The Family Life Cycle

The Family Life Cycle

Watch carefully and pick out 3 pieces of information that are relevant to our focus on changing family types

The essay we are working towards…. So what are the key words in this question?

What do we mean by ‘life cycle’? • On a personal level, you will probably live in a variety of family and household situations during your life. • How you have lived as a child will be very different to how you live as a student, a single person, an employee, a married person. • Each of us will have a different life cycle linked to where we are born, our class, gender, ethnicity and the choices we make throughout our lives.

An example • Nikki born into a nuclear family (aged 0-13) • Her parents divorce and she experiences life with her mother as a single parent family (aged 13-18) • She goes to university and shares a flat in a communal household (aged 18-21) • Nikki lives alone as a singleton (aged 21-25)

Nikki falls in love with Pete and they live as a cohabiting couple (aged 25-28) • They marry and have 2 children. Nikki is a nuclear family again (aged 28-48) • The children leave home and Pete and Nikki are an ‘empty nest’ family (aged 48-78) • Pete dies and Nikki lives alone again as a singleton (aged 78-100)

Now write up an example yourself • Think of someone you know • It could be someone in your family – an older member would be best to show the possible range of family/household situations

Allan and Crow • Go to page 313 (which you should have already read for homework!) • Answer the following question in full sentences! • What do Allan and Crow 2001 say about the family life cycle in contemporary societies? • How is this different to societies in the past?

And what about the statistics?

SO back to that question Writing the introduction: 1 sentence to explain what family life cycle is. 2-3 sentences to explain what it was like in the past and what it is like now in contemporary society link this to a scholar and give examples of the differing family types now appearing

Paragraph 1 What scholars/ data should we include? What key words should we include? Tackling those key words: In this paragraph you should be looking at the changes that have effected young people e.g. marriage at a later stage and increased cohabitation, and less social stigma around living alone, with friends or as part of a LAT relationship.

Paragraph 2 What scholars? What key words should we include? You should now look at the reasons for these changes

Paragraph 3 • Those traditional ‘norms and values’ what are they? Do all the changes you have previously mentioned make them hard to define now? Does that make it harder for people to know what family type is best? • Charles Murray and Norman Dennis and George Erdos, (New Right scholars) say yes! This is what you should be explaining in this paragraph. • 1-2 sentences to explain that although the changes mentioned in your pervious paragraphs seem to suggest social progress not all sociologists feel that the family diversity brought about my these changes are beneficial for society. • 3-4 sentences explaining why the New Right (and functionalists) feel this, highlighting what they see as necessary for families (think about gender roles etc) and society to function well. • 1 sentence linking back to the item focusing on the idea that a return traditional norms and values would remove the ‘uncertainty’

Paragraph 4 • But is the threat really that bad? • The sociologists on the slides say no, you need to explain why. • 1 sentence to introduce the idea that other sociologists argue that contemporary norms and values might not be so different after all • 2-3 sentences introducing the ideas of Chester, who says most people end up in a nuclear family • 2-3 explaining the postmodern views of Stacey and Cheal who argue that choice is good for everyone, friends might be the new family, and diversity brings choices not uncertainty.

Conclusion • So have changing norms and values caused increased family diversity? • You need to come to a decision based on the evidence you have presented, no adding new sociologists here please • (Hint its going to be a bit of both as nuclear families are still a popular option, think about Chester!)

Robert Chester – the neo-conventional family • There has been increased family diversity, but not as significant as others make out. The extent and importance of family diversity is exaggerated • Neo Conventional Family - A nuclear family but with a division of labour between the male and female • Dual-earner family • The nuclear family is still the family most people aspire to. • Due to our life cycle, most people will still be part of a nuclear family at some point in their lives

What do the theorists say? Robert Chester (1985) Argues that for most people the nuclear family is still the most typical family. He argues that single parent families normally come from nuclear families and many single parents will remarry and become nuclear families again. Even though many couple cohabit, he argues most will eventually go on to marry

Postmodernists • Stacey - Greater family diversity has benefited women, enabling them to free themselves from patriarchal oppression and shape the family to meet their needs.

Postmodernism and family diversity • David Cheal – family structures are fragmented and individuals have much more choice in their lifestyles, personal relationships and family arrangements. • Family life is more diverse than ever before and its shape depends on the active choices people make about how to live their lives, e.g. whether to get divorced, cohabit, come out as gay etc. Are friends the new family?

The Family Life Cycle