Assess the view that the Nuclear family is no longer the norm.
The definition of a nuclear family is a family that consists of a mother, father and their children, who all live together and share economic co-operation and have an intimate relationship that involves reproduction. It can be argued that the nuclear family is no longer the norm but some sociologists, like Murdock and Talcott Parsons, would argue that the nuclear family is the norm.
Functionalists such as Murdock and Parsons would say that the nuclear family is the norm. Murdock says that the family has four functions. The first function being sex which is where married adults enjoy a healthy sex life which prevents them having affairs and ensures children are raised by their natural parents. The second function is reproductive which involves making the next generation i.e. a new workforce. The third function is economic, by this Murdoch means providing food and shelter. Ideally the man will go out to work, breadwinner, and the woman will look after the house and children, homemaker. The fourth function is educational, by this Murdock means socialisation which is the process of learning the norms and values of society. This shows the functionalists prefer the nuclear family, they feel this provides children with a male and female role model and it also provides socialisation from two parents. Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is the one best suited to the wider needs of society. Murdock’s view can be criticized for being too narrow; it doesn’t take in to account single parent or gay families. This view is also criticised by feminists due to the idea of different gender roles and the creation of female oppression. Feminists point out that the family tends to benefit men more than women. Functionalists also prefer marriage to co-habitation as it is seen to be more stable however, at the moment there is a decrease in the amount of people getting married and a rise in co-habiting families this suggests the idea of nuclear family is dying out in a way as it isn’t a particularly secure nuclear family.
The Essay on Family Diversity Families Nuclear Britain
In modern Britain post WWII, the amount of the diverse families has grown due to changes over time. The invention of the pill, allowing both men and women to file for divorce without having to prove adultery and even religion not playing such an important part in peoples lives meant that changes in the family structure became more acceptable. Before this time it was the norm to be a part of a ...
A recent statistic has shown that divorce is increasing in the UK this suggests that the nuclear family is indeed dying out, and no longer the norm. There is also a significant rise in the amount of single parent families; in 2007 the Office for National Statistics said children in the UK were three times more likely to live in one-parent households than they were in 1972. This suggests an increase in the amount of single parent families in the UK and therefore suggests that single parent families are becoming more frequent. It is also proved that other families that are not nuclear also work. An example of an alternative to a nuclear family is the Kibbutz. The Kibbutz is a communal form of living found in Israel. Members share economic resources. Children sleep in dormitories and are educated collectively. Another alternative family to the nuclear family that also works is the matrifocal family, which is a type of single parent family often found in urban communities and arguably more common amongst Afro-Caribbean groups. The maternal grandmother and male relatives offer support. The idea of two families in two different societies, and both ideas work suggests the nuclear family is not the norm in certain regions of the world. Another example is the Gay/Lesbian family and the single parent family. The gay/lesbian family are becoming increasingly more common. The gay/lesbian family is becoming more socially accepted therefore due to this it is becoming more frequent within the UK and other parts of the world. Extended families also add to the suggestion that the nuclear family is no longer the norm which is stereotypical to Asian families.
The Essay on Evaluate The Claim That The Nuclear Family Is Still The Norm In Modern Society
Evaluate The Claim That The Nuclear Family Is Still The Norm In Modern Society. A nuclear family consists of married parents and their children. Changes in the rates of divorce and marriage contradict the idea that the nuclear family is still the norm. Changes in attitudes also mean that the nuclear family may not represent the majority of families. Over the last 100 years, the trend in divorce ...
It could be argued that the nuclear family has only been the norm since after the industrial revolution, and this therefore has made family’s drift away from their extended families due to the requirement and need to make money. This therefore makes the family move from wherever they were situated with their extended family, to a more urban area with more work available. Some sociologists argue that the nuclear family has changed in order to meet the needs of society. This could be due to the change in “family values.”
Willmott and Young suggested the theory “March of Progress” which said that the family were split into four stages. Willmott and Young argue that we are currently in the privatised nuclear family. This family is an isolated nuclear family and chores are shared equally between the women and men. It is said that we are currently in this stage. Feminists argue we are not in this stage as women still do the majority of housework. This is backed up by Anne Oakley’s finding that women are more likely to do nine more hours housework than her partner if both work full time. This stage is also said to be a nuclear family, however in 2009 Dr Katherine Rake, a feminist, said that the nuclear family model is no longer ‘the norm’ and any Government attempts to rescue it are futile. She believes this is due to the high amount of single parent families. She found that one in four children is now brought up in a single-parent household, the vast majority of which are led by mothers. She also felt that rising divorce rates and growing pressures in the workplace means that parents are passing on childcare responsibilities to other relatives, which therefore are leading to the extinction of the nuclear family.
To conclude, there are key reasons for why people feel the nuclear family is no longer the norm and there are reasons for why it is considered the norm. Functionalists and the New Right movement believe that the nuclear family is the best family to have and in some cases the only accepted family however due to changing social conditions families such as single parent families and gay/lesbian families are becoming more socially accepted, this therefore shows that other families do exist and statistics show that these families are on the increase.
The Essay on Real Family Values Structure Belonging Parents
"Real" Family Values What are some things that you could never live without? You might say food, water, shelter, or clothing. Other, less conventional, answers might include a cell phone, lip gloss, or Starbuck's coffee. However, according to psychologist Abraham H. Maslow, all people need belonging ness, esteem, and self-actualization. Carol Shields sustained that family values include qualities ...
