The Inevitability of Family Diversity in Today’s Society

Family Diversity is Inevitable Within Contemporary Society

There are various meanings of family diversity. In Western countries family diversity is viewed by a man and woman as old-fashioned marital unions. In addition, all parties must be heterosexual and more unrelated to some other spouse and their children must be created by natural sexual capital. Something that is unusual is seen as a practice of diversity in the family. This could lead to many opportunities in the UK. For instance, families that bear foster children, families with single parents, mixed families that comprise of a divorced parent together with kids of both or one of the parents; and finally the family that has two partners with the same sex, and involving real children of both or one partner, and if not, then the children must be adopted. In some instances, other people consider homes with mixed raced as a diverse family. Various factors lead to family diversity in contemporary society. Hence, this current essay expounds on the reason as to why it is true that family diversity is inevitable in the current culture as discussed below. 

Sociologists, for instance, Rapoport, states that countries as Britain are no longer having one type of family. Rapoport & Rapoport (1982) posit on how diversity has changed from traditional perspective to a modern pluralist society. Diversity represents a society with much freedom and choice in their lifestyle and culture. It is worth noting that, people should celebrate the aspect of diversity in our communities. Diversity helps people to get a greater and wider choice of variety than before regarding family lifestyles in the country (Rapoport, 1982, n.p.). 

Diversity characterizes the family life and relationship that people live. (Beck & E Beck- Gernsheim, 1990). The scholar defines individualization as the field where one can freely make decisions. People do not acknowledge marriage, love, and divorce in the current world.

Benson (2006) states that in couples in marriage are more comfortable in nuclear families. The trends make changes in the need for cohabiting. The author believes that the nuclear family is the best setting for raising children. It is a place full of moral values in society.

In Britain, family life constitutes a conventional nuclear family, single parent homes, couples that are cohabiting with children, as well as reconstituted family. Also, reconstituted family is also known as ‘stepfamily’ or ‘blended family.’ This type of household constitutes of widowed or divorced individuals who have re-married together with their kids from the past marital. These families are increasing in Britain because of the separation that takes place not after long after marriage.

Socialization of children and the stability of a family depends on diversity in culture. According to Talcott (1955), society view a nuclear family as a system for division of labours and thus other types of families seem dysfunctional. The nuclear family is evitable in the stabilization of workforce in the modern society.

Reconstitute homes, and specifically, kids who live in these homes, are more likely to continue having ties with family members of the previous partners. In most cases, when this happens, then children find themselves in a state of tense relationships, especially with their step parents. These types of families may end up complicating themselves more when the parents decide to have children. 

Following the fact that individuals get married later expounds on the reasons why there is an increase in single people and stay in person households. Any divorce that takes place and comprises children, chances are very high that it will lead to a single parent home and it may go on to form reconstructed homes (Rapoport R., 1982, n.p.).

Breakdown of relationship is common among cohabiting compared with married families, yet the cohabiting family is increasingly growing household in the UK. The high rate of divorce also explains the increasing levels of multigenerational homes. Multigenerational families occur when single mothers stay with their parents (Chester, 1985, n.p).  

Also, the idea that mothers are in the position to get child benefit payment, and as well as free worldwide nursery care, reinforces the concept that mothers have the prowess to take care of themselves and their children. The idea encourages single households due to divorce.

In the recent past, people had the freedom to choose what they want and refused what they do not want (Hareven, 1999, n.p..). Postmodernists say that the escalation in the variety of internal family structures proves the fact that people live in a tolerant, diverse community in which individual have the freedom to the type of family they would wish to dwell in.

Postmodernists believe that changes in a particular family are unavoidable. The concept is backed by many sociologists. Studying families and not family structures makes it easy to understand the concept of marriage (Benson, 2006, n. p.).

People choose to stay without partners nowadays hence leading to an increase in people who are single and since people have become very accepting than before it is much normal to stay alone. This is always as a result of reduced stigma in the society regarding single parental (Hareven, 1999, n. p.).

Also, in the current society people have the freedom to decide to stay in non-nuclear homes due to reduced religion and traditional norms, in other words, there is no pressure to anyone to get married, get kids and remain in his/her marriage until death. Hence all the options remain viable.

Other sources state that individuals do not go to alternative home structures by choice. For instance, Browne and Burghes (1995) study with 31 single parents deduced that none of them had opted to become unique. Also, most of the single mothers attributed their current status to the idea that majority of their husbands had been too immature for parental responsibilities or violent (Giddens 1992, n. p.). 

Following a long time raise in wealth as well as the overall increasing standards of livelihood expounds there was an increase in a single person in families and divisional of labor among people (Pasons 1955.n. p.). This trend has been witnessed for a long time in the recent past. Importantly, countries that are seen as wealthier are also considered to have the highest number of single persons. Also, it is only in these nations where the majority of individuals have the ability to stay alone since it is very expensive in comparison with two or more adults who are sharing the cost of bills, mortgage, as well as food. According to these countries, it is like when individuals have the ability to do so, the then chances are high that they may decide to stay alone.

However, it is worth noting that, not every person in the UK has not benefited from the increasing wealthy since at the same time there is an escalating cost of living, and specifically there is a high increase as far as the cost of housing is concerned. Hence, one can deduce that an increase in wealth is directly proportional to the cost of living. Hence, this statement expounds on the increasing multigenerational homes as well us Kidult Households. On the other side of the, there exist million people who belong to the lower class and are not in the position to rent or buy their personal houses. As a result, they decide to stay with their parents for the rest of their lives.

Late Modernists and Liberal Feminists would state that the increasing number of women going to work is one aspect that makes family diversity inevitable in the current society. Instead of depending on their husbands for financial independence, the chances are high that most women focus on how they would build their career before thinking about how they would come up with a family. Hence, this goes a long way in expounding the fact that single parenting is high in UK (Oakley A. 1997, n.p.).

Also, the steady increase in earning supremacy also gives more explanation on the growing number of women who are not interested in getting married, and they choose to get babies. While this figure represents a slight proportion, it is worrying that these numbers are swelling.

Arguably, the increased financial independence has caused relationships to become fragile hence explaining the reason as to why there is an increase in parents who are single because of divorce.

There exist two vital systems which give more information regarding social policies – the 1972 Equal Pay Act as well as 1969 Divorce Act. Also, The New Right states that the generous wellbeing settlements have come up with an underclass and a small section of this group are teenage girls who wish to get pregnant for them to have a comfortable life and a council home. These policies have made it impossible to stop family diversity (Chester 1985, n. p).  

Sociologists in Late Modern argue against the concept of Postmodernists. According to them, the issue of family diversity is not a matter of people having the liberty to choose to stay alone or being single. People are compiled into these issues as a result of structural changes, thus, making future uncertain (Beck & Gernsheim 1990, n. p)

Firstly, people are forced to stay with their parents, or stay in multigenerational homes, not because of choice but as a result of economic necessity. Secondly, many individuals are interested in getting married and give birth to children, but very few consider this decision due to increasing ‘risk consciousness’ – thus, no one is certain regarding ‘normal relationship.’ Finally, altering roles of women and men and changing opportunities of family and relationships life leads to youth taking a long time to concentrate on relationships.

To conclude, in the current society setup, doing away with family diversity is almost impossible. It is as a result of various aspects. There is an increasing change of patterns in terms of marriage, divorce, together with cohabitation. Several families are braking up in their marriages leading to single household; several people decide to cohabit with their friends instead of moving to their homes and form families. And diversity characterizes the family life and relationship that people live. Postmodernism and Postmodernisation; in the recent days people had the freedom to choose what they want and what they do not want. Postmodernists believe that changes in a particular family are unavoidable. Economic factors: there is an overall increasing standards of livelihood. Feminsim in terms of changing gender roles. Finaly,  diversity is inevitable in current society as a result of social policies and late modernisim.

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References

Beck, U & Beck, G. (1990). “The Normal Chaos of Love.” On the comparison between modernity and post modernity family life.

Benson, H (2006). ‘The Conflation of marriage and cohabitation in Government Statistics’ On opposition to divorce and cohabitation, supporting the New Right.

Chester, R. (1985). “The Rise of the Neo – Convectional Nuclear Family.” A revisionist support for the Nuclear Family.

Gidden, A. (1992). “The Transformation of Intimacy” On relationships and individuals choice.”

Hareven, T. K. (2002). Families, history, and social change: life-course and cross-cultural perspectives. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Oakley, A. (1997). ‘Who is Afraid of Feminism?’ A Feminist view of Family life-In support of family diversity for women. Retrieved from: https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sociology/theories-in-sociology/feminism/

Parsons, T. (1995) ”The American Family” in Parsons T. & Bales R(ed) Family, Socialization & Interaction Process, A Functionalist Support of the Nuclear Family

Rapoport R. & Rapoport R. (1982). Families in Britain. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45(4), p. 985.