Explain some of the reasons for the increase in family diversity over Essay

Explain some of the reasons for the increase in family diversity over the last 30 years - Essay Example However, family is considered to be the most important because it is the most significant institution for primary socialization of the young and to provide support and security to the members of the family. With time it has been claimed by many sociologists that the institution of the family is in decline due to the changes which are occurring in our surroundings. (Giddens,2005) There have been many changes in the family over the years. There has been a decline in marriage followed by an increase in cohabitation and lone parent families. The loss of functions supported by the weakening of extended kinship links have resulted in declining family sizes. It is these changes that have caused increasing diversity in the family structures and these changes will be discussed in detail. Family is said to have lost most of its functions. Functionalist as a perspective, specialize in explaining the functions of all social institutions. Parsons and other functionalists argue that with the comin g of industrialization the functions of the family have reduced and have been taken over by other institutions through the coming of the welfare state. This has resulted in structural differentiation of the functions (Browne, 2006, pg 43). According to Parsons Family now have two basic functions: primary socialization of the young and the stabilization of the adult personalities. Initially family was a unit of production as well as a place which was not only responsible for the primary socialization of the young but also involved in their health and education aspects. However, with the coming of the welfare state health and education are no longer the primary functions of the family. Now family is more a unit of consumption rather than a unit of production. (Giddens, 2005) The next visible change in the family is the weakening of the link with the extended kin. As time has progressed after industrialization there has arrived a need of a more geographically mobile workforce. This has resulted in different members of the extended family to go for work to different places. People have become richer now and the standard of living has improved due to the existence of the welfare state. The society has now transformed into a meritocratic one where the name and background is no longer important and this result in the weakening of the ties of the extended family. (Browne, 2006) There is an argument put forward by sociologists that the extended family does exist in the modern society. It has just evolved into a different shape. A very good example will be the Asian community in Britain (Browne, 2006, pg 50). The Asians are usually found living close to each other where there might be separate nuclear families living in the same street or neighborhood, and in regular contact with each other. Such examples have been visible in many areas and giving rise to the concept of modified extended families. This means that even though the children are living away from their paren ts they are in contact with their kin. It can be said the kin are a means of support and this type of family is common in many parts of the world. Julia Brannen (2003) argues that now we are living in the age of the beanpole family. As the expected lives of people are increasing and they are living longer this is giving rise to a family where there are four