Essay about A report investigating family diversity

Submitted By vickiemr2
Words: 1625
Pages: 7
Open Document
Sociology and the Family

A report investigating family diversity

November 2013

What is the family?
A family is a care-giving unit that can be made up of several variations of people from married couples, parents and children and adopted families. Not all families have to be related by blood and can be a family just by marriage or adoption. A household can still be a family but this can also be an individual, or a group of unrelated people that share income to cover all household bills.
The family can be very diverse and there are many formats to what people believe constitutes a family. The family unit has changed throughout the years and different types of family are emerging and are starting to be seen as 'normal' but would have never have been considered many years ago, and social attitudes will have had an impact on this, this will be discussed further.. This report will look at the types of family and households and the changes in laws that have come about to change the ideas behind what a family is. There are a variety of different types of family including Nuclear, Single parent, Gay/Lesbian, Extended, Reconstituted and Co-Habiting.
‘Discuss the variety of family and household types’
The idea of the 'conventional family' or a traditional nuclear family, which is made up of married parents and dependent children is slowly declining. In 2012 ONS married families with dependent children only made up 38% of all families in the UK compared to 39% of families having cohabiting parents, 26% being single parent families and just under 1% of same sex families.
Murdock (1949) believed that the family served four main functions Sexual, Reproductive, Economic and education, and that this was best suited to the nuclear family. However, Talcott Parsons (1959) believed that the family was there to form two main functions they are the primary socialisation of children and stabilisation of adult personalities in society. Along with the decline in the typical nuclear family there has been a need for new family types to be considered, these being the Reconstituted family and the Co-Habiting family. The reconstituted family is made up of at least one member having children from a previous relationship, this can also be called a 'Step Parent Family. With 42% of marriages ending in divorce and remarriages showing as over 56000 according to the ONS 2011, this type of family is on the increase.
There has also been an increase in the number of Co-Habiting families, this being a family that is unmarried. The figures currently show that there are 2.9 millions families who cohabit and 1.9 million of these have dependent children. (ONS 2013)
Extended families are a family that has at least 3 generations that either live in the same house or have very close connection with the household. These can be seen simply as extensions of the nuclear family. This type of family is very common in traditional Spanish, Greek and Indian families but to name a few. A belief with extended families is that women who live within larger families are likely to get married earlier and have more children, with the result being an obstacle to economic and social development Castillo et al (1968). It is believed that modern day extended families are important in assisting immigrants to incorporate themselves within society Glick (2000). The existence of the welfare states has placed less importance on the need for the extended family along with being seen as one of the reasons in the increase in the single parent family.
The increase in single parent families has also been noted and believed to be partly due to the increase in help from the welfare state, especially with the introduction of Child Tax Credits in April 2003 (jrf.org.uk), this increase in money available for parents and a higher allowance again being awarded to lone parents was to ensure they did not fall into the
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about A report investigating family diversity

Family Diversity Essay

A report investigating family diversity What is a family? Sociologist Brown defined a family as “a group of people who are related by kinship ties: relatives of blood, marriage or adoption” (Brown, 1998). But many people might argue this statement is not right anymore as this only defines a traditional family. There are many different types of family which include Nuclear, Cereal Packet, Extended, Single Parent, and Reconstituted. Over the years family life has become more diverse. There is a…

Words 1743 - Pages 7

Organized Crime Group Analysis

Originally, the Yakuza “were a pure family that consisted of Japanese and Korean ethnicities” (Siniawer, 2012). As time has progressed, the need for diversity has skyrocketed. The Yakuza are an open crime syndicate group that does not discriminate. Their applications for membership are open to anyone, of any race. The main reason why this has occurred…

Words 1919 - Pages 8

Ellen Pence Domestic Violence Case Study

Traditionally the cases are nursed along at a molasses-pace, while also placing the victim in the role of aggressor. Actualized, the processes will focus on victim safety and accountability of the offender. Though the climate of awareness and diversity continues to grow, society historically has…

Words 1734 - Pages 7

children and young people Essay

Preliminary Assessment Task 2014 Law in Practice Report Evaluate the effectiveness of the legal and non-legal responses to a contemporary issue of your choice. Issue: Children and Young People Every child has rights no matter who they are, where they live or what they believe. This builds the diversity, harmony, fair and just community in Australia that we strive to live upon as they are the future of our society. The way in which we nurture them is to prevent them from being exploited and to protect…

Words 1548 - Pages 7

Self-Supervision and Plan Essay

Clinical mental health counselors diagnose, treat, and test psychological disorders as well as support and teach clients skills needed for positive behavior changes. According to the 2012 American Mental Health Counselors Association’s (AMHCA) code of ethics “Mental health counselors believe in the dignity and worth of the individual. They are committed to increasing knowledge of human behavior and understanding of themselves and others. They use their skills only for purposes consistent with these…

Words 3162 - Pages 13

Cultural Analysis of Chile Essay

Christian democratic ruling parties. Today, Chile is a strong democratic nation. The family is very important to Chileans; this is influenced largely by the mestizo way of living. The…

Words 2800 - Pages 12

Arcadia Group Pest Analysis Essay

Introduction3 Methodology4 Political Factors4 Economic Factors7 Social Factors 8 Technological Factors………………………………………………………………………………………….10 Conclusion………………………………………………..……………...…………………….11 References…………………………………………………….……………………………….12 Summary Report includes political, economic, social and technological factors. This analysis is done in order to predict the future impacts of these factors on Arcadia Group. The main points are discussed: Political Factors: taxation policy, competition policy…

Words 2655 - Pages 11

Case: Chester & Wayne Essay

Sustainability Eastman Kodak Company 2010 Annual Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Report Scope 3 Leadership Message 6 Company Profile 10 Goals 12 Performance Data 14 Compliance 15 Sustainability Framework 21 Governance 26 Innovation 31 Stewardship 41 Engagement 50 External Recognition 51 About the Photographs SCOPE OF REPORT SCOPE OF REPORT Kodak is pleased to present our fifth annual Global Sustainability Report, as well as our 21st public report to include health, safety and environmental performance…

Words 18757 - Pages 76

Essay The Dichotomy of Outcomes Between Short Term and Long Term Effects of Retained Students

The Dichotomy of Outcomes Between Short Term and Long Term Effects of Retained Students Amanda West University of Texas at Dallas The Dichotomy of Outcomes Between Short Term and Long Term Effects on Retained Students A mother’s first instinctual reaction to learning that a child will repeat a grade is usually negative in nature. Naturally, a web of questions arises in relation to the overall well-being of the child. How will my child cope socially, emotionally, academically over…

Words 4245 - Pages 17

Job Role

dementia are able to answer most questions however there are also residents in which their dementia is quite advanced and they may not have the ability to answer as they may not understand the questions being asked, in this and most cases there are other family members and social workers involved in the assessment process. Working in partnership can have a positive influence on the assessment process, and the benefit of working in partnership is that others can make an effective contribution to the assessment…

Words 7488 - Pages 30