3. • THE NUCLEUR FAMILY IS OFTEN REFFERED
TO AS THE
“CEREAL PACKET” FAMILY. THIS IS DUE TO
THE MEDIA‟S SATURATED STEREOTYPICAL
VIEW OF THE „CONVENTIONAL‟ OR „MODEL‟
FAMILY.
• THE NUCLEUR FAMILY CONSISTS OF
PARENTS OF OPPOSITE SEXES AND ONE OR
MORE CHILDREN AND MAY BE MARRIED
COUPLES OR COHABITING.
• ANOTHER FORM OF THE NUCLEUR FAMILY
IS THE RECONSTITUTED FAMILY AND
INTERRACIAL FAMILIES WHERE THE TWO
PARENTS WOULD BE OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC
BACKGROUNDS.
• THE NUCLEUR FAMILY HAS DECLINED IN
PROPORTION BUT STILL MAINTAINS THE
LABEL OF BEING THE „BLUEPRINT‟ FAMILY
AND IS THE FAMILY TYPE MOST PEOPLE
4. • THE EXTENDED FAMIILY, AS THE NAME
SUGGESTS, IS AN EXTENTION OF THE
TYPICAL NUCLEUR FAMILY. THIS INLCUDES
ALL RELATIVES OUTSIDE THE IMMEDIATE
FAMILY E.G. GRANDPARENTS AND COUSINS.
• THIS TYPE OF FAMILY IS AS HIGHLY
REGARDED AS THE TYPICAL NUCLEUR
FAMILY, PARTICULARLY WITH
FUNCTIONALISTS, AS THEY ARGUE THE
GRANDPARENTS ARE THERE TO OFFER
THEIR EXPERIENCE AND FURTHER
SOCIALISE THE NEXT GENERATION.
• MARXIST AND MARXIST FEMENISTS WOULD
CRITIQUE THIS AND THE NUCLEUR FAMILY
FOR BEING A SOURCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS
AND OPRRESSION TO WOMEN.
5. • THE SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY CONSISTS OF
ONLY ONE PARENT AND ONE OR MORE
CHILDREN.
• THE SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY IS OFTEN SEEN
AS THE IMPLICATION OF A DIVORCED OR
SEPERATED NUCLEUR FAMILY. IN OTHER
WORDS SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES MOST
OFTEN ARE CREATED, ORIGINALLY, FROM
NUCLEUR FAMILIES.
• FUNTIONALISTS WOULD CRITIQUE THIS
TYPE OF FAMILY FOR BEING UNNATURAL OR
TOO EASY, AS SINGLE-PARENTS OFTEN FIND
COMFORT FROM THE WELFARE STATE.
• SINCE THE EARLY 1970‟S THE LONE PARENT
RATE HAS INCREASED FROM 8% TO 26%
(WITH DEPENDANT CHILDREN).
6. • THE RECONSTITUTED FAMILY IS A FAMILY
THAT HAS BEEN THROUGH SEPERATION OR
DIVORCE BUT IS NOW BACK TOGETHER OR
WHERE ONE SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY HAS
INTERTWINED WITH ANOTHER.
• RECONSTITUTED FAMILIES ARE A CAUSE OF
SEPERATION OR DIVORCE FROM PREVIOUS
PARTNERS.
• SOME, LIKE THE MARXIST‟S HOWEVER,
WOULD ARGUE THAT THE FAMILY MAY ONLY
BE RECONSTITUTED FOR THE SAKE OF THE
CHILDREN AND THIS WILL UNNEVITABLY
SHOW SIGNS OF AN „EMPTY SHELL
MARRIAGE‟ WHERE THERE IS NO EMOTIONAL
AFFECTION BETWEEN THE COUPLE ANY
LONGER. IN ADDITION, INNEVITABLE
TENSIONS ARE LIKELY TO ARISE BETWEEN
MEMBERS OF, PREVIOUSLY, DIFFERING
FAMILIES E.G. STEP PARENTS AND
7. • THE SAME SEX FAMILY CONSISTS OF TWO
PARENTS OF THE SAME GENDER AND ONE
OR MORE CHILDREN.
• SAME SEX FAMILIES ADD EVEN MORE
DIVERSITY TO THE FAMILY LIFE AND ARE
SEEN BY SOME AS ANOTHER STEP TO
EQUALITY.
• FUNCTIONALISTS WOULD ARGUE HOWEVER
THAT THE SAME-SEX FAMILY IS UNNATURAL
AND PROVIDES AN UNBALANCED
SOCIALISATION PROCESS FOR A CHILD
BROUGHT UP IN THIS SITUATION.
FUNCTIONALISTS ARGUE THAT YOU NEED
BOTH MALE AND FEMALE ROLE MODELS TO
HAVE A BALANCED MENTAL, SOCIAL
ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR.
• HOWEVER STUDIES SHOW THAT CHILDREN
BROUGHT UP IN SAME-SEX FAMILIES ARE NO
DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF TRADITIONAL
