What is a Family?

• Social Attitudes: A decrease in social stigma surrounding cohabitation and divorce has led to a wider acceptance of alternative family forms.

• Secularisation: The decline in religious influence means marriage is no longer universally viewed as a sacred prerequisite for starting a family, increasing the prevalence of cohabitation.

• Legal Reforms: Legislation making divorce more accessible and the introduction of civil partnerships/same-sex marriage has directly facilitated the rise of diverse family units.

• Demographic Changes: Increased life expectancy (leading to more one-person households and beanpole structures) and migration patterns have introduced varied cultural traditions of family life.

Understanding the nuances between similar family types is essential for sociological classification.

• Family vs. Alternatives: It is important to distinguish between living alone or friends as family and traditional kinship. While friends provide emotional support similar to a family, they often lack the legal or biological ties that define the sociological 'family' unit.

• Definition Precision: Always start by defining 'family' versus 'household.' Marks are frequently lost for using these terms interchangeably in essay responses.

• The 'Plurality' Argument: When discussing family forms, use the phrase 'plurality of families' to show an understanding of Rapoport's work and the end of the nuclear dominance.

• Identify the 'Why': If asked about diversity, don't just list the forms; explain the underlying causes like secularisation or the changing role of women (feminism).

• Sanity Check: Ensure you can distinguish between vertically extended (Beanpole) and horizontally extended (typical extended) families.