society The ‘fit? thesis ‘This argument suggests that industrialisation and urbanisation contribute to changes in the family and household. As these processes developed between the lat-17th and late-9th centuries, they radically changed thenature of work and economic production. Econo change, fom the land-based, rural, family-centred rganisaton of pre-industrial society othe capital ceuansive urban factory-centred organisation of industrial foe, Produced a gradual structural change. This wes characterised by a shift from a mainly extended family orzanisation to one dominated by nuclear families, In terms of the fit thesis, industrialisation involves the development of factories and the growth of large urban

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