What different forms does the family take, and why has diversity grown?
The different family forms (nuclear, extended, reconstituted, lone-parent, same-sex and single-person households) and the reasons family diversity has increased.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Sociology families topic, covering the different family forms (nuclear, extended, reconstituted, lone-parent, same-sex and single-person) and the reasons family diversity has grown.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to know the main family forms found in Britain and to explain why family diversity has grown. The topic rewards students who can both describe each form accurately and give clear, evidenced reasons for the rise in diversity, which is a common focus for explain questions on Component 1.
The main family forms
Each form is a recognisable household type, and the exam may ask you to define any of them. The nuclear family was once seen as the typical or "cereal packet" family, but in fact British households now take a wide range of forms, which is the central point of the diversity topic.
Types of diversity: the Rapoports
The Rapoports argued that British family life is now marked by diversity rather than a single dominant type. They identified several kinds of diversity, including differences by social class, ethnicity, region, stage of the life course and generation. Their work is useful evidence that there is no longer one standard family, and it shows that family forms vary systematically with a household's wider social position.
Why diversity has increased
Several connected social changes explain the growth in family diversity:
- More divorce. The 1969 Divorce Reform Act made divorce easier and cheaper, producing more lone-parent and reconstituted families.
- Secularisation. The declining influence of religion means there is less pressure to marry and stay married, so cohabitation and lone parenthood are more common.
- Changing attitudes. Lone parenthood, cohabitation and same-sex relationships are far more socially accepted than in the past.
- Legal change. The legalisation of same-sex marriage has recognised same-sex families as a legitimate form.
- Women's independence. Greater financial independence means women are less dependent on marriage, supporting lone-parent and single-person households.
These causes overlap, and a strong answer links them rather than listing them, for example showing how secularisation and changing attitudes reinforce each other.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20192 marksDescribe what is meant by a reconstituted family.Show worked answer →
A two-mark describe item: define the term with a brief example.
A reconstituted family (a step family) is formed when two partners, at least one of whom has children from a previous relationship, join together to form a new family, bringing step-relations together.
Markers reward an accurate definition. A brief example (a parent with children remarrying someone who also has children) strengthens it.
Eduqas 20228 marksExplain why family diversity has increased in Britain.Show worked answer →
An eight-mark explain item: three developed reasons, no formal evaluation needed.
First, the rise in divorce since the 1969 Divorce Reform Act has created more lone-parent and reconstituted families. Second, changing social attitudes and secularisation (the decline of religious influence) mean cohabitation, lone parenthood and same-sex families are more accepted than in the past. Third, legal change, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage, has recognised new family forms.
A fourth reason strengthens the answer: women's greater financial independence means they are less dependent on marriage, supporting lone-parent and single-person households. Markers reward three or more developed reasons, each tied to the growth of diversity. The strongest answers can name the Rapoports on types of diversity.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE Sociology (C200) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2017)