Postmodernism and the Family
Postmodernists argue that we have now entered a new phase in society which goes beyond
modernity (modern industrial society). Individuals now feel less constrained by social structures and
cultural norms. Individuals can construct a plurality of identities and lifestyles which are not simply
shaped by single influences such as class, gender and ethnicity. In many ways postmodern thinking
challenges the traditional approaches in sociology.
Postmodernists such as Lyotard (1984) and Baudrillard (2001) believe that:
- Contemporary society is rapidly changing and full of uncertainties, with people questioning a
whole range of traditionally accepted values, morals and norms.
- Individuals are no longer constrained by social structures, like the family, social class or
religion, and they are rejecting ideas about the traditional family as a mainstay of social
order.
- Society has become fragmented into a mass of individuals who are making their own choices
about what they choose to believe in, and how they live their daily lives.
The terms diversity, plurality and consumer choice are key themes in postmodern descriptions of
society. According to postmodernists, the disintegration of the traditional family is related to the
increase in consumer choice and individualisation.
Beck-Gernsheim (2002) and Stacey (1996) argue that the traditional family is being replaced by a
wide diversity of relationships in which people are choosing to live.
- Individuals no longer feel bound by traditional ideas and expectations about marriage,
lifelong monogamy, parenthood and family life, or traditional sexual identities.
- Rising divorce rates, cohabitation, multiple partners, serial monogamy and births outside
marriage all reflect the way people are adopting new lifestyles and ways of relating to one
another suited to their needs, rather than being constrained by traditional norms.
Many of the changes in family life (such as the decline in family size and marriage rates, the rising
divorce rate, growing lone parenthood and individuals living alone, more shared households and
'families of choice', and changing roles in the family) are widely regarded by politicians and social
policymakers as a threat to the family and something to worry about, as support networks are
weakened, and individuals face growing insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety in their lives.
Postmodernists see these changes as simply reflecting individuals making their consumer choices.
Individuals pick and choose and 'mix and match ‘relationships as it suits them and change these over
a period of time.
The rise of alternative family units, cohabitation, multiple partners and more diversity in sexual
relationships, with greater tolerance of homosexuality, make the notion of the traditional family as a
social institution redundant, as it has been replaced by a huge range of ever-changing personal
relationships and household arrangements in which people are choosing to live.
Individualisation Thesis
Chambers (2012) points out that individualization has been a central explanation for key changes in
ideas about love, commitment and family decline, and for the development of new kinds of personal
relationships. The individualization thesis was developed in the work of Giddens (1993),
Beck (1992), Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995, 2001, 2002) and Bauman (2003). Beck-Gernsheim
(2002) describes individualization as the process whereby the traditional social relationships, bonds,
Postmodernists argue that we have now entered a new phase in society which goes beyond
modernity (modern industrial society). Individuals now feel less constrained by social structures and
cultural norms. Individuals can construct a plurality of identities and lifestyles which are not simply
shaped by single influences such as class, gender and ethnicity. In many ways postmodern thinking
challenges the traditional approaches in sociology.
Postmodernists such as Lyotard (1984) and Baudrillard (2001) believe that:
- Contemporary society is rapidly changing and full of uncertainties, with people questioning a
whole range of traditionally accepted values, morals and norms.
- Individuals are no longer constrained by social structures, like the family, social class or
religion, and they are rejecting ideas about the traditional family as a mainstay of social
order.
- Society has become fragmented into a mass of individuals who are making their own choices
about what they choose to believe in, and how they live their daily lives.
The terms diversity, plurality and consumer choice are key themes in postmodern descriptions of
society. According to postmodernists, the disintegration of the traditional family is related to the
increase in consumer choice and individualisation.
Beck-Gernsheim (2002) and Stacey (1996) argue that the traditional family is being replaced by a
wide diversity of relationships in which people are choosing to live.
- Individuals no longer feel bound by traditional ideas and expectations about marriage,
lifelong monogamy, parenthood and family life, or traditional sexual identities.
- Rising divorce rates, cohabitation, multiple partners, serial monogamy and births outside
marriage all reflect the way people are adopting new lifestyles and ways of relating to one
another suited to their needs, rather than being constrained by traditional norms.
Many of the changes in family life (such as the decline in family size and marriage rates, the rising
divorce rate, growing lone parenthood and individuals living alone, more shared households and
'families of choice', and changing roles in the family) are widely regarded by politicians and social
policymakers as a threat to the family and something to worry about, as support networks are
weakened, and individuals face growing insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety in their lives.
Postmodernists see these changes as simply reflecting individuals making their consumer choices.
Individuals pick and choose and 'mix and match ‘relationships as it suits them and change these over
a period of time.
The rise of alternative family units, cohabitation, multiple partners and more diversity in sexual
relationships, with greater tolerance of homosexuality, make the notion of the traditional family as a
social institution redundant, as it has been replaced by a huge range of ever-changing personal
relationships and household arrangements in which people are choosing to live.
Individualisation Thesis
Chambers (2012) points out that individualization has been a central explanation for key changes in
ideas about love, commitment and family decline, and for the development of new kinds of personal
relationships. The individualization thesis was developed in the work of Giddens (1993),
Beck (1992), Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995, 2001, 2002) and Bauman (2003). Beck-Gernsheim
(2002) describes individualization as the process whereby the traditional social relationships, bonds,
