Family

The family is defined as a group of people who are related by kinship ties-relations of blood, marriage or adoption.  The family is a vital institution and is found in some form in nearly every society.  It is a basic unit of social organisation-it plays a key role in socialising children into their culture and forming their identities. Family is also the main unit of reproduction.  It has many different forms and varies across different cultures and over time.  In South Asia the extended family is very common.  In the UK family size is smaller than it used to be.  Not all people are part of a family e.g. some children live in care.  A household refers to all the people living together in a single dwelling.  For many the famil and household are the same, however a household may not be a family e.g. students sharing a home or a family with a lodger.

It is important to understand the different types of family:

Nuclear family

This refers to two parents often married, living in a household with children or a chiild.  Traditinally the male would be the breadwinner and the woman the housewife.  Often there is a stereotype that this is the ideal family and best for society.  i.e. children have both role models and are socialised well.  Sometimes known as the cereal packet family.

Extended Family

This refers to extended family members, there are vertically extended members e.g. grandparents, and horizontally extended members e.g. cousins.  The classic extended family consists of more than two generations living in the same household. e.g. before the industrial revolution, the extended family would live together and work together on land.  The modified extended family is where a nuclear family lives far away from extended family members but maintains contact through technology.  

Reconstituted Family

Also known as a step family this is when two adults from previous relationships start a new relationship and family.  They may also have children from previous relationships.  

Single Parent Family

Where a family has one parent which can be a result of divorce, death, or choice. Stats show that most single parent families are single mum families.

Same Sex Family

These have two parents of the same sex who may be married or in a civil partnership.  They may have children through IVF, adoption or surrogate mothers.

Empty Nest Family

When children have grown up and left home and parents stay together.  This type of family is increasing in number because people are living longer.

Beanpole Family

This explains a family which has less children and live longer than in the past.  Many families may today consist of more than three generations.

Neo-conventional Family

New nuclear family headed by a married or cohabiting couple who are both working.

Functionalism

This is a consensus theory that claims that the nuclear family is best for society.  The nuclear family is vital because it performs the following functions: 

primary socialisation - teaches children important norms and values.e.g. manners, language and knowing right from wrong. Nuclear family are best at this because it has both role models in a stable relationship.

Reproduction-the nuclear family produces the next generation of society and regulates sexual behaviour through monogamy.

Emotional support-the nuclear family provides emotional wellbeing and care for its members. Economic Support-the nuclear family provides financial support when needed for its members.

In summary the family is good for society, because it socialises children into important roles which helps maintain social order.

The New Right

The Nuclear famioy is best for society because it is stable and best for primary socialisation. The New Right were very citical of the breakdown in the traditional nuclear family and rise in SP -claiming these changes were causing social problems. e.g educational failure, crime, and welfare dependancy. The New Right introduced policies to promote nuclear families whic included:

Tax allowances for nuclear families and benefit cuts for SP's - the child support agency is to make fathers pay for the upkeep of their children. N.B the New Right view is very judgemental andstereotypical ie it sees single mums as irresponsible and also having kids just to obtain benefits. 

Marxism 

This is a conflict theory claims that the family benefits the ruling class. It does this in the following ways: Family provides the next generation of workers - the family socialises working class children to be obedient and respect authority (this makes them ready to be exploited by workers). Social class reproduction tales place as the wealthy passon their wealth from inheritance.

Housewives provide a range of unpaid services e.g childcare and housework

Housewives keep the male breadwinner happy by feeding and caring as a result the male will work harder making more profit for the ruling class. This is called the warm bath theory.

Feminism

This is a conflict theory. Radical feminists are very critical of the family, they claim the nuclear family benefits men in patriarchal society. Within the family gender roles are not equal - males are the powerful breadwinners who make important decisions and females are subordinate housewives. These gender roles are reproduced through gender role socialisation e.g toys kids play with. Also women to paid work, houswork and child care - the triple shift. Radical feminists also claim females are often the victims of domestic violence or abuse, statistically this often takes place in the family. However, liberal feminists have amore positive view and claim that family gender roles have changed and become more equal e,g women have more power and domestic work is shared more equally - symmetrical family. Liberal feminists claim the family is less patriarchal and today girls are being socialised to be confident and independant. 

Sociologists have studied if these roles are segregated or shared. This relates to domestic work, studies have shown that gender roles are becoming more shared-men are doing more housework and cooking and there are more female breadwinners.

In 1973 Young and Wilmott researched and claimed the semetrical family was typical in the UK.  N.B. feminists would strongly disagree with this, they claim that women still do most of the housework and that many domestic tasks remain gender specific e.g. women still do most of the cleaning. Women were also more likely to make sacrifices for their children.

Reasons for changes in gender roles-have become more equal for the following reasons:

changes in social attitudes to gender, improved womens rights, increased female employment, labour saving technology and improved childcare.

Changing patterns of marriage and cohabitation

In the UK marriage rates have declined in the last 50 years. In the last 20 years the number of co-habiting couples has doubled.  Co-habitation means living with a partner without being married or in a civil partnership.

Today more children are being raised by co-habiting couples.  Reasons for these changes include marriage has become more expensive, increase in divorce has put people off marriage, increased female employment meaning women are more financially independant.  The decline in the power of religion, people feel less moral pressure to get married.#

Change in social attitudes

Cohabitation has become more acceptable and there is less social stigma.  More people are using co-habitation as a trial period before marriage.

Changing patterns in divorce

Divorce rates have increased since the 1940's, however in the last decade they have decreased slightly. Reasons:

Easier to obtain-the 1969 divorce reform act made it easier to get a divorce, it become possible to get a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of a relationship.  Before 1969 a marriage offence had to be proven e.g. adultery or abuse.  In 1984 the matrimonial act made it possible to get a divorce after one year of marriage instead of three years. Divorce is also cheaper to obtain.

Change in social attitudes

Divorce is more socially acceptable, has less social stigma, e.g. many celebrities have gone through divorce e.g. princess diana.  Secularisation.  Welfare state provides benefits and support for single mothers.  Expectations-media portrays an unrealistic image of marriage.

N.B. We must be aware of cultural diversity. 

Consequences of Divorce

Inconvenience, guilt with kids keeping them happy. financial hardship, conflict between parents before divorce and custody afterwards.  Loss of earnings.  Stress for children living in two homes. Loss of emotinal support and a role model. More single parent and reconstituted families.

Changing position of children

During the 20th centruty some sociologists claim that families have become more child centred-there is more focus on children.  They are involved more in decision making and parents make more financial sacrifices.  Relationships between kids and parents are less authoritarian and more equal. The following reasons explain why:  children have more rights now, smaller family sizes, kids get more attention, increased awareness of early child development- within the media there are books and tv shows about parenting. Increased wealth for all means parents can spend more money on children.  Social service carefully monitor families.

Fertility

Fertility refers to the number of children wome have per year, it alos relates to the age at which they have them. In the Uk women are having fewer kids compared to 50 years ago. Wone are having children at a later age, this has lead to smaller family sizes. Changes in fertilty are linked to the following: Women are delaying marriage until older to establish a career, better contraception means women have better control over when to have children. Anti Sex Descrimination has given women more options e.g education and jobs. 

Changes in life expectancy and longivity

Life expectancy is how long a new born baby is expected to live. Over the years LE in the UK has increased - in 2013 it was 79 for males and 83 for females this has resulted in there being more bean pole and empty nest families. Older family members now play an important role, they are providing more child care which allows both parents to work. Life expectancy has increased for the following reasons:

Improved health care means the diseases are now less life threatening, the welfare state provides benefits and better care for vulnerable people - better nutrition for all. Improved public health and sanitation - less disease. Healthier lifestyle and people are fitter. 

The aging population - with an increased life expectancy combined with a decrease in fertility the structure of the UK poulation has changed - more older people and fewer youngsters. Has the follwing consequences: more beanpole, greater cost government - pensions, increase in taxes because there are less younf people working to pay for pensions.

Some sociologists claim that industrialisation lead to the nuclear family becoming more isolated. Before industrialisation the extended family was more typical-extended families often live together and work together on the land to provide food and earn a small amount of money.  Parents would have more children, to work and provide income.  However industrialisation meant production moved from agriculture to the new towns and cities (large industrial factories).  This movement of people is linked to the nuclear family becoming more isolated.  The following reasons explain this:

Industrial society needed a small and geographically mobile workforce able to move easily to the new factories.  The nuclear family was easier to move than the extended family.  The welfare state developed and provided greater health care and benefits for people. i.e. the extended family were no longer needed to provide this.  Within industrial society there is more social mobility-people moving up or down the class system, in this way society became fairer and more meritocratic.  This meant the extended family was less important as a source of status.  

However other sociologists disagree and claim that the extended family remains important and the nuclear family is not isolated.  Examples include:

Modified extended family-the extended family remains important and can still provide support e.g. they may not live close but can keep in touch through technology.  In some EM communities the EF is very importante.g. in some asian communities grandparents, uncles, aunties, siblings and cousins all live very close.  Traditinal working class communities still have strong EF networks, these exist near two traditional heavy industries e.g. coalmining, steelworks.  However such industries have now declined meaning that families have to look elsewhere to get work.

Is the family still important-Functionalists claim the family is vital because it is the main agency of primary socialisation.  It teaches children important norms and values including language and manners.  They state the nuclear family is best because roles are clearly defined and children will have two role models.

The New Right-the nuclear family remains important as it is, the best support for children-they are more likely to do well in education, get a good job and not become involved in crime. TNR have introduced policies to strengthen familye.g tax allowances for married couples, however sociologists claim that other agencies are more important and functions have changed.

Education-the family was responsible for teaching children basic literacy and numeracy, however the government takes full responsibility for education.  

Healthcare - before the early 20th c the family provided healthcare and support for its members however since this time the NHS has been created by the government to provide healthcare/

Welfare State - before the welthare state was created people relied upon family members for finanical support but today the welfare state provides financial support through benefits and pensions.

Childcare - the family used to perform the important function of childcare however this has been replaced by compulsary education and private childcare companies.

Within the media there is a stereotype of the cereal packet family - a nuclear family where everyone is happy loving and caring. However reality can often be very different. ie the family can also be a place of conflict, stress, violence and abuse. Conflict sociologists such as Marxists and Feminists have explored the dark side. Material Deprivation: Family in poverty experience financial strain. This can lead to pressure and conflict - which can sometimes be violent. Within poor families, divorce, abuse and mental illness are more likely. This also has an impact on the life chances of children.

Domestic Violence/Abuse - Victim surveys indicate high levels of violence against women (to a much lesser extent men.) Each year 120 women are killed by a partner or former partner in the home. Females may also be the victims of sexual violence. However official statistics do not reveal the real extent of sexual violence - there is a hidden figure which is not seen. Some studies suggest that less than 20% of sexual crinmes against women in the home are reported. Of those that are reported only 5% are ended in conviction. Women may not report because they are scared of consequences, emotionally manipulated and ashamed, worried about children secuirty, don't trust police, think it is a private matter. However, in the last 20 years the police have been more sensitive to female victims.

Some sociologists - functionalists - suggest that the nuclear family is normal and typical, however others state that in the UK today there are a wide range of family types - diversity. As we have seen over time there have been changes tot he family: Small family size, more single paretns, step fam, more co-hab, sam sex families, more bean poles.The following evidence shows diversity:

Life cycle diversity - within a persons lifetime they may live in many family types. Neo - conventional family- nuclear fam where both parents work. Singletons - this refers to the growing number of people that are living alone. Asian families- in some asian cummunities there is a strong extended family network and many families live close to eachother - marriages tend to be arranged and divorce is uncommon. Families are also larger than white families. AC families are more likely to be SP - 50% are single pasrents this is linked to black underachievement and unemployment causing financial stress and family break up. Culturally women are seen as the head of the family.