What is a Family? (AQA GCSE Sociology)

Different family types in the UK

• There are different meanings for the term 'family', but a general definition is:

  • A couple who are married, civil partners or cohabiting, with or without dependent children, or a lone parent with their child(ren)

• A household contains either one person living alone or a group of people who live together at the same address

  • They may share facilities such as a bathroom

  • It could consist of a nuclear family or same-sex family

  • It could consist of a group of students who live in a shared house

  • Individuals in a household aren't necessarily related by blood or marriage

• It is difficult to produce a definition of 'family' that captures the diversity of families in the UK

  • Sociologists tend to prefer the term 'families' instead of 'the family' because they recognise that there are a range of family types, relationships and household arrangements in society

• Different family types include:

Alternatives to families

• Many factors have led to an increase in family diversity in Britain

  • Changing social attitudes and values have led to a greater acceptance of alternatives to living as a family, such as same-sex families or cohabiting

  • Secularisation, or the decline in religion, means that marriage isn't viewed as being as sacred as it used to be so new family types, such as the lone-parent family, are now seen as being socially acceptable

  • Changes in the law have made divorce easier to obtain, causing a rise in lone-parent, same-sex families and reconstituted/blended families

  • Migration to the UK has brought family traditions from other cultures, such as extended families

• Alternatives to families include:

  • one-person households

  • children's homes

  • residential care homes

One-person households

• One-person households in the UK have increased significantly as people are living longer

• Increased life expectancy means that there are more elderly, one-person households that typically contain older women whose partners have died

• The influence of feminism and the changing role of women in society has led to more financially independent women living alone who are career-focused

• There are more younger people living alone because they:

  • remain single and childless

  • are divorced

  • are international migrants who have moved to Britain

  • choose to live alone before marrying or cohabiting

  • choose to live apart from their partner

Friends as family

• Friends are increasingly becoming a source of emotional support rather than family

  • More friends than kin provided support to those with mental health issues, according to research by Roseneil and Budgeon (2006)

  • When romantic relationships ended, friends offered support instead of family

• However, critics argue that many people turn to their family first when they need support and friends may be becoming more like family rather than replacing them

Looked-after children and residential care

• In the UK, some children do not live with their families

• In March 2015, local authorities looked after 69,540 children in England

  • Around 60% of these were looked after due to neglect or abuse

• Around 75% of looked-after children are placed with foster carers and many others are placed in children's homes or secure units

  • Children's homes provide young people with accommodation and care

  • Some specialise in looking after children with behavioural or emotional difficulties

  • Secure units accommodate children who have committed a criminal offence

• Some older people live in residential care and nursing homes

  • In 2011, 3.2% of over 65s lived in care homes in England and Wales