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Objectives
Having viewed this slide show you should be aware of:
The loss of functions thesis. The functions of the family. That in late modernity or postmodern society the family is taking on new functions. There is a growth in people seeking alternatives to the family or choosing alternative styles of family life.
Introduction
Ronald Fletcher (1966) talked of the 'multifunctional family', but he was equally aware of the family being stripped of its secondary functions.
The modern nuclear family, he felt, was left with residual functions.
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sexual
economic
education
reproductive
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Socialisation of children
Family as Leisure
Families also provide shared leisure, family holidays, special occasions e.g. weddings, birthdays, outings, cultural and educational visits (cinema, theatre, museums, etc.).
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Singlehood
There has been a dramatic increase in the proportion of oneperson households in the past 40 years.
12% of people in Great Britain now live alone. Many of these are elderly widowed, but not all!
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Singlehood is much more popular in the white population than ethnic minorities
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Singlehood (continued)
Single people now account for just under a third of households (29 per cent) in Britain. They include professional young men and women. And divorced people
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Childless Couples
Childless couples reflect the fact that there is less pressure on people to have children.
Couples may put lifestyle choice above starting a family. Some couples may be put off by the cost of bringing up a child (over 50,000 from birth to age of 18)
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In 2002 the Government announced plans to make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children. Medical technology (e.g. surrogacy) allows people to conceive children in non-traditional ways.
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Conclusions
There is general support for the loss of functions thesis that argues the family has been stripped of many of its functions. George Murdock sees the family performing 4 universal residual functions: sexual, reproductive, economic and education (socialisation). Talcott Parsons sees the family performing two basic and irreducible functions socialisation of children, stabilisation of adult personalities.
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Conclusions (continued)
There has been a growth in people rejecting traditional family. 12% of people in Britain now live on their own (almost a third of households). Couples account for almost a third of households too.
In a less homophobic society there has been a growth of gay and lesbian relationships.
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End of Presentation
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