British family structures - changes since WW2
Discuss the ways in which British family structures may have changed since the Second World War.In order to discuss and evaluate any changes which may have taken place within the structure of the British family after the Second World War, it is first necessary to examine the structures of the family unit prior to the Second World War. Only then will it be possible to make comparisons between the two. In this essay I shall look at overall family structures, more specifically the gender roles played out by men and women within the family. Before considering these, I shall begin by exploring what is meant and understood by "family" and whether the definition of family can include households composed of single parents and their children, childless and cohabiting couples and same-sex relationships.Definitions are always crucial in discussing social issues, because a word such as "family" is almost inevitably laden with value-based meanings. As society has changed and attitudes and values have influenced sociological thinking, some theorists have redefined the terms in which family is studied and discussed. The Oxford Dictionary definition of family is: "members of a househo
Gittins observes that world recession also contributed to these fears, resulting in a right-wing backlash against socialism and feminism (Gittins, 1985, p. 38)· Reconstituted families: These can develop particularly complicated structures, consisting of partners who may both have been married before, children from one or more previous relationships, and possibly also of their children together. However, the rapid progress of change in family structure means that the idea of the traditional nuclear family is less and less representative of society. However, poorer families were more likely to live in extended family structures, for the simple reason that survival would otherwise have been very difficult, if not impossible. The influential work of Parsons (1956, quoted in Abercrombie and Warde, 1994, p. Just after World War II, in 1951, just under 22 per cent of married women were "economically active" - that is, involved in paid work outside the home. According to HMSO figures on population trends, births outside marriage rose from 54,000 in 1961 to 236,000 in 1991 (Lees, 1999, p. In 1971, the Divorce Reform Act came into force, making the irretrievable breakdown of marriage the sole basis for divorce in England and Wales, and 111,000 divorces were granted. 262) comment that trying to combine motherhood with paid employment results in "intense overload dilemmas and conflicts of loyalty and commitment". If anything, this shows us that even now, after so much change in social structure and attitudes, the power and dominance of the traditional, patriarchal concept cannot be underestimated and still exerts a strong influence over contemporary ideas of the family. Alternative models can be considered in the following categories:· Single-parent families: this can be a result of divorce, relationship breakdown, death. For gay men, having children as part of their household is likely to present more of a problem.
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