families

family- a couple who are married, civil partners or cohabiting, with or without dependent children, or a lone parent with their child or children.

household- one person living alone or a group of people who share a house of flat. some, but not all, households are family households.

a family household could contain one family, one family plus people who are not family or two or more families

a non family household could contain one person living alone or two or more unrelated people living in a shared house and sharing a daily meal or facilities such as a living room

household size and liklihood of a multigenerational extended family vary with ethnicity

households of bangladeshi and pakistani heritage contain more people than other households

types of family can change over a person's life course

reproduction- nuclear family produces the next generation of society's members

primary socialisation- nuclear family is agency of socialisation through which young children learn the basic behaviour patterns, language and skills needed in later life

emotional support- nuclear family provides for its members' emotional wellbeing

economic support- nuclear family provides its members with financial support

suggests that women should have the caring role with nuclear families while the husbands should have the breadwinner role

views some changes in family structures as damaging to society

the nuclear family:

supports the capitaliat system by supplying future generations of workers

socialises working class children to accept their lower position in an unequal society

recreates inequalities between the social classes over time

many feminists see society as based on patriarchy

living in nuclear families is seen as benefiting men more than women

women have most responsibility for housework and childcare even if they work in full time employment

primary socialisation is a gendered process

contributes to the creation of gender differences between girls and boys

for- symmetrical family, decisions are shared more equally, fathers play bigger role in childcare, rise of feminism, availbility of contraception, women's participation in full time employment, increase in home based leisure

against- feminist reject symmetry, women in paid employment still had responsbility for housework, men's involvement in housework has increased less than women's involvement in paid work, gap has narrowed because women spend less time on it, attitudes have changed but men's participation has not, family life is still patriarchal

less authoritarian- less emphasis on parental authority and discipline, more emphasis on children's rights and individual freedom, middle class more likely than working class to involve their children in decision making

more child centred- more focus on children's interests and needs

more financially dependent- and for longer. some children may contribute by helping out in family businesses or with childcare and housework

fertility- the average number of children that women of childbearing age give birth to in a particular society

women born in the UK are having fewer children than 30 years ago and are having them at a later age

changing attitudes to family size- the financial incentive to have a large family no longer exists, children are expensive

later marriage- some women will marry later and delay having children until they are older

women's increased participation in education and paid employment- have more options open to them in addition to motherhood

availibility of effective birth control methods- contraception gives women more control over their fertility

life expectancy at birth- average number of years a newborn baby is expected to live

life expectancy has risen over the last century

linked to decrease in infant mortality rates, welfare state provisions, improvements in public health and sanitation, improvements in preventative measures, advances in medicine and surgery, healthier lifestyles, improvements in diet and nutrition

as a result of declining fertility and longer life expectancy, the age structure of the UK population is changing

now has a smaller proportion of children and young people

increasing proportion of older people

may lead to changes in families and households, such as an increase in one-person households and an increase in 'beanpole' families

marriage rate has declined

proportion of people cohabiting has doubled

linked to changing social attitudes towards sex outside marriage

the number of births outside marriage has increased

related to changing social attitudes towards births outside marriage

2005- introduction of civil partnerships

increase in average age of first marriage

number of divorces has increased

changing attitudes mean divorce is more socially acceptable

legal changes have made divorce easier, quicker and cheaper

changes in the social position of women have meant a women in an unhappy marriage is less tied to her husband through economic dependence

the secularization process has weakened the religious barrier to divorce

the media's emphasis on mutual attraction and romance in relationships may encourage couples to have high expectations of marriage

if these expectations do not match the reality of married life, this may result in an increase in divorce

increase in some household family types- one-person households, lone parent, reconstituted

living in a reconstituted family may cause problems for individual family members who have to adjust to different expectations of behaviour

more people may be available to provide attention and support

some children lose contact with their father

conflict may continue after divorce because of disputes about parenting and property issues

loss of income for former partners

may experience loss of emotional support