Using material from Item A and elsewhere assess sociological explanations of the nature and extent of family diversity today.

Family diversity is the idea that there are a range of different family types, rather than a single dominant one like the nuclear family. It is associated with the post-modernists idea that in today’s society increasing choice about relationships is creating greater family diversity. Item A makes clear that different sociologists ‘are divided over both the extent of family diversity and its importance’. The Functionalists and the New Rights view increased family diversity as ‘a serious threat’; whilst Robert Chester argues in recent years there has been a ‘shift from the conventional to the neo-conventional …show more content…

The extent of this is clear to be seen when the marriage rates pre the Divorce Act are compared with the marriage rates post it. The influx of immigrants into the UK has also had a profound effect on family diversity in today’s society. For example, a large number of afro-Caribbean people have made Britain their home. They are often stigmatised because of their disproportionately high level of single mother families with a large brood of children. This contrasts greatly with Ballard’s study of Asian immigrants who have strong nuclear family ideals with a patriarchal fathers and submissive mothers. This has a more profound effect on Britain’s society when you consider inter-ethnic families and the inter-racial marriages that are bound to happen in today’s society. Suki Ali studied this in her article ‘interethnic families’ and found that in today’s society these inter-racial relationships will profoundly affect the way in our children are taught about their culture. The role the media plays in the family diversity of today’s society is profound. Its effect is most apparent with the younger generations. They view the different family structures (usually single parent and reconstituted) on the television and take them to be the normal, proper way a family should be. However, most products on the market are