They criticise structural theories for assuming that the nuclear family is the dominant type of family, ignoring family diversity. They assume that family members are passive puppets & are manipulated by the structure of society to perform certain functions.
Beyond ties of blood & marriage - Relationships with friends, 'fictive kin' who are friends treated as family, gay & lesbian chosen families, relationships with dead relatives who continue to shape lives, Tipper; pets who are treated as family especially by children; are all important types of family.
Nordqvist & Smart; research on donor-concieved children explores "what counts as family when your child shares a genetic link with a 'relative stranger' and not your partner.
Heath; there are growing 'neo-tribes' among 20 somethings who live together in long-lasting intimate relationships.
Older, divorced parents choose to centre their lives on children & friendship networks, with romantic lives seperate, called a 'living apart together' (LAT) relationship, where they live with children & visit their lover.
Budgeon; people are starting to centralise their friends & move away from the conventional family because it limits their relationship choices.
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Criticisms
Usefulness - Recognises that some relationships can be negative, e.g, abusive unlike functionalism.
It sees intimate relationships as performing the important function of providing us with a sense of belonging & relatedness.
Helps us to understand how people themselves construct & define their relationships as 'family' rather than imposing traditional sociological definitions from the outside.
Criticisms - Can be accused of taking too broad a view, by including a wide range of personal relationships we ignore what is special about blood ties or marriage relationships.
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