There are many different types of families, depending on where the family live or the religion they follow, some families are seen as more traditional families than others. Susan Golombok (2015) claims that these so called ‘traditional’ families are become the minority. The Oxford Dictionary (2017) still defines a Family as being “A group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit.” Although this is still the definition of a family, family life is starting to modernize. The Office of National Statistics (2016) states that the four most common family types in the UK are, married heterosexual couple families, cohabiting families, single parent families and same sex married families. However in sub-Saharan Africa, the most common family types are either extended families where “at least 40 percent of children live in households that include adults besides their parents.” (Family Structure 2017.) Or the families are made up of one parent plus children, where “many female household heads are unmarried women with young children” (Clark & Hamplová, 2013)
Sociological Theories and Family Diversity (2017) says that Modernists believe that one type of family, the nuclear family, fits in better with modern industrial society. A modernist could also assume that the traditional nuclear family is the ‘best’ one suited to the current kind of society.
Theorists known as functionalists like Talcott Parsons argue that an extended family used to be ‘right’ for a pre industrial society, the current nuclear family is now the family type which is ‘right’ for a modern industrial society. He states that this is because a nuclear family performs certain functions for that society. He also believed that any other kind of family is ‘wrong’ for a modern society.
Postmodernists reject the idea that the family performs a role in society. Instead they emphasise that people have their own choices about how they live their lives what choices they make determines the kinds of families that are current now. Tamara Hareven uses an idea called ‘life course analyses. She believes that at different stages in their life people have to make choices. The choices they make then decided what types of families are currently in society. At a certain stage a couple might decide to get married or not, decide to have children or not or decide to leave their partner or not. Each decisions will lead to a different kind of life and a different kind of family. She also believed that human beings decide their own future and make their own choices.
This essay is going to look at the differences between traditional and modern families in the UK and in sub-Saharan Africa. It will also be looking at how these different family types impact a 13-16 year olds life. This essay is looking at this age range because they understand more about family values however they are also at the age where they are creating their own identity and this may cause them to start to rebel against their families and their traditions. Pickhardt (2009) The UK was chosen because modern families are becoming more popular therefore it would be interesting to see just how much has changed, how quickly, why and how much it effects 13-16 year olds. This topic also links with the theme of globalization as it has changed the perception of marriage and families. As people are needing to work more, couples are not spending as much time together as perhaps they should, therefore marriages are becoming more touch and go. Lestary (2013)
The nuclear family is the main traditional type of family in the UK. Being a nuclear family has many rewarding benefits, especially for a young teen growing up with one. For example, one of the benefits is that having both parents around and living in the same house can provide a lot of stability. By being part of a stable family it means that a young teen can feel supported by two loving parents, they can talk about their problems and receive more than one opinion and they can see first-hand what a loving relationship looks like which is important for this age group. It is important for a teenager to have some sort of sability as “adolecents need stability and will thrive in supportive environments.” (Craig & McDowell, 2013)
Another benefit for being part of a ‘traditional’ family is the financial security. By being in a family with both parents it is more likely that they may both have a job, therefore the household income will most probably be more than that of a single parent household. A teenager coming from a ‘more well off’ family may be provided with the opprtunity to take part in more social activities. For example, they may be able to afford to participate in afterschool activities or to go out for the day with friends. Laugeson (2013) says that extracuricular activies are an enssential part to successfully making new friends. It is important for a teen to make these bonds with friends to help build their confience and their social skills, both of which will benefit them greatly as they get older.
Another benefit that a nuclear family provides for a teen is concistency. Most family homes would usually have at least one meal together a day as a family. They also are more likely to do fun activities together or go places as a group on a regular basis, therefore they are providing the teen with some form of consistency. It is important for teenagers to have consistency as well as stability because like Kalil, Haskins, & Chesters (2012) state, consistency can be assosiated with helping to build cognitive skills and emotional and behavioural well being. By providing consistency to a teenager it can also help them to behave better at school and are more likely to start to look at their own futures and decide what they can do to reach this goal.
A traditional nuclear family seems to suit the majority of the UK, however this isn’t neceserrily the case with other places in the world. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa the most common family type is an extended family. This is where other relatives live with the family, not just the parents and children.
An extended family has the majority of the same benefits as a nuclear family. However it can provide a teen with more experience than they would necessarily get in just a standard nuclear family. Ingoldsby & Smith (2006) claims that by being part of an extended family, an adolescent is provided with a wider network of relationships, those of which can help the teen to learn different experiences from each different family member. It is important to build these relationships because like Raising Children Network (2017) says families are a prime source of care and emotional support. Having a big family support system can provide a teen with more practical and financial aid. By forming strong relationships with as many people as a teenager can then this will greatly benefit them when going through difficult life stages that come with being a young teenager.
Although single parent families are both really common in the UK and in Sub-Saharan Africa they still differ greatly in the reasons why there are so many single parent families. Gingerbread (2016) states that the UK has on average about 2 million single parent families and 66% of those single parents are at work. However the majority of UK single parents don’t receive any child maintenance according to Gingerbread (2016). They also claim that around 44% of single families in the UK are in some sort of relative poverty. In the UK one of the main reasons for single parent families is divorce. However in Sub Saharan Africa, Raising Children Network (2017) says that up to 50 % of women will become single mothers because they become a widow. Avert (2017) states that in Sub Saharan Africa in 2013 there were approximately 1.1 million AIDS-related deaths.
Although a single parent family is often stigmatised as being poor and unkempt, there are actually still many benefits of growing up in a single parent household. For example, if a teenager is growing up in a household with on parent they may become more mature. If the teen has witnessed the hardships between their parents first hand then this may make them look at their own relationship choices and try to avoid getting into the same situations as their parents did. Becoming more mature can also lead to an adolescent to become more responsible. This could be because they need to help their parent to look after a younger siblings or it could be that they want to look into getting a job to help their parent if they are having trouble with money. Raising Children Network (2017) says it is important for teenagers to learn how to be responsible so they can go on to make good decisions leading up to adulthood.
Another benefit for teenagers with single parents is that they may be more likely to form a stronger bond with their parent. If a young person only lives with one parent then there is likely to be more one to one time between the parent and the teen. As the teen matures then they may also find it easier to get along with their parent which will help strengthen the bond. Townsend (2006) claims that even though the teenager is growing up, they still need time to bond with their parent in order to feel safe and loved. By having a good bond with a parent it provides a young person with someone to help them “sort out the vagaries of teen life.” (Townsend, 2006)
Same sex couple families are another type of modern family life which has become more well-known and accepted, especially in the UK when same sex marriage was legalised in 2014. Pappas (2012) says that same sex parents are often more motivated and committed because they have to choose when they want to be parents as it can’t happen by accident. If same sex couples choose to adopt then this means that they will be adopting a child who is in need of a loving family, no matter what type of family it is. Pappas (2012) Also states that a couples genders should make no difference on how good they are as a parent.
The benefits of having same sex parents include, raising their children to be more tolerant. Coming from a ‘different’ sort of family may mean that a teenager may have to be more tolerant towards other people’s views. As Pappas (2012) says, the teenager may also be raised to be more open minded towards other people and their views and beliefs because they have experience dealing with people who may not be as open minded.
Another benefit of growing up with same sex parents is that like Pappas (2012) found out, teens feel that they are less likely to conform to gender stereotypes. Young people feel that because their parents are more open minded then they believe that they should be able to be themselves and not have to fit in with a certain role or stereotype. This is an important message for young people to understand, especially when they are going through puberty. As they are feeling more self-conscious and sensitive, it is good to reassure them that they should just do what makes them happy.
However, out of the 28 countries that make up sub-Saharan Africa, homosexual relationships, not marriage, are only legal and recognised in 11 of these countries. In 16 of the 17 remaining countries, homosexuality is illegal and Mapping Anti-Gay Laws In Africa (2017) states that anyone in a same sex relationship or even promotes homosexuality in these countries will be sent to prison for a seven years or maybe longer. It was only in 2014 that Nigeria stopped same sex relationships being punishable by death, now according to mapping anti-gay laws in Africa (2017) the punishment is life in prison. On the other hand South Africa was the fifth country in the world to legalise same sex marriage which it did so in 2006, and it is still the only country in Africa to legalise same sex marriage.
Some UK families are different than some African families, however, each family type benefits a young person in different ways. Some types of families cater more towards the physical needs of a child or young person whereas other family types focus more on an adolescents social needs instead. Families vary in lots of different ways around the world. They are moulded by a wide range of factors such as, race, politics and cultural beliefs. No, matter what the family type, a parents main priority should be their child. It is important that a child or young person always feels safe and loved in their own home and with their family. It is also important that whatever changes the family are going through, the child always comes first and their ideas or worries get listened to, especially between the ages of 13-16 as at this age it is easier to understand issues and to see the situation from other people’s perspectives.
Overall it is important to remember that especially in the UK “our increasingly humanist society is becoming more accepting of different people and has enabled us to be more open and develop our views and beliefs in a creative and sometimes controversial way.” (Mumby-Cook, 2013)