Explain the Extent of and Reasons for Family Diversity in Today’s Society

Natasha Helps

Sociology essay:

Explain the extent of and reasons for family diversity in today’s society

Over the years society and family structure has changed in many different ways. In the 18-1900s society was in the modernity era where people believed that there was one family structure that had a clear cut predictable structure and anything other than that was seen as wrong, this family structure was called the ‘Nuclear Family’ which was a family which consisted of two generations a man and a women with dependant children of there own or adopted. But from the 20th century to nowadays has changed to the post-modernity era, where diversity and change are now celebrated, because it is seen as okay to be different from the traditional ‘Nuclear Family’.

The functionalists are sociologists that see society as based on a value consensus; that is, harmony and agreement among the society’s members about basic values. They regard society as a system of different parts or subsystems that depend on each other. The functionalists have there own perspective of and ‘ideal’ family, which is the nuclear family that consists of two heterosexual parents and dependant children that are the parents own or adopted. Also within the functionalists there is The New Right who was a conservative political party which emerged in 1979 under the Prime Minister Margret Thatcher and the sociologist Norman Tebbit. People like Margret Thatcher and Tebbit believed that this ‘Nuclear Family’ was the only suitable correct family and anything different was very wrong for society, they were opposed to family diversity. They were also antifeminist and believed that a woman’s place was in the home under the ‘expressive’ role they were the care givers and to keep the house as a place of refuge for the children and the husband from the world outside, whilst not going out and working. The man’s role was the ‘Instrumental’ role, which meant to be the breadwinner, to go out to work and earn the...