Changing family patterns

INDIVIDUALIZATION THESIS 

Individulaization is when tradiditonal roles and beliefs lose thier influence on people 

This was developed by the work of Giddens, Beck, Beck and geisheim and Bauman. They describe it as the process whereby the traditiona social relashionships, bonds, customs, values and beliefs that were used to regulate peoples lifes have been losing meaning and influence. People therefore have more options, more perosnal choice and opportunities. Beck Gersheim says the main cause for this is the advancement of emdicine and contraception which has enabled people to make sex and reproduction seperate things. 

CONFLUENT LOVE AND PURE RELASHIONSHIPS 

Beck points out that love rather then pratical necessities now guides peoples approaches to relashionships. Confleunt love is the active and conditional love involoving the active building and emotional intimacy between 2 people, it conditional becasue it only lasts as long as it meets the needs of both partners. Link to pure relashionships whoch is when a couple chises to stay togehter because it meets sexual and emotional needs, only lasts if both people are happy. 

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE 

Beck points out that the world is more insecure and uncertain then ever before and love is the only was that you canf ind yourself. 

Some sociologits think that individualization thesis explanation has been exaggerated and that people have not been cut free from external soial rules and pressures. people are still influenced by in the choices they make by social class, ethcitiy and gender. Smart suggests that this thoery is not actually based on real research and does not match up to the reality 

Chages in the law 

Divorce Law reform act 1969 - beofre spouse had to commit matrmmonial offence such as cruelty or adultery to get a divorce. Act changed and people can now file for divorce on the grounds of irretrivable breakdown. 

the matrimonial family proceeding act 1984 - You can file for divorce after one year of marriage not 3 - led to and increase 

Family Law act 1996 - went from 12 months to 18 months, introduced compulsary marriage counselling  for period of reflection and consideration and required children wishes to be agreeded before divorce took place. 

The changing role of women - about 2/3 of divorce are intiated by women this suggests more men then women are unhappy in their marriages. This may be because womens exprectations of marriage have risen on the past century and they are less willing to accept patriarchal nature. The emplyment of women has also invreased their finacial independence and they do not need to be supported by a man 

Rising expectations of marriage - functiolists argue the divorece rate has risen becasue couples expect and demand more in their relashionship. love companionship, understanding, sexual compatibility and personal fulfilment are some of the things couples need. 

Growing secularization - the declining influnece of religious beliefs, Marriage is now less sacred and spiritual union and more a personal and pratical commiment. 

Changing social attitides - From a post modernist perspective rising divorce rate is due to indiviualization. People now have more choice and we are less constraint to tradiditonal norms and values. 

Contraception - contraception means people are able to have sex safer outside their marital relashionship this weakens constarints of fidelity to a marriage partner and exposes relashionships to greater instability. 

increase life expectancy  - people live longer and too a greater age and this can mean their is more time for the  marriage to breakdown. 

Cohabitation can have different meanings for the couples involved 

as a temprary informal arrangement - Spending a lot of time together and sharing accomadation but within what is seen to be a temporary arrangement 

Ad an alternative subsitute to marriage - A long term and stable commited partnership but without legal commitments. 

a preperation for trail marriage - Cohabitaion is a trail run to see if they are able to live together and get along and then they will consider marriage. 

the changing role of women - growing economic dependence has gove women more feedom to chose relashionships. 

changing social attitudes - there is more easy going attituded towards cohabitation among the young. showing theit is now a reduced social stigma 

growing seculariazation - marriage and cohabitation are more individual choices then religious ones 

Rising divorce rate - may make couples scared about getting married. There is a grwoing risk with getting married. 

Levin had identified and new family LATs - the individauls are togther in a long term relashionship ande fine themsleves as in a relashionship but do not sahre a common home. 

People have now become opne to new stlye relashionships and LATs are approved as an alternative to marriage.

changed in labour market has meant that it is more difficult for partners to find or reatin their excisting jobs in other areas

modern teachnoology means people can now have more virtual relashionships 

One of the biggest changes in the family is lone parents families. they have tripled since 1971 

why are there more lone parent families?

• the greater economic dependence of women - marriage and support by a husband is less of an econmic necessity comapred to the past
• improved contraception, changing male attitudes - men may feel less responsible to marry with a women and support them should them become unintentionally preganant, same for the women. 
• reproductive technology is avaliable to women - surrogate mother IVF 

the New right blame the goverment for these changes. Charles Murray argues the generous welfare benefits encourage women to have children they could otherwise not support.They see lone parent families as a majpr social problem  

Allan have pointed out life in step families can be comlex. the sense of unitary that appears in nulcear families, is not necessairly so evident in step families. Children may feel more loyal to their natural parents  more so then their step parent. there may also be divisons between children that come from the different families. 

there is a 'myth' that the careal packet family is the most desirable and common form of family. 

The ceral packet family is the sterotype that is often promoted in advertising (ceral adverts). New right and functionalists continue to see this as the most desirabke family there is. Natural parents and two children, Husband is the breadwinner and the wife plays the expressive role. 

Although the extended family has largely disappered there are two communities in which it still appears in 

• Traditional working class communities 

these are long established communities dominated by one industry like fishing or mining. In such communites there is little geograpghical mobility and children usally remian in the same area when they get married. People in this family live close together meet frequently. 

• south asian communities 

south asian families tend to be larger then others in the UK. extended family usally centres around the male side of the family with grandfathers, sons, grandson and their wives. 

kin beyond the nuclear family still play a part in the lives of families, Especailly in the early years when homes are purchased and children are born. Even though their may be distance between families they are still able to stay close through technoologhy. The modified extended family is one that still stays in contact even though they may lve far apart. 

The beanpole family 

Great grandparents ----> Grandparents ---> Children ----> Granchildren ----> Great grandchildren 

A growing number of people are reaching old age and at the same time couples are having fewer children and nuclea families are getting smaller. This means there is an increase in the number of extended three, four and five generation families. Brannen calls this the beanpole family becasue it is thinner with fewer, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts etc but it is longer as people are living longer and there are more gernerations.