Family diversity

Rapoport and Rapoport - Key Sociologists with family diversity - first to recognise change in familes (1982).
Saw this as a positive development - people had more freedom and choice about their life.
Argued that there is no 'right' type of family.

Found five types of family diversity:
Organisational diversity - New organisational differences, less marriage and more divorce. Creates more lone-parent families, and decreases the nuclear family. This changes and swaps roles due to new work patterns - new joint and segregated conjugal roles.
Cultural diversity - differences in lifestyles due to faith, culture and ethnicity. For example, in East and South-East Asia people practise polygamy and polyandry. These new types are tightly wound and patriachal, and with age comes power.Conjugal roles are very segreagted. Faith factors in as well - eg Catholicism where Catholics disagree with contraception and divorce, which creates large families which must be stable. Traditional gender roles are enforced, especially in childcare.
Social class diversity - See changes according to couple's relationship, children's socilaisation, importance of family members and extended family support. Middle-class: emphasis on sharing, equality and communication. More likely to have joint conjugal roles than the working-class. High value placed on reasoning, initative and self-direction. Working class - focused on children being obedient, and confrming.
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