The similar opinion has David Morgan (1996) who uses the concept of ‘family practices’ what describes the actions which family members actually do. Family practices are influenced by the views on rights and obligations we have within the family. Also the concept shows why conflicts exist in family. It is because family members may have different beliefs about each other’s that families are not things or structures; they are what people actually do. What is more, the family was fragmented because the boundaries between friendship and other types of relationships became blurred. However, the structural theories are not totally rejected, as there are still social norms which people follow and rules that society dictates could influence family members.
Postmodernists argue that the world is not predictable anymore. Society entered a new chaotic postmodern phase where is no dominant family type and there are more opportunities of the life style. That gives a freedom to create family relationships which are more suitable for certain individuals. A freedom of choice makes the relationships unstable though.
There where other perspectives developed on the family. Anthony’s Giddence (1992) theory of choice and equality argues that it was transformation in the family and marriage, and in relationships between male and female. The main reasons of that were availabilities of contraception which reduced the reason of reproduction in the relationships. Also, an improvement in the contraception of women who continued their education and started to work is a result of feminism. Those changes affected family types, as then they can choose the relationship they want despite of the law and traditions. Gidden argues that ‘pure type of relationships’ had accured what means that couples stay together as long as they want. However, this type of relationships creates instability between partners.
Ulrich Beck’s (1992) theory is closely associated with Giddens’s view. According to Ulrich Beck, people now live in a ‘risk society’ where traditions are less important, because of that we have a lot of choices which lead as to the risk. Today’s society differs from the traditional one in the way of their roles. People have not had as much choices of how to live their lives. They had fixed roles like men breadwinners and women- housewives. The inequality of traditional patriarchal society disappeared. It led to greater gender equality, as women’s rights had improved, and greater individualism, as people’s actions had been decided on their self- interest. Beck argues that ‘negotiated family’ connived due to those changes. The new family type is opposed to traditional family, because relationships become equal and families decide what is better for them on their own.
Sociologist Judith Stacey (1998) said, as society entered a new postmodern stage, women gained more opportunities in their lifestyle. The emancipation of patriarchal oppression allowed women to create new family structure. Women gained opportunity to work, study, divorce and re-marry what led to creation of ‘divorce extended family’ where members are connected by divorce.
Postmodernists try to show the rise of individualism of people, diverse in families as a important feature of postmodern society. Jeffrey Week (2000) said that families continue to be fairly traditional and acceptance of diversity is growing. The sexual behaviour became a personal choice as well, because of secularisation and last of state power on individual’s choices.
There are two opinions formed the issue of family diversity, looking at different sociologists’ approaches. The functionalists and New Right have a view against diversity, as they insists that nuclear family is the best type of family and that traditional gender roles are dominant in society. Otherwise, postmodernists and feminists believe that family diversity is a positive thing, which gives freedom, equal relationships and choices for individuals.