Week 14 Welcome to Sociology of Human Reproduction

Introduction to the Module Introduction Conceptualising families Families in crisis? What next?

Who am I? Pam Lowe Room NW 922 Telephone (Ext 3807) Liz Yardley

Sociological approaches Understanding of human reproduction as social and cultural events –Biology is NOT destiny Consider changes over time and between places Consider how power relationships shape experiences and understandings

Family Discuss with the person next to you what family is. Do you think your ideas are the same or different to wider society?

Family forms The family is often seen as: –Natural –Basis of society Threats to ‘family’ considered problematic –Social disorder

Family as natural ‘I mean by a family a couple, consisting of a husband and wife, with or without children, living together throughout their lives. I include, too, the extended family, that is grandparents and other relatives. And throughout our history, this has been the accepted meaning of the word "family". Rt Hon Baroness Young Centre for Policy Studies Lecture Conservative Party Conference 2000

Family as Building ‘There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families’ Margaret Thatcher Women's Own magazine October

Breakdown of Family ‘The biggest challenge facing Britain today is mending our broken society. That will not happen overnight: long-term social change needs long-term thinking. And the Conservatives are the only party doing it. We are showing how we will do more to support families, because responsible parents give children the secure and loving start they need.’ David Cameron 02/09/2007 Daily Telegraph

How do these ideas about family fit with the descriptions you were discussing earlier?

Conceptualising Families The term family can be used in different ways: –As an ideology Nuclear family, ‘traditional’ values –As a social and economic institution Defined through law and state policy –As a practice Lived experience of people in everyday lives

Discuss the interrelationships between these three elements?

Current debates The roles of family, mothers, father and parents are constantly a mater of debate Constant changes in language and attitudes –Mothering to parenting Ideas linked also linked power relationships

Family in Crisis? Common debates about the ‘breakdown’ of the family –Growth of single motherhood –Growth of gay and lesbian families Often measured against ‘traditional family values’

Family causing crisis? Anti-social behaviour associated with a decline in traditional families Lack of male role models to encourage masculine responsibility Rise of independent women as a threat to society

Rise of the underclass Murray sees illegitimacy as the cause of the problem ‘In communities without fathers the kids tend to run wild’(p12) ‘Young men are essentially barbarians for whom marriage –meaning not just the wedding vows but the act of taking responsibility for a wife and children – is an indispensable civilising force’ (p23) Women should be dependent on men for the good of society Murray C (1994) Underclass London IEA

Other(ed) Families Increasing public awareness of gay and lesbian families has also been seen as problematic –Section 28 Local Government Act 1988 stopped Councils ‘promoting homosexuality’ –The Equality Act 2006, debates focused on gay adoption –Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill arguments over ‘child’s need for a father’

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill ‘The decision of the state to facilitate the deliberate creation of children who would be prevented from having a father is morally wrong. That is a clear example of the Government prioritising the interests and desires of adults—in this case, would-be same-sex parents—above the welfare and rights of the children’ Baroness O'Cathain Lords Hansard 10 Dec 2007

Family types always varied Historically high mortality rates meant that losing a parent was common Babies/children were frequently given to others to care for: –Nannies/boarding schools –Wet-nursing –Apprenticeships/placing –Family fostering

Conceptualising Families Family is not universal or stable Linked to other social institutions and social trends Ideas about relationships and responsibilities change over time

The rest of the module Week 15 Motherhood and Fatherhood Week 16Pregnancy and breastfeeding Week 17Infertility and ‘Miracle’ babies Week 18Teenage pregnancy Week 19Independent Study Week 20Genetics and prenatal testing Week 21The Politics of Contraception Week 22The Politics of Abortion Week 23Adoption and surrogacy Week 24Revision

Summary Examines the family as a social construction Look at different ways to conceptualise the family Considered shifting debates on family values