Family diversity
The Rapoport's
We have moved away from the nuclear family into a range of different family types
There are five types family diversity
Organisational diversity
Cultural diversity
Social class diversity
Life-stage diversity
Generational diversity
Postmodernism
Giddens
Society has become 'disembodied' from traditional family structures, leavings free to choose how we live our lives
This has led to a 'pure relationship'- one that exists solely to satisfy each partner's needs
Beck
Equality and individualism have created the 'negotiated family' which varied according to the members wants
Functionalism
Parsons
Family diversity has increased, and there has been a shift away from the traditional nuclear family
Nowadays, it's more common for reconstituted, lone-parent and cohabiting families to exist. However, Functionalists and the New Right reject this in arguing the nuclear family is the only family type functional for society
Personal Life Perspective
Smart
We aren't disembodied individuals, but we make decisions about relationships within a 'web of connectedness'
Chester
Although there has been some increase in diversity, the nuclear family still remains dominant
There has been an important change from the conventional family (segregated conjugal roles) to the Neo-coventional family, which adopts a symmetrical family structure