What a family looks like will grow and evolve over time and is significantly influenced by the specific culture being experienced in a certain time period. While there used to be one family structure that dominated all others, significant changes in family structure have taken place over the past few decades.
Families have changed significantly over the years. According to Pew Research, examples of these shifts include:
Reasons for change in family structure:
The definition of family can be viewed as something deeply personal, meaning that each unique individual may have their own take on what a family means to them. According to Pew Research, in the United States the traditional" family was what dominated in the 1950s and 1960s with about 73% of children living within two-parent households. Currently, two-parent households are not the norm, with the vast majority of families being single parent, blended, cohabitating, remarriage, and partners without children, while the two-parent household is less than half of what families in the U.S. self-identify as. Family can also be:
The economy and family structure have a circular relationship with both entities impacting each other. For example:
Family structures have shifted over time for a variety of complex reasons that interact with each other within a given time period. The norm in terms of family structure is constantly changing, and what is considered typical now will likely continue to shift over time. © 2022 LoveToKnow Media. All rights reserved. After studying this section, you should be able to understand:
Marriage
Some members of the New Right subscribe to the view that marriage, and therefore nuclear family life, is under attack and in decline. The New Right approach can be seen as a more recent re-working of the earlier functionalist approach to the family.The New Right argue that marriage is becoming less popular, as shown by the fact that marriage rates have declined in Britain. In 2005, only 244 710 couples got married, compared with 480 000 in 1972. Moreover, the male marriage rate declined from 36.3% in 1994 to 27.8% in 2004, whilst the female rate declined from 30.6% to 24.6%. However, the majority of people in Britain marry. Surveys indicate that most people still see marriage as a desirable objective in their lives. The number of re-marriages (i.e. in which one or both partners have been divorced) has increased as a percentage of all marriages from 15% in 1971 to 40% in 2006. These people are committed to the institution of marriage, despite their previous negative experience(s) of it. Chester (1985) argues that society is not witnessing a mass rejection of marriage, instead, he suggests, people are delaying marriage. In other words, people are marrying later in life, probably after a period of cohabitation, for economic reasons. In 2005, seven in ten families were still headed by a married couple.
Cohabitation Cohabitation is seen by the New Right as threatening the sanctity of marriage. It is suggested that this type of arrangement is too casual and does not involve the same sort of commitment and loyalty that marriage does. Moreover, New Right thinkers believe that children born outside of marriage are a sign of moral decline. In 2007 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested that cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in Britain. Around 2.2 million families are cohabiting couples, with or without children. About 30% of births are now to cohabiting rather than married couples. However, studies by sociologists such as Burgoyne (1982) suggest that in most cases cohabitation is a temporary phase. Most of those who cohabit eventually marry. Social attitudes tend to support marriage rather than cohabitation. Reasons for cohabitation may be pragmatic. The cost of marriage is high which may deter people, especially in areas hardest hit by unemployment. Moreover, about three-quarters of births outside marriage are registered by both parents. This indicates that these births are occurring within stable relationships. Fletcher (1988) argues that cohabitation and births outside marriage conceal what are in fact rather conventional nuclear families based on stable relationships – even though they are not legitimised by marriage. Cohabitation is not exclusive to heterosexual couples. Since the 1970s society has seen the emergence of lesbian and gay cohabitation, following the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Plummer (1995) notes that between 40% and 60% of gay men are cohabiting in relationships of over one year duration.
Bear in mind that a same sex couple can now register as civil partners and thereby have their relationship legally recognised. You will find more information on civil partnerships here. Marital breakdown Marital breakdown is viewed by the New Right as a profound social problem with serious costs to society and individuals. There are three types of marital breakdown.
Divorce There has been a steady rise in the divorce rate in Britain throughout the twentieth century. In 1961, two married couples per 1000 were divorced in England and Wales. By 1991, this had risen to 13. Chandler (1993) argues that if present trends continue, about 40% of current marriages will end in divorce. Explanations for the increasing divorce rate are as follows.
– The Matrimonial Causes Act (1857) made divorce easier although it was still not affordable for most social groups. It also introduced the concept of ‘marital crime’, i.e. divorce was granted if offences such as cruelty or desertion were proved. Be aware of any proposed changes to the divorce laws. – The Legal Aid and Advice Act (1949) gave financial assistance to the less well-off to help with divorce costs. – The Divorce Reform Act (1969) became law in 1971. This has been the most profound change. Marital partners now only have to demonstrate ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’ by separating for two years. ‘Quickie’ divorces could still be obtained by proving marital offences. A major rise in divorce followed the implementation of this act. – The Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act (1984) reduced the period when couples could start to petition for divorce from three years to one year. These changes in legislation resulted in a dramatic rise in the divorce rate especially in 1971 and in 1984–5. However, legislation is not the sole cause of higher divorce rates. Legal changes reflect changing attitudes in society.
KEY POINT Current trends indicate that four out of ten contemporary marriages will eventually end in divorce. Monogamy, i.e. one partner for life, may eventually be replaced by serial monogamy, i.e. people may have a series of relationships which result in cohabitation and/or marriage. However, most people spend their lives in a family environment and place a high value on it. Abbott and Wallace (1990) argue that the statistics indicate family stability, e.g. six out of ten couples who got married in the 1990s will stay together until one of them dies. Post-modernist views on divorce The post-modernist approach provides an alternative interpretation of divorce. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995) argue that rising divorce rates are the product of a rapidly changing world in which the traditional rules with regard to love, romance and relationships no longer apply. In particular, they point out that the post-modern world is characterised by individualisation, choice and conflict.
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim argue that these three features have undermined relationships and marriages between men and women as demonstrated by rising divorce rates. However, this does not mean marriage is dying out. They point out that people still seek love and marriage because they believe that these compensate for the impersonal and uncertain nature of the modern world.
PROGRESS CHECK
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