Family 5

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns There is also the debate about why women are still expected to run the home, as well as to work full-time, placing enormous pressure on them. This ‘dual burden’ of work and home still exists for many women.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns The trend in patterns of divorcing in Britain indicate that the unskilled and unemployed have a higher rate of divorce.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns Age has also appeared to be a factor in divorce. The younger the age that people marry, the higher the chances of them divorcing. In Britain from 1985 to 1989, the divorce rate amongst teenagers who had married was approximately twice as high as those people who had married over the age of 45.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns Reasons have been put forward for this: Many teenagers are not earning high salaries so money may be tight and this can cause problems. Teenagers may not make good decisions about their choice of partner and experience may lead them to change their minds after time has passed.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns Statistics show that marriages have a better chance of success if both partners come from the same social background. So, why do so many marriages fail?

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns People expect more from marriage today than they did in previous times.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns Previously marriages were arranged for economic reasons; today most people marry for love. If marriage does not meet their emotional needs, they may abandon it.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family disorganisation is the term given to the breakdown of the family. Family patterns It is felt that the breakdown has led to an increase in welfare dependence. There is also much debate on the effect that divorce has on children.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Family patterns In general, women are having fewer children and an increasing number of women have taken the decision not to have any children at all and to pursue a career instead. People are also marrying later in life and choosing to have children later.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES However, having said all this about marriage, it is also important to look at the positive statistics of marriage. Family patterns According to the trends in the 1990’s, 60% of people are likely to remain married until they die. That’s good news for marriage.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State Families live in a society so it is common sense that they will be affected by the laws that govern that society.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State Government policies concerning health, education, taxation and welfare assistance will all impact directly on the family.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State In Britain, the family life has traditionally been regarded as people’s personal business and not an area that the state should interfere in.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State However, with the increase of child protection laws and the welfare state, the state is having an increasing role to play within the family.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State In other countries, the state has taken a firmer view of how it should control family life. In China, for example, at the end of the last century, overpopulation was a problem for the state so couples were encouraged to have only one child.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State In Britain in recent years there have been changes to the law concerning the family. In 1993, the Child Support Agency was set up to ensure that fathers who were absent from their children did pay maintenance for them so that this burden did not fall exclusively on the welfare state.

The family and state policies SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES The family and state policies Family and State The government felt that this was a way of not only saving money but also maintaining a stance about parental responsibility and moral values.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Conclusions In more recent times, it has become more and more difficult to define the term ‘family’. Perhaps it should be defined by the people who believe they are living together as families. Included could also be gay and lesbian couples.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Conclusions The composition of families has changed radically just in the last three hundred years and continues to change. Sociologists have carried out much research to demonstrate how the family functions.

SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Conclusions Any discussion about how the family should or should not conduct itself also involves the rules and laws of that society in which the family lives. We cannot ignore the society around us. After considering all the theorists and thinkers on this subject, there is one fact that remains unquestionable:

THE END SOCIOLOGY – FAMILIES Conclusions We all are influenced by our family life. As children we are on the receiving end of that influence. When we move on to form our own family, we in turn will have an effect on the individuals who make up our family. THE END