Family has played a big role in stabilising society after the Second World War. In the 1950s, it marked the beginning of the ‘Family of the Golden Age’ where the nuclear family are viewed as the main ideal household (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p.47). It is defined as a social unit consisting of wife, husband and dependent children (ibid). Sociologist often views such family as ‘The cereal packet family’ which refers to the image most people hold of the family during the golden age (Nelson, 2013). However, in the beginning of the 1960s onwards, the UK society is becoming more liberal with greater emphasis on equality and personal freedom (Morgan, 2013). This is where the diversity of family types and relationships within families starts to take place. Nowadays, people start to express their concern over what’s happening to the ‘traditional family’ in the contemporary UK society (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p.46). Furthermore, there is a widespread fear that changes in family lives are leading to greater uncertainties and private troubles in people’s lives. (Mooney et al, 2004 cited in Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p.46). However, for feminists, the increasing diversity of the family is viewed as a good thing since it enables more equality and liberated relations between men, women and children (ibid, p.64). On the other hand, to conservative’s thinkers the increasing diversity is changing and undermining the secure and hierarchical order which the family makes for the wider society (ibid, p.61). Therefore, this essay will demonstrate family as an example of continuity change with an explanation on the changes of household types. In addition, social scientists’ views on diversity in the family will be discussed with the focus on the ... ... middle of paper ... ... identities, roles and affections based upon reproductive sexuality which to religion, it has against the god given way of ordering life (Somerville, 2000). Therefore, it is viewed a social deviance since for conservatives’, family should be consisting of heterosexual parents with a clear segregation in the roles based on sexual differences in the family so that the parents can inculcate proper values in children (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p60) whereas children that have been brought up by a same sex couple could suffer detrimental effects to their psychological and social well-being. However, a research done by The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI, 2009) invalidated the conservatives’ theories because the children that were raised by same sex couples were reported to be as normal, positive as the children raised by opposite sex couple.
The film, “The Sociology of Families and Households”, examines families from a sociological perspective, as it discusses the ways in which the meaning of family has changed throughout history. To better understand how families have changed throughout several decades, the film discusses how structural functionalism, Marxist theory and feminist theory have played a role in defining what a family is, or was at that time in history. The film also examines a few key challenges facing families, such as divorce, single parent households, finding a balance between work and the family and the formation of stepfamilies. Conclusively, the film discusses how the changes in society affect how families function
History has showed us that marriage helped stabilize heterosexual couple’s along with same-sex couple’s relationships and that same-sex couples can provide just as loving and protecting of a household for a child as would a heterosexual couple would. Many heterosexual parents raise their children with the same amount of love and care as any heterosexual couple
There are different perspectives on the foundations of the nuclear family. For example, some argue that this form of the family is ‘natural’ and reflects the ‘normal’ and healthy biological urges of males and females as partners in reproduction. Others argue that the nuclear family does not represent a norm based on biological facts but rather exists alongside many other types of families such as single parent families and same-sex families. From this perspective, the family is socially constructed instead of being biologically determined, and society produces a dive...
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
Traditional Families serve a pivotal role in shaping all aspects of young men and girls’ lives. In 18th century Europe, the concept of family appeared in 2 forms, a nuclear family, and an extended family household. A nuclear unit constituted of a mother, father and their children. When the children grew up they moved out of the home and formed their own households. Extended families included a dominant older male who controlled the rest of the household, including his wife, children and his sons or younger brother’s families. Extended family models appeared less often in Western Europe and they typically formed in times of economic hardship. Most European families in the 1700’s worked in agriculture or trades related to sustaining rural
Families have changed considerably over the decades. When comparing the 1950’s to the 2000’s one could argue that the 00’s was a better era for families. The 2000’s families went through remarkable changes in their status and lifestyle along with how it functions. In the 2000’s there were new kinds of families accompanied by different values and norms. Furthermore, the era brought change to gender roles, social norms, marriage and in general the style of living.
The represented change in constructing households and families manifests the reality of inequality. Meg Luxton’s reading, Wives and Husbands explores the gender relations that occur in nuclear families. It is clear how men maintain the privilege within the household due to the sexual division of labour. ...
We frequently hear about family values and how they have diminished in modern day society. The majority of society no longer go to church, no longer converse with their neighbours, children no longer play in the streets with a ball. One, that is most notable is a two parent family; where the husband would provide and the wife would manage the home. This had changed considerably in the last 60 years, due to the feminist movement for career options for women, equal opportunities and the two role lifestyle of housewife and employee.
There appears to be widespread agreement that family and home life have been changing dramatically over the last 40 years or so. According to Talcott Parsons, the change in family structure is due to industrialization. The concept that had emerged is a new version of the domestic ideal that encapsulates changed expectations of family relations and housing conditions. The family life in the postwar period was highly affected. The concept of companionate marriage emerged in the post war era just to build a better life and build a future in which marriage would be the foundation of better life. Equality of sexes came into being after...
This paper will examine sociological theories and how they relate to the social institution of the family. We typically view society as a group of people, but in sociology, society is not a group of people but a social organization. People are molded by society to fit within the accepted societal bounds. Society must be understood using “the meanings that people put on their values and beliefs” (Bartle, 2010). Within sociology there are three major perspectives. These are the Functionalist, Conflict and Interactionist Perspectives. Each perspective views society in different manners, with each being correct and relevant since social institutions are too complex to be defined by any one theory. Each perspective will be used to explain the perspectives’ relevance to the family.
Following the rise of capitalism, the revolution of women’s rights and the availability of contraception, the late twentieth century ushered in new household structures, not unprecedented, but certainly not within what was previously accepted as a social norm. These new familial structures included unmarried couples, homosexual parents, and parents who had been remarried and brought the new dynamic of step relations into the family unit. Gradually divorce, pregnancy outside of marriage, and the now oft liberating realm of single parenthood lost some of its social stigma. When industrial capitalism took hold, women were ushered outside of the domestic sphere and into the workforce. In addition to the socialization of domestic tasks, this was a condition required for liberation. The institution of the nuclear family, however, as an economic unit is central to meeting the needs of capitalism. Within the present system, employers pay workers a wage, but fail to take responsibility for the social costs of maintaining the current generation of workers- or for raising the next generation of workers into adulthood. These tasks are shouldered by separate families, and within the family, it is principally women who are expected to perform the unpaid domestic labor of raising children, cooking, housework and primary healthcare. Capitalism, in essense, now essentially relies on the unpaid labor of women within the home.
The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….
Murdock’s idealised view of the family could now be seen as outdated as it is no longer the most common family structure in Britain today although it can still be used as an argument against other perspectives. While there have been many changes to the structure of the family and the roles performed within it, the nuclear family remains an ideal for the majority of people in society.
To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.
Marriage naturally creates families; it provides the conditions for a healthy environment that is beneficial to the upbringing of children. Opponents of same-sex marriage often ground their arguments on parental and religious concerns. Many argue that sa...