New right thinkers however; believe that these laws undermine the traditional male dominance in families, but many believe these new policies for women and children strengthen the family rather than weaken it. Sociologists such as new right thinkers argue that the Labour party has constructed a ‘nanny state’ which over-intervenes in personal living arrangements. The Labour party have constructed many laws beneficial for women in families as they have realised most families now rely of two
Firstly, whether a family live in a symmetrical family or not will have an effect on the divisions of labour. March of Progress theorists (Liberal Feminists) such as Young and Willmott argue that family life is gradually improving for all its members, becoming more equal and democratic. For example, women now go out to work, just as men now help with housework and childcare. However Radical Feminists reject the ‘March of Progress’ theory, and argue that women remain unequal within the family. Anne Oakley argues that we still live in a patriarchal (male dominated) society, and therefore women occupy a subordinate and dependant role within the family and wider society.
The approach presents the family as a family isolated from wider kinships because of the mobility required by labour markets in industrial societies. The image that functionalists create of the family involves the support for the nuclear family from the wider welfare state. It also suggests that any childcare for the family would be provided by non-family agencies, for example; playgroups. The usefulness of this ‘privatised nuclear family’ is that it gives closure within the family, allowing stability and support. It’s beneficial as there are male and female role models available for the children, and it gives the parents more control of how their children are brought up.
Secondly, feminism is another reason that some people believe that nuclear families are no longer the norm. Within the 1940’s women were seen simple as housewives and mother, and education within their life wasn’t even thought about. Essentially they were expected to conform to the nuclear family model. Now women are just as likely to be in paid employment like men and therefore this gives them much more status and independence, which makes the nuclear family less likely. Yet others would argue that even the media still supports nuclear families and is socializing the next generation into thinking that it is right for example ‘The Simpsons’, so despite the increase in divorce and feminism the nuclear family will remain popular in British society.
In support, feminists see divorce as desirable as it shows that women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family. There is a greater fear of divorce, which is why some people choose not to marry. The divorce rate is rising all the time, for example, at least 1 in 2 marriages will end in divorce; 40% of marriages end in divorce, 6 times more than 50 years ago – this scares people, and puts them off getting married to their partner, so instead they just cohabit to avoid the hassle of getting divorced. 1.5 couples in England and Wales cohabit. Similarly, declining stigma is
The Domestic Division of Labour refers to the roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid work. Parsons (1995) argues that in a traditional nuclear family the roles of husband and wife are segregated, in his view the husband plays an instrumental role geared towards achieving success at work so he can provide financially, being the breadwinner. The woman has an expressive role geared towards primary socialisation of children and meeting the emotional needs. Parsons said that these roles made things ‘nice and functional’ for society. He also argued division of labour is based on biological differences between men and women, as women are naturally suited towards nurturing role and men to a powerful role.
Moreover, things such as same-sex relationships and lone parent families was stigmatised four example by most churches condemning it. However within society today stigma has also declined rapidly, making things such as same-sex relationships more normalised therefore it being seen as more acceptable. Another reason for family diversity is due to the change in attitudes and laws and important factor causing the attitude and Laws to be changed the changes that at of attitude and position of woman. The women's equal pay act 1970 influence the women to focus more on their career and I'm making money rather than just being a 'housewife.' The addition of the introduction of the lane apparently welfare benefits it allows wife to be less economically dependent on their husbands.
If the husband begins to stop doing some of his duties the wife will either need to pick up the load in order for the relationship to continue functioning or will begin to stop fulfilling some of her duties and the relationship will fall apart. “Functionalists say that we need to look at both structure (how the parts of society fit together to make the whole) and function (what each part does, how it contributes to society)” (Henslin, 2012). If we look at marriage in the respect of functional analysis each person has to fit together to make a whole and they have to work together to function. Functional analysis is a good way to look at marriage and divorce rates because when two people get married they fit together well and work together to function properly and when one fails to work the marriage ends in
Overall, being taken out of a stressful household is an easier transition that being a yanked out of a peaceful one. The University of New Hampshire(extension.unh.edu.family/documents.divorce.pdf) found that age and gender play a large role in how each child reacts to having divorced parents. When an infant's parents get divorced it doesn't understand what is going on but feels the low energy level of its parents. The baby will most likely lose its appetite and spit up more. Preschool children often believe that they caused the divorce.
It is letting women take the chance to fight for the country in a time of crisis just like men. Mrs. Quindlen is valid in stating that it makes a “mockery” of the nation to only let men register and not women. It is degrading of women to say that because they are women that they are not required registering for the draft to help in a crisis. A poll done about ten years ago showed that over half of the American population supported drafting women. Should America only lose its sons in battle?