essay 1

Submitted By darrylnoeldavila
Words: 554
Pages: 3

There are many factors that affect people’s views on family diversity, and the idea that there is greater diversity of family types is an ongoing argument. The first paragraph of item 2b could all be criticised using the New Right theory, which is the idea that the only family structure capable of adequately and correctly raising and socialising a child is the traditional nuclear family. The New right believe that family diversity is a negative thing and could be a factor towards many problems such as more students doing poorly in education and then failing to forge a working career for themselves. This is (in their opinion) because these children were not raised in nuclear family and so weren’t disciplined properly or taught the value and necessity of work.
The other side of course, is Postmodernism which is a theory all for greater diversity and individual choice. They would say that New Rights theory is wrong and have much evidence to criticise it. As item 2b states ‘postmodernists argue that we no longer have clear structures such as the nuclear family’, they believe that we are now living in a ‘postmodern’ society in which the family structures and many other aspects of society are changeable and subject to the needs of the individual.
They identify two main contrasting points. 1) This type of society allows for greater freedom of choice for the individual to choose their relationships and family structures and 2) This greater freedom of choice creates a greater instability in the relationships and structures around which the individual is based.
Other sociologists who are pro family diversity are the rapoports, who say that greater family diversity is very much real and is an integral part of society. They list 5 types of family diversity, which still allow for countless numbers of different structures, fitting into the 5 categories. The Rapoports say that diversity is subject to change along with people’s different needs and all of this strongly suggests that there is indeed greater diversity of family types and lifestyles today. It also suggests that they may well be a positive thing for society. Every part of both the Rapoports and