Evaluate the view that demographic changes are leading to more family and household diversity in
contemporary UK. [20 marks]
One way in which demographic changes have changed family structures is through the ageing
population in the UK. With increased life expectancy over the past century in the UK and a falling
birth rate, the average age of the UK population has increased, so that the average age of British
citizens is in their mid-40s. This has changes on the structure of family life in the UK, as with more
elderly people and less children being born there has been a growth of vertically extended or
beanpole families. These multi-generational families have closer links between generations, with
grandparents often providing care for their grandchildren whilst their parents are in work.
Alternatively, adults are providing care for elderly parents, who despite living longer, may be subject
to ill-health associated with old age, such as dementia or mobility issues. This may necessitate elderly
parents moving in with their grown children and their grandchildren, creating a beanpole family
under the same roof.
Migration has also had a significant impact on family structures in the UK. With increased migration
both into and out of the UK, many extended families are separated by international boundaries. This
can occur in several ways, with immigrants to the UK being separated from extended families in their
homeland or through emigration, either for work or retirement creating a greater distance between
families. Furthermore, migration into the UK from EU nations was based around young professionals
coming to the UK for education or employment which generated an increase in lone person
households or communal households, where people shared properties with others in a similar
position to them. This migration of students and young professionals changes the structure of
families and households from being based upon couples to a more diverse structure, with almost a
third of households in the UK being lone person households in 2018.
As well as this, migration can lead to the increase in lone-parent families within the UK. The
immigration of Caribbean’s from British colonies in the 1950’s not only increased the cultural
diversity of the UK but also affected family structures. For example, over 50% of Caribbean families
are matrifocal single parent families. These family structures are often demonised for not upholding
the traditional ideals of the nuclear family as Caribbean mothers often perform both expressive and
instrumental conjugal roles. This has led New Right thinkers to conclude that black boys are at
greater risk of committing crime because they believe that the absence of a male role model in the
home leads to a poor work ethic and a disregard for authority. However, stereotypes about
Caribbean household structures fails to explore colonialism as the root cause for the rise in matrifocal
single parent families within this community.
The decline in birth rates has also shaped family structures in the UK. Children today have become an
economically liability, so women delay childbearing. Children being economically liable has change
childbearing patterns as it has influenced women to aspire for a career and delaying having children
until financially stable. This, along with social policies, influences women to participate in taking up
the instrumental role that is traditionally upheld by men. This has resulted in smaller, more child-
centred families because couples opt to have fewer children or have children later in life. As a result,
the family structure has shifted to prioritise the needs and aspirations of children, and women have
taken on more instrumental roles traditionally associated with men.
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