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Types of Family » Family Diversity and Sociological Views

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Cambridge spec: 4.1.2, 4.1.3

How family life differs between cultures, social classes and ethnic groups
What the New Right says about family diversity and dysfunctional families
Why postmodernists see diversity as a positive thing
How common the nuclear family really is

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Why are families so different?

You have learned that families come in many structures. This lesson asks a bigger question: why do families differ from one group of people to another, and what do sociologists think about it?

Key terms:

Family diversity: the many different types of family found in society.
Cross-cultural variation: differences in family life between one culture or society and another.
Dysfunctional family: a family that is seen as failing to carry out its roles properly, so it causes problems for its members or for society.

Variations in the family

Family life varies between cultures; in some societies several generations live together and share the cooking

🌎 Cross-cultural

Family life is not the same in every society. In some societies, extended families are common and several generations live together or very close by. In many industrial societies, the nuclear family is more common. The roles of men, women and children can also differ from one culture to another.

💰 Social class

Money and jobs affect family life. Middle-class families often have more money for childcare and housing, and may move away for a good job, so relatives live further apart. Working-class families have sometimes relied more on relatives nearby for help and support.

🤝 Ethnicity

Some ethnic groups have family traditions that differ from those of the majority group. In some countries, extended households are more common among certain ethnic groups, and lone-parent families are more common among others. Family life also varies a lot within each ethnic group.

Looking more closely

A well-known example of class differences is Young and Willmott's study of Bethnal Green in London. They found working-class families with close ties between mothers and daughters, who lived near each other and helped with childcare. Later, many families moved to new housing estates, and family life became more home-centred.

Why do differences appear?

Jobs and housing: moving for work makes it harder to live near relatives.
Beliefs and religion: these shape ideas about marriage, children and how a household should be run.
Laws and traditions: these differ between societies.
Migration: families who move to a new country bring their traditions with them and may also adapt to their new society.

Common mistakes

Stereotyping. "All families from this group are extended" is not true. These are broad patterns, and many families do not follow them. Write "some", "many" or "tend to".

The New Right view

You met the New Right in the lesson on poverty and inequality. They are a conservative group of thinkers who value tradition, personal responsibility and a small role for the state.

New Right thinkers believe the best family is the traditional nuclear family, with a married mother and father and their children. They see this as the natural, ideal family for bringing up children. They say it:

gives children two role models, a father and a mother
socialises children into the norms and values of society
makes parents, and not the state, responsible for their children

They are worried about family diversity. For the New Right, other family types are dysfunctional. Their main concerns are these:

Lone-parent families, they say, lack a role model, especially boys without a father, who might turn to crime.
Generous welfare benefits may make it too easy for people to have children without a partner or a job, so they become dependent on the state.
Rising divorce and the decline of marriage weaken family stability, and so weaken society.

Remember the underclass and dependency culture ideas from the lesson on New Right views of poverty. The same thinking lies behind these concerns.

Evaluation: critics say the New Right blames lone parents unfairly. Many lone parents bring up happy, successful children, and many nuclear families have problems such as conflict or violence. The New Right also ignores money problems, such as low pay, that make family life hard for all types of families.

The postmodernist view

Postmodernists see family diversity as positive because people can now choose how they live, like this same-sex couple and their child

Postmodernists, whom you met in the lesson on identity, see society as a place of choice and change. In the past, most people followed one pattern of family life. Now people can choose how to live.

Postmodernists say family diversity is positive:

People are free to choose the family type that suits them, such as marrying, cohabiting, living alone, or forming a family of friends.
No single family type is "normal" or "correct". All are equally valid.
Diversity shows that society is becoming more open and accepting.
People can change their family type during their lives, and this can be a good thing, not a failure.

Evaluation: critics say postmodernists overstate how free people are to choose. Money, class, ethnicity, or lack of job opportunities can limit choices. Also, many people still follow the traditional pattern.

How common is the nuclear family?

Is the nuclear family still the main type? The answer depends on how you count.

📈 Still dominant

In many countries, most children are still brought up by two parents living together. Many people spend at least part of their lives in a nuclear family. Many people still think of the nuclear family as the usual family.

🔄 Less dominant

At any one time, a large share of people live in other arrangements. These include lone-parent, reconstituted, extended, empty nest and childless families, as well as people living alone. People also move between structures during their lives.

So the nuclear family remains the most common single type in many societies, but it is no longer the only one, and many people do not live in one at a given moment.

Worked example

Question: Does the nuclear family dominate society?

Plan: (1) It is still the most common single structure in many countries. (2) Many people live in other structures at any one time. (3) Views differ: the New Right want the nuclear family to be dominant, while postmodernists welcome diversity. (4) Conclusion: it remains important but is no longer the only normal family.

Common mistakes

Saying the New Right think all lone parents are bad people. They criticise the family type, not the individuals. Saying postmodernists think nuclear families are wrong. They think no type is better than another. Writing about diversity without giving at least one example.

Exam-style question

(a) Define the term family diversity. [2 marks]

(b) Give two ways in which family life can differ between cultures. [2 marks]

Model answer

(a) The many different types of family (1) found in society (1).

(b) Any two of: extended families are more common in some societies than in others (1); the roles of men, women and children differ (1); beliefs about marriage differ (1).

(c) First, the New Right say lone-parent families lack a role model, especially a father, so children, particularly boys, may get into trouble or crime (2). Second, they say welfare benefits encourage people to have children without a job or a partner, so they become dependent on the state (2). Third, they say the decline of marriage and the rise in divorce make families less stable, so children are not socialised properly and society becomes weaker (2).

Exam tip

In part (c), start each point with "First", "Second" and "Third" and add "so" or "because" to develop it. Only write about the New Right view, not your own opinion.

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