Seeing as in today’s society there is plenty of access to contraception, married couples/couples in general are not having children for various reasons which has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family, also known as the ‘Cereal packet family’. There has been an increase in marriage of 9.2% between 2006 and 2011. Murdock argued on the basis of his studies that the nuclear family was a universal social institution and that it existed universally because it fulfilled four basic functions for society: the sexual, reproductive, economic and education functions. However, the numbers of nuclear families have fallen due to a rise in family diversity such as singletons and same sex.
Starting from around the 1970’s, divorce was legalized around the world. The changes in law, declining in stigma and changes of attitudes had led people to carry out a divorce when necessary; this was seen as a ‘Social norm’. A marriage from a religious point of view was seen to be a lifelong commitment which should not have a final termination. Secularisation became more common so marriage was no longer under the control or influence of religion. Higher expectations were made when it came to marriages, not the usual expectations like fidelity and monogamy but women are left to look after the children, cook, clean, day in day out etc. (this was known as “triple shift”) which is why there has been an increase in divorce and decrease in the nuclear family. New right believes as there is such a high divorce rate, this creates a lot more underclass leaving more people on Welfare benefits. However, Post Modernists say divorce is good as it allows freedom for both men and women which is increasing family diversity. This is why there are fewer stigmas in today’s society.
Differences in sexuality have contributed to increasing diversity according to many sociologists. Gay and lesbian households have become more commonplace – certainly
There are more openly gay and lesbian households than there were several decades ago. As Jeffrey Weeks, Catherine Donovan and Brian Heaphey argue, ‘during the
Past generation the possibilities of living an openly lesbian and gay life have been transformed. Many sociologists believe that such households, where they incorporate long-term gay or lesbian relationships, should be seen as constituting families. Same Sex marriages have forever been illegal in the UK, however, since 2005 same-sex couples are aloud to enter in a civil partnership. Ever since the civil partnership act had come about, and criticism and stigma has decreased, then again leaving a fall in the number of nuclear families.
The increase in single mothers may partly result from a reduction in the number of ‘shotgun weddings’ – that is, getting married to legitimate a pregnancy. Mark Brown suggests that in previous eras it was more common for parents to get married, rather than simply cohabit, if they discovered that the woman was pregnant. Marriages that resulted from pregnancy were often unstable and could end up producing lone motherhood through an eventual divorce or separation. Now, the partners may choose to cohabit rather than marry and, if their relationship breaks up, they end up appearing in the statistics as single, never-married, parent. According to some sociologists the increase in lone parenthood is largely a result of the generosity of welfare payments. Charles Murray’s theory of the underclass is the most influential version of this viewpoint. Less stigma is said in today’ society about single parents which is another reason why they have increased.
by
bethanayers (student)
