Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere Assess Sociological Explanations of the Nature and Extent of Family Diversity Today.

Examining the View that the Traditional Nuclear Family is in Decline When evaluating the view that the traditional nuclear family (of two opposite sex married parents living in a household that contains only them and their own dependant children), is in decline, I will be taking various pieces of research and evidence from Sociologists, Journalists and other sources, into consideration in order to try to determine how true this view is. The nuclear family would appear to be found internationally and would be described as ‘universal’ by Murdock, varying in popularity from country to country, however I will be concentrating mainly in the UK. The idea that the ‘traditional’ nuclear family is in

Diversity in British households has significantly changed over the years. To understand the full extent of the changes in British household diversity, examination of the family life in the 1950s era is essential. Furthermore then to discuss the types of diversity which now exist in families today. Lone-parenting is defined as a mother or father living without a partner who then has responsibility of a dependent child and is one diversity which will be discussed in great depth. Deliberating on the size of family sizes today is necessary to see the diversity in British households.

The family has always been a unit that calls for the belonging of the kin. It calls for more than blood relations, but also a relation with ancestry, history, ethnic origins, etc. It serves as the most basic political unit that many can relate too, however, the term family carries a more diverse and complex role that is seen to evolve throughout the years. With the modernization of the human civilization leads to an evolution of thought, morality, and ideology. What was once the idealized nuclear family, is now criticized by many modern day thinkers as it invokes a heteronormative that oppresses any other forms of family and sexual relationships. This concept can be seen in the given article by Bell Hooks. In Hooks’ document, she talks about the racist oppression of sexist domination towards back women. There is a focus on black women in reference to their place in the community, the home, and the home to which they are serving to (Hooks, 1990). Her views show the heavy responsibilities of black women as it reflects their privileges and lifestyle. The second document by Michelle Owen examines the normalization of queer as seen in the Canadian Legal Landscape, assimilation debates, and works to that aim to break the heteronormative family lifestyle (2001).

A post from July 4th stated; “Family can be very diverse and there is no general term to describe such. Each person takes their own hold onto this meaning and individually family can mean many different things from one person unto the next”. This notion is one which stems from the belief that families can be of mixed races and religions, be single parent families or foster parents taking in children for periods of time; society may hold notions of what is the typical or nuclear family yet, society does not need to adhere to this ideal and each has the right to form a relationship with any other

Abbott and Wallace’s critically judge the new right about how women are being exploited in the families and how a lot of frustration and unhappiness is able to be experienced by living in this environment. The new right also disagrees to acknowledge the violence that can be cause in a nuclear family life and the abuse a family can actually suffer from being forced to stay and live with them as it isn’t socially acceptable to be a one parent family. Some of the ideas that Abbott and Wallace criticised are that the new right are opposed to

social class . . . matters most in explaining these [family] differences. It is widely known (and confirmed by U.S. Census data presented in Table 1) that Blacks and Latinos/as tend to have far less income and education than Whites. Families of color are also much more likely than White families to be below the official poverty line. In [their] research, [they] find that the differences in extended family ties and behaviors between Whites and ethnic minorities are primarily the result of these social class disparities (64).

Eastman is confident, along with many others, that women have the divine right of choosing their occupation. That is not to be hindered by the outrageous ignorance of men. Women have every right, just as men to choose in what environment they will work, and in what specialty they will labor. Women will not tolerate the sexism and prejudice any longer. It is a choice to have children, and if a woman chooses to have children, she interrupts the early start in any career she could possibly have, however this should not limit her in the choice of her career, or the capabilities she possesses either. Motherhood is a choice, and should not be complained upon. There are ways to avoid the consequences of pregnancy and therefore cannot be used as an excuse to complain of prejudices of men. Motherhood is an endowment, a gift. “The occupation of raising children is a service to society… It is

Today, non-traditional families dominate the scene. The “normal” family is now uncommon in our society (Shields 562). Teachers have to be cautious when assuming every child has a mommy or daddy. Social workers must no longer be surprised when their clients are actually grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. Some children may have two daddies, or some only have a mommy. The list goes on. The culprit creating these unusual families is not always divorce and can include the death of a parent, unwed mothers, or single-sex parents (Shields 562). New families are not required to be biologically related. In an article about her non-traditional family, “Why Do We Marry?” Jane Smiley points out that people with numerous marriages or partners extend the definition of family (564). She writes, family dinners consisted of “me, my boyfriend, his daughter and son by his second wife, my daughters by my second husband, and my seven-year-old son by my third husband” (563, 564). Relationships begin to resemble several broken, rerouted, and

Rapoport and Rapoport agreed that there are five types of diversity in a contemporary family, these are: Organisational, Cultural (ethnic), Class, Cohort and Life Course. Organisational diversity refers to kinship patterns and the domestic division of labour, adding to this it is also the structure of the family-whether it is reconstituted or

Falicov, C.J., & Brudner-White, L. (1983). The shifting family triangle: The issue of cultural and

Assessing the View that Family Diversity is Leading to a Weakening of Traditional Family Values

It is my belief that recognizing any family structure or definition is important, as the traditional version may be skewed in so many ways, without knowing or recognizing the “family” that people we run across may come from. We can also learn from other family definitions to build upon our own themes, rules, and beliefs. Adding stigma and prejudice toward families different from our own not only alienate the members, but can add unnecessary stress upon that family system. Stress in any family system can be seen as either an adaptation potential or a negative force. Many effects on the

The Feminist Theory holds a significant influence on a couple’s decision to have children. This theory concentrates on gender equality, expanding human choice, and eliminating gender stratification. (Moffitt. K, p.1 para. 5)According to traditional social norms and expectations, a woman's primary role was to perform domestic duties and have children. However, since society is progressing toward an equalitarian culture, women have more control over decision making for themselves and within a relationship. Specifically, The Feminist Theory deals with the equal treatment of men and women. When deciding to have children, factors that a women may consider are ensuring the equal division of labour, and that both partners agree on wanting a child.

The feminist seem to believe that the “reproductive technology is a product of the male reality. The values expressed in the technology objection, domination—are typical of male culture. The technology is male generated and buttresses male power over women” (J.Herring, 2008: P-323). Making the reproductive technology a male choice enforced on a woman. On the other hand the feminist also see hope in challenging traditional views of family, for example single women and lesbian having a child. In addition, the feminist accept the natural ways of conceiving a child through relationships between the male and female. Then again in today’s society the feminist do not support the idea off ‘childlessness’ as this is thought of an unattractive choice to most people (J.Herring, 2008).

“There is an increasing concern about what some politicians have described as 'the breakdown of family life ' and they have suggested that the only way to fix 'a broken society ' is to place more emphasis on marriage and a return to traditional values.”