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THE NUCLEAR AND EXTENDED FAMILY:
A household unit refers to people living together regardless if they're related or not
THE NUCLEAR FAMILY:
It was the normal and most common kind of family
It includes a man and a woman married with kids
Marriage creates new kinship ties (people related by a common ancestor)
EXTENDED FAMILY:
It is the nuclear family living with other relatives like grandparents
They are in decline since they're less suited in modern industrial societies
Extended families can be either:
Vertically extended: more than two generations (e.g.: mothers, grandmothers, etc.)
Horizontally extended: same generation (e.g.: cousins)
Sometimes, many nuclear families living near each other can be called extended
Features: better communication, transport, in contact, and mutual support
SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY:
One parent and their dependent children living together
Can be due to the death of the partner or divorce
There are more single parents now because:
Divorce is more common
Women have greater financial dependence & don't need a man
Some women choose to raise children on their own
RECONSTITUTED OR STEPFAMILY:
It is found after the death of a partner or a divorce so a new family is formed by remarrying
This can create new relationships such as step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, and step-grandparents
Since the situation is new, the norms and values are not clear (e.g.: children are unsure what authority the new member has over them)
SAME SEX FAMILY:
Includes two adults of the same sex marrying & raise their own or adopted children
This is becoming more accepted than in the past
In some countries, same sex couples have the same rights as opposite sex couples due to the civil partnership while in others they can cohabit only
Women who get a lesbian partner after leaving their husband find it easier to gain custody of the kids since children who grow up in a gay household do not increase or decrease the chances of becoming gay or bullied in school or their intelligence level and gender roles
Lesbian couples are more accepted than male homosexuals due to the importance of the motherly role to the children
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND ETHNICITY ON FAMILY DIVERSITY:
STRATIFICATION AND FAMILY DIVERSITY:
It was strongly associated in the working class where the young married and stayed with their families as they had secure jobs
Once people started losing their jobs in late 20th century, women became the main breadwinners and people moved away to find new jobs (weak extended family ties)
ETHNICITY AND FAMILY DIVERSITY:
Found mainly in:
AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN:
Has a higher-than-average matrifocal family (the mother is the head of the family, breadwinner, & has the power. The father is less important)
Pattern begun with slavery, poverty, and unemployment which led to single-parent families and absent fathers
SOUTH ASIAN (E.G.: INDIA):
They are associated with:
Strong extended families and family ties
Large families
Traditional gender roles
Arranged NOT FORCED marriages (partner chosen by older family members)
EUROPEAN (E.G.: POLAND):
Birth rate tends to be higher than native British people due to their age, cultural, and religious differences
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY AND THE "LOSS OF FUNCTIONS" DEBATE:
FUNCTIONALIST VIEW OF THE FAMILY:
They believe that in order for societies to survive, functions need to be performed
The families that carry out vital functions are the bedrock of every society
These functions include:
Reproduction: produce new generations and is encouraged. Not having kids is seen as a misfortune
Socialization: children need to learn the norms and values of their society and this is done through primary socialization (family)
Social control: children need to conform to the norms
Care of the children: need to be fed, clothed, nurtured intellectually & emotionally
Status: family provides it & involve children in group relationships
Regulation of sexual behavior: what kind of sexual behavior is accepted. Societies insist that children are in a socially approved sexual relationship
Functionalists think these tasks are done best in the nuclear family (mother responsible for emotional tasks and the father for economic needs)
This gender division suits nature of both genders
However, socialization and childcare can be done by schools and institutions
Edmund Leach suggested that the nuclear family is dysfunctional since it created an ideal image of a family named "cereal packet" which increased demands on them to meet that standard
MARXIST VIEW OF FAMILY FUNCTIONS:
They agree with the functionalists that families are important but disagree on what these functions are
Marxists believe that the family is functional for the capitalist society
The functions include:
Raising each generation into accepting capitalism (working class believe the system is fair)
Bringing up the next generation of workers so more profits for capitalists
Having families makes it harder for workers to go on strike since men need to support their families
Men who are oppressed at work bring out their anger on their wives and kids
The family supports the system by consuming products
Women look after the old and sick so they keep the workforce healthy
THE FEMINIST VIEW OF FAMILY FUNCTIONS:
They believe that the nuclear family is functional for patriarchal societies
Traditional gender roles make men the breadwinner and the women look after their needs (cooking, cleaning, etc.) while socializing their kids into their gendered roles
Patriarchy in the family (in their POV) is the basis of patriarchy in the wider society
The overall function of the family is to maintain the patriarchy so that families are functional for men
Go over the different types of feminists
THE "NEW RIGHT" & FAMILY FUNCTIONS:
The New Right theory argues that we need to return to the nuclear family for children's sakes since the diverse types of families cannot fulfil the functions
Undermined family functions include:
The growth of single parent families
The easy availability of divorce
Cohabitation (living together)
The rise of feminism
Legal abortion
Women going back to work
Homosexuality
The New Right believes that these changes led to children failing, increase in crime and delinquency, and dependency culture
NR politicians wanted to cut out welfare benefits to bring back male breadwinners but was met with feminism arguments from Pamela Abbott, Claire Wallace, and Melissa Tyler
These feminists argued in favor of single parent families, people who choose to live alone, and families where the woman is the breadwinner
ALTERNATIVES TO THE FAMILY:
ONE-PERSON HOUSEHOLDS/SINGLEHOOD:
When only one person lives in a residence
Three main types of people live alone:
Older people who are widowed and whose children moved away
Middle-class women who are career-devoted
Men who are separated and divorced (wife often stays with her family/kids)
COMMUNES:
When a group of individuals live together (idealistic attempt of a better way of living)
FRIENDS AS FAMILY & SHARED HOUSEHOLDS:
Family ties have become less permanent because people rely more on their friends in:
Helping adolescents form their independence from their parents
Playing a greater part emotionally, practically, and in social support
Young people rely more on friends their own age and sharing a house is more common nowadays (mainly due to economic reasons like joint mortgage)
OTHER ALTERNATIVES:
Living arrangements like the Nayar people of Southern India where the women could get married to several men. Her husbands get her pregnant then left and the woman's brother would be responsible in bringing up her children (the husbands played no part)
CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS AND VARIATIONS IN MARRIAGE:
MONOGAMY:
Marriage between one man and one woman and is seen as the only legal type of marriage in some countries
Serial monogamy: one marriage at a time but several in a lifetime (remarry after divorce or death of a partner)
POLYGAMY AND POLYANDRY:
Polygamy is a marriage that involves at least 3 people and can be seen in two ways:
Polygyny: when a man has many wives. It can be seen in Islam and can be a sign of status and wealth (it is expensive to have many wives). The first wife is the senior amongst the others
Polygamy: when a woman has many husbands. However, it's rare and can be found in Tibet where the woman can marry two or more brothers to prevent the division of scarce farming land
Group marriages: marriage between two or more husbands with two or more wives. Being unfaithful to the people inside the marriage is also considered as infidelity
ALTERNATIVES TO MARRIAGE:
COHABITATION:
When two people are living together in a sexual relationship but are not married
It comes in three forms:
Permanent long-term relationship where the only thing that makes it different from marriage is the formal ceremony not taking place
Short-term relationships without commitment
Trial marriages (living together before getting married)
Many people cohabit nowadays rather than marriage and this can be due to economic reasons (not financially ready)
CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS:
Same sex families given the same rights as heterosexual families but is seen as illegal in some countries
TRENDS IN MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE:
MARRIAGE TRENDS:
There has been a significant drop in marriages (in the UK, they fell by 50% between 1970 and 2000)
More people get married later in life, never marrying, or ending a marriage and refusing to get married again
REMARRIAGE:
Getting married again after a divorce or the death of a partner which creates a reconstituted/step family
MARTIAL BREAKDOWN:
When the marriage breaks down so the couple are no longer living as husband and wife which can lead to divorce
Alternatives to divorce include:
Separation: the partners stop living together
Desertion: one partner leaves the family (e.g.: the father saying "I'll get milk" and never comes back)
Empty-shell marriage: the couple continue to live together and present a public image but there is no love or care in their relationship. This can be due to financial reasons
DIVORCE TRENDS:
Features of divorce include:
Women are usually the ones who decide a divorce and less likely to get married again
Young people are more likely to divorce
Middle-class are less likely to divorce than working-class
People with strong religious beliefs like Catholics are less likely to divorce
REASONS FOR THE RISE OF DIVORCE RATES:
From the New Right View:
Change in moral attitudes: people see divorce due to a decline in moral standards so they put themselves first and are no longer tied by their marriage vows
Decline of religion/secularization: religious vows are no longer taken seriously
Decline of communities: people don't look at divorce as shameful or disapproving anymore
Other explanations:
Feminists say that marriage doesn't meet their hopes and expectations and they do not have to take up the expressive, housework role
Changes in laws allowed the working-class to divorce (before, only the wealthy could divorce)
Couples may divorce after many years of marriage (even after their kids left their home)
LONE-PARENT FAMILIES:
Some children have two homes or don't even keep in contact with one of the parents
The amount of support can vary: either helping out financially a lot or never
Most lone parents are women but many of them remarry. Functionalists explain this by saying that any family that lacks two adults is seen as dysfunctional
Children who come out of lone parents are more likely to underachieve in school and commit crimes
New Right sociologist Charles Murray believes that a large number of single mothers in the underclass are teenage girls. He believes that if the baby is a boy then it would be a problem since he wouldn't have a male figure and is more likely to get a girl pregnant and leave like his father which creates a cycle
Other views oppose the functionalists and the New Right by saying that two parents are not essential since many children who grew up by single parents have no problems
NOTES DONE BY FARIDA SABET
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