Family_Structures_Are_Becoming_More_Diverse._What_Evidence_Is_There_to_Support_the_Trends_

Family Structures are becoming more diverse. What evidence is there to support the trends' Family structures have become so diverse that there is no longer a meaning to the term “family”. It is now a word that means something different to everyone. To some it could mean being married to the person you love from the opposite sex or even of the same sex, others see family as just living with someone you share deep feelings for and others don’t believe that relationships has anything to do with family except with their child/children. Political change and religion influence people’s views. By doing so their perception on what constitutes as a family is misshapen and changed considerably. Conservatives tend to believe that a family is; a man and a woman, married and children. However on the other side of the spectrum you have Labour who thinks that Family is what you make of it, they believe that people are free to choose what they want and live how they want with whoever they want. This obviously allows diversity to make its self known into society with a high percentage of people choosing to cohabitate instead of getting married. Those who don’t find a partner simply opt to live alone. According to the National Statistics (July 2005), the number of people living alone has increased by four times more than in 1961, which leaves us with 7.0 million people in Great Britain living alone. Religion also comes into play with family. Many religions believe of a man and woman married with children, others follow this but woman are more oppressed and don’t have equal rights as men. Although I have yet to hear of a religion that out-rightly does not approve of marriage, or spiritual bonds between a man and a woman. However, because our culture has become so multi-cultural with people from various backgrounds, religion, views of life and people who have their very own view of family which may of course differ from our own, we need to get use to this change therefore society must change in order to adapt to all this diversity. In today’s world marriage is not seen as a ‘Must’ as it use to mean many years ago when sex before marriage was frowned upon and in some cases this one act could get you disowned from the family. The nuclear family was the primary family, the one that society deemed was the only one that could help the country and its citizens, but 50 years later the nuclear family is in decline whilst there is an increase in the other sectors of family. This increased more with the recent law change allowing homosexual to get married and as of late consenting them to adopt a child. When you add up all these changes in society you are able to see the effect that it has on people’s perspective on what a Family truly is. Currently it seems to mean what the individual wants it to mean. Source: H, McConnell., S, Whyman. Focus On (2001 census) National Statistics: July 2005. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fof2005/families.pdf Date Accessed: 6 November.