How diverse have families become, and why have patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce changed in contemporary society?
Component 1 Section B: family diversity and changing patterns of family life, including the decline of marriage, the rise of cohabitation, divorce, lone-parent and reconstituted families, and the postmodern view of family choice.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Families and relationships guide to family diversity and changing patterns. Covers the Rapoports' types of diversity, the postmodern family (Stacey), trends in marriage, cohabitation and divorce, lone-parent and reconstituted families, and the reasons behind the changes, with the theorists and exam skills Component 1 Section B rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR Section B asks how diverse families have become and why patterns of marriage, cohabitation, divorce and household type have changed. You need the named typologies, the trends, and the reasons behind them, plus the debate between those who say the nuclear family still dominates and those who say diversity now defines family life. It is one of the most common essay areas in the option.
The answer
Theorising diversity
The Rapoports identify five types of diversity: organisational (different divisions of labour), cultural (differences by ethnicity and religion), class (differences in resources and norms), life-course (the stage a family is at) and cohort (the generation, shaped by the period). Postmodernists go further: Stacey argues the family is now fluid and chosen, describing divorce-extended families built around former partners, while Giddens and Beck describe a negotiated, individualised family based on choice rather than tradition.
Changing patterns: marriage, cohabitation, divorce
- Marriage has declined and is increasingly delayed, with more remarriages and the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Reasons include secularisation, changing attitudes, women's independence and the cost of weddings.
- Cohabitation has risen as an alternative or prelude to marriage, linked to secularisation, reduced stigma and "trial marriage".
- Divorce has risen since the mid-twentieth century. Reasons include legal changes (the Divorce Reform Act 1969 and later, cheaper, easier divorce), secularisation, rising expectations of marriage, and women's economic independence. Hart links rising divorce partly to the strain of women's dual burden of paid work and housework.
New household types
The growth of lone-parent families (most headed by women), reconstituted (step) families and same-sex families shows the range of modern households. The beanpole family, tall and thin with several generations but few siblings, reflects demographic change: lower fertility and longer life expectancy. Chester counters that most people still live in a nuclear family at some point and that the neo-conventional dual-earner nuclear family remains the norm.
Examples in context
A top answer uses the typologies (Rapoports, Stacey) and the trends as evidence on each side, then judges whether the nuclear family is still dominant.
Try this
Q1. Outline two reasons for the rise in the divorce rate. [4 marks]
- What the marker wants. Two reasons (AO1, two marks each): legal changes making divorce easier (the 1969 Act), and secularisation or rising expectations of marriage, each briefly developed.
Q2. Outline and explain two reasons why family diversity has increased. [12 marks]
- Cue. Two developed points: secularisation and changing attitudes reducing stigma around cohabitation and lone parenthood, and greater choice and individualisation (Stacey, Giddens), each applied to a specific household type.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H580/01 201812 marksOutline and explain two reasons for the rise in cohabitation. [12]Show worked answer →
An Outline and explain question (AO1 and AO2, six marks per reason). Each reason needs development and an applied example.
Reason one. Secularisation: as religion's influence has declined, cohabitation no longer carries stigma, so couples live together without marrying, for example fewer church weddings and more couples seeing marriage as optional.
Reason two. Changing attitudes and women's independence: rising expectations of relationships and women's economic independence mean marriage is delayed or rejected in favour of "trial" cohabitation. The top band develops each reason and applies an example.
OCR H580/01 202220 marksAssess the view that the nuclear family remains the dominant family type in contemporary society. [20]Show worked answer →
The major Section B essay (worth up to 24 marks in the full paper, shown here at the 20-mark cap), testing AO1, AO2 and AO3 by levels of response. Build a two-sided argument and judge.
For. Chester argues most people still live in a nuclear family at some point and the "neo-conventional" dual-earner nuclear family remains the norm; functionalists see it as central.
Against. The Rapoports identify five types of diversity (organisational, cultural, class, life-course, cohort); postmodernists such as Stacey argue the family is now diverse and fluid (divorce-extended families); the rise of lone-parent, reconstituted, cohabiting and same-sex families shows the nuclear family is one type among many.
Judgement. The nuclear family remains common but is no longer dominant in the sense of being the only normal form; diversity is now the defining feature. This balance reaches the top band.
Related dot points
- Component 1 Section B: the functions of the family in contemporary society, including the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and New Right perspectives on what the family does and whom it benefits.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Families and relationships guide to the functions of the family. Covers the functionalist view (Murdock and Parsons), the Marxist view (Engels and Zaretsky), feminist critiques and the New Right (Murray), with the theorists, evaluation and exam skills Component 1 Section B rewards.
- Component 1 Section B: conjugal roles and the domestic division of labour, including the march of progress view of the symmetrical family, feminist critiques, and the concepts of the dual burden and triple shift.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Families and relationships guide to conjugal roles and the domestic division of labour. Covers the symmetrical family (Young and Willmott), feminist critiques (Oakley), segregated and joint roles (Bott), the dual burden and triple shift (Duncombe and Marsden), and Dunne on same-sex couples, with the exam skills Section B rewards.
- Component 1 Section B: power, decision-making and domestic violence within families, and the social construction of childhood, including historical change and contemporary debates about the position of children.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Families and relationships guide to power and childhood. Covers decision-making (Edgell), control of money (Pahl and Vogler), domestic violence (Dobash and Dobash), the social construction of childhood (Aries), the disappearance of childhood (Postman) and toxic childhood (Palmer), with the exam skills Section B rewards.
- Component 1 Section B: demographic change and its impact on family life, including changes in the birth rate, death rate, life expectancy, the ageing population and migration, and their effects on family structure.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Families and relationships guide to demographic change. Covers the falling birth and fertility rates, the falling death rate and rising life expectancy, the ageing population, migration, and their effects on families (the beanpole family and the sandwich generation), with the reasons and exam skills Section B rewards.
- Component 1 Section A: the social construction of identity, the distinction between personal and social identity, and the sources of identity (social class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, disability and nationality), including hybridity and the postmodern view of fluid identity.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Component 1 guide to identity. Covers the social construction of identity, personal versus social identity, the sources of identity (class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, disability, nationality), hybridity and the postmodern view of fluid, fragmented identity, with the theorists and exam skills Section A rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR AS and A Level Sociology (H180, H580) specification — OCR (2015)