Sociological Concepts of the Family Modern Day Family

sociological Concepts of the Family Modern Day FamilyIntroductionIn this essay, I will be explaining the family amicable system of my matter study (who we will refer to as Andrew to protect his identity and in keeping with the Data Protection Act 1998) and the deflect the family has had in his life. I will identify and explain two sociological perspectives and comp ar them with todays estimation of the family with the traditional idea of the family, I will withal provide three sociological concepts and explain them in relation to the intention of the family.There take away been sm every(prenominal)-army changes to the family since the 1950s when a typical family would put on been described as a nuclear family which was made up of a marry couple and their dependent children, the husband would stimulate been the bread victor and the wife the homemaker. Today, yet the structure of the family has gradually changed over the years since then, we argon now seeing a encourag ement in wholeness put forward families which is defined as families with children (under 18 years old) headed by a elevate who is widowed, divorced and non remarried, or by a foster who has never been married. In Scotland, it is believed that there are just over 170,000 single parents looking for after 291,000 children (www. news show.gov.scot/news/lone-parents), divorce rates in Scotland between 2000 and 2007 steady rose and at its peak in 2007 stood at 13,767, since then the human action of divorces decreased (www.statista.com) a total of 9,700 marriages legally ended in 2012-13, a drop of 14% over the previous 4 years (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26714426). Nowadays there are also to a greater extent couples choosing to cohabitate rather than snuff it married as it is seen as more(prenominal) acceptable, in a key by the Telegraph it is believed that divorce rates are at their terminal in 40 years collect to the plagiarise in the damage of getting married and cou ples choosing to live as common law husband and wife. (www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12011714/divorce-rate-at-lowest-level-in-40-years-after-cohabitation-revolution.html). With more and more women becoming independent and building careers, the man is now seen to be sharing the responsibilities of the childcare and ho utilisationwork, this is known as the even family which basically means more similar portions exist. We have also seen a rise in a blended family, also known as step family, reconstituted family. It is when a family unit where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship, solely they have combined to category a new family. The parents may or may not have children together. In 2011 step-families made up 8% 26,000 of the population and household in Scotland (www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk). Andrews family structure could best be described as a single parent family before be taken into care. His spawn ended her relationship with Andrews gravel before she gave birth due to domestic violence and them both being dependant on drugs, to date Andrew has never met his birth father.Sociological perspectives such(prenominal) as functionalism are a hypothesis that all positions in company serve a function and is essential to the continuation and structure of that companionship. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a sociologist who argued that society had to be studied in its own terms and not of that of the individual. Durkheim believed that societies were knitted together by everyone sharing the same values, which through season would change as these societies get bigger and more complex. Durkheim referred as how society comes together through a shared view of rules, norms and roles. Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in society swan similar values and beliefs and engages in similar types of work, organic solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in society are interdependent , but hold varying values and beliefs and engage in various types of work. another(prenominal) perspective is based on the conflict theory, which is primarily based on the work of Karl Marx (1818-1883). The conflict perspective focuses on the syllabus divide, how the wealthy keep in line the poor and the weak in the competition of scarce resources. The bourgeoisie represents the class with the wealth and means and the proletariat represents the working class or poor, Marxs theory was that the bourgeoisie would control the proletariat with their wealth and power therefor subjecting them to fall conditions, bringing inequality to light and the possibility of revolt. If conditions were ad attired to the concerns of the proletariat, the conflict fate would eventually repeat. utilise these perspectives in comparison with todays idea of the family with the traditional idea of the family, the functionalist perspective has some similarities and differences. The similarities are that soc iety still shares the same views, beliefs and norms, and through time these have changed, before the idea of the traditional family would be the nuclear family which would consist of a father, mother and dependent children, but with the rise in divorce rates and couples choosing not to get married in the past years we are now seeing more of single parent families. With laws and attitudes changing we are now also seeing it more acceptable in society for same sex couples getting married and starting families, something that would have been unacceptable in past years. The advance in technology is something that has had an impact on family life, before families would gather round for dinner, gip games, watch TV etc. but with the technical advances in meandering(a) phones, social media and gaming consoles this is something that has dwindled and we are now seeing less of. Using the conflict perspective, we still have the divide in class with the wealthy having the majority of power and means. We still see competition for the scarce resources and the poorer and weaker families abject as a result, mainly due to low minimum wage, acquire sanctions and the lack of social housing. We have seen a rise in social conflict in that communities have been divided by religion and race, with the rise in terrorist attacks many minorities and people seeking asylum are trace isolated and victimised as a consequence of other peoples actions.The roles of the family are broken down as mum, dad, child, brother, grandparents etc., in Andrews case this is something that was quite mistake to him as he had never known his father and seen his older sister and grandmother as his primary care givers and parental figures. Even though his sister was not much older than him he realised that his mother was not acting in the role she should have been. This was due to dribble through drug use and his sister taking on the role of his mother and for Andrew his role as a son was never cultiva ted due being unable to form an attachment with his mother. This is something that we have seen all too often in Scotland which the Scottish government are highlight through a report called Hidden Harm. It highlights that, parental drug use can and does cause serious harm to children of every age. With Andrew not having a father figure in his life he seen his mother as the sole provider of the household. With most of the financial resources being brought into the household being used to fund his mothers drug use, Andrew had noticed the social divide in class when he started school as the other children would be dressed better and spoke about the things they had that he didnt, this lead to Andrew being bullied which contributed to the behaviours he displayed at home.The norms of the family may include doing together such as sledding to church, having dinner, holidays picnics, watching movies etc., the definition of norm is something that is usual, typical, or standard. In todays soc iety, it is much harder for families to spend time together. According to a report by the daily put up it is estimated that families spend less than eight hours a week together due to the stresses of modern life. this could be due to parent/parents working long hours or anti-social hours to keep up with the bills, with the advance in technology parents and children spending more time on social media, children playing gaming consoles and watching TV, however it is important for families to spend time together to create an environment that helps influence childrens character and self-esteem and brings the family closer.Family values are something that is passed on from genesis to generation and contribute to the familys structure, function, roles, beliefs and attitudes. The importance of family values is something many people take for disposed(p) and is highlighted in times of crisis, this is when our values influences the decisions we make and seek protection from away(p) influe nces such as peer pressure. This is when parental guidance is undeniable, in Andrews case he never had the values or parental guidance needed to steer him through his childhood and adolescence, something that might have helped manage his behaviours towards others. outcomeMy research into the family has helped me to understand my case study more and how the influences of the family can have a big impact on how a person is molded in society.Word count 1570References http//www.statista.com/statistics/367809/scotland-divorce-rate/accessed 06.02.17http//www.gov.scot/news/lone-parents-in-workaccessed 06.02.17http//sheknows.com/parenting/article/831061/5-reasons-family-time-rocksaccessed 09.01.17http//www.gov.scot/resource/doc/114027/0027764.pdfaccessed 27.02.16http//www.scotlandscensus.gov.ukaccessed 07.02.17http//www.medlineplus.govencyarticleaccessed 19.12.16http//www.psyhologytoday.combasicsaccessed 19.12.16http//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12011714/Divorce-rate-at-lowest-level-in -40-yearsaccessed 30.12.16http//www.sociology.com/001/Profiles/fl/Why-Emile-Durkheim-Matters-to-Sociologists.htmaccessed 05.01.17http//www.investopedia.com/terms/c/conflict-theory.aspaccessed 06.01.17http//.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-236193/No-time-family-You-Parents-children-spend-hour-day-modern-demands.htmlaccessed 04.01.17http//www.cecp.air.org/wraparound/family.htmlaccessed 04.01.17http//www.healthofthechildren.com/s/Single-Parent-Families.htmlaccessed 05.02.17http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26714426accessed 06.02.17