What is the significance of increased diversity?

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  • Created by: Lily
  • Created on: 01-05-13 18:24

FEMINIST VIEWS

Diversity is a liberating force as it opens up opportunities.

It has become more acceptable to be a "househusband" and to play a less masculine role. Therefore women are free to have a career.

Critical of "family ideology" - how can we possibly have just one type of family that is "best" suited to society if there is no common type?

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NEW RIGHT VIEWS

As the traditional family is in decline, family diversity is seen as a threat.

The New Right believes that the family is now in a state of crisis due to diversity. This crisis is leading to a breakdown in society and high levels of educational failure, delinquency etc.

The New Right wish to defend the family and their response is to cut benefits, enforce responsibility onto parents in order to decrease welfare dependency and reinforce the traditional family.

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POSTMODERNIST VIEWS

STACEY - Diversity does not mean an emergence of the dominance of another form of family. It would be impossible to revert back to having a "common type". Social attitudes and policies must adjust to suit the fluid/diverse situation.

MORGAN - Diversity is evidence of the plurality & fragmentation in society. Exceptions to the family in the past are no longer problematic.

CHEAL - There is now great difficulty in finding a common definition for family.

BERNADES - fragmentation is a positive development after the oppression from modern society e.g functionalists & the nuclear family.

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