Chapter 3 Family & Relationship (2)

Families All happy families are

alike, but every unhappy one is unhappy in its own way.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), Anna Karenina, I, (1876)

Focal questions How do you think the roles of men and women

have changed in Britain over the post-war period? How can you explain these changes?

What is the allocation of decision-making in modern British families? Why?

What do you think has caused the “generation gap”? Is there any remedy for this?

What is the living situation of old people in Britain? Do you think, generally speaking, they are living happy lives?

A 1 Husbands & Wives

Redefinition and adjustment of needs and values

The effects of newly-emerging work patterns

A 1 Husband and Wives Decision Making

Two “bread-winners” More women working full-time But...

A 2 Parents and Children

The “generation gap” The rebellious

teenager? “The angry young man?”

A 2 Parents and Children

Are teenagers really bad in the UK?

Teenagers are really bad in the UK. They drink and drive and steal. They also hurt people and property.

I feel like that. Me and my friends can hardly walk into a shop without at least one employee watching us to make sure we dont shoplift ! its awful !

… yes there are a lot of teens that do go out burning things, robbing and fighting but everyone seems to ignore the fact that we have bright young teens that don't do all that stuff, the media focuses on the bad stuff because it sells more papers.

A 2 Parents and Children

Are teenagers really bad in the UK?

Teenagers have always been seen as the "bad" generation. Didn't someone like Socrates complain about the Ancient Greek teens hanging around outside his villa?

Its cos we're not cute or obedient enough to be kids, and not "mature" enough to be seen as adults.

It'll be over in a few years - then we can complain about a whole new generation of teens!

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080710054326AAKYIbU

A 2 Parents and Children

The Generation Gap Bridging the generation gap Mark Easton 7 Aug 08, 08:15 PM GMT http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/ma

rkeaston/2008/08/bridging_the_generation_gap.html

A 2 Parents and Children Chinese vs British

Chinese parents: more protective & controlling

Qualities appreciated in parents: Being understanding and supporting in

crises Allowing freedom of action within a

framework of constraints Unconditional love, conditional freedom Offering financial support and contributions A primary source of advice (in Britain and

China alike)

A3 Old Age (population pyramid)

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=6

A 3 Old Age An ageing population Increased life expectancy women born immediately after World War Two—no

w retirement age (at 60 years) The 'bulge' of the 'baby boomers' of the 1960s A sharp tapering for people aged 30 to 36—low fertil

ity in the mid to late 1970s Another narrowing between the ages of 5 and 19—l

ow fertility rates during the late 1980s and 1990s Broadening base—increasing number of births stea

dily from mid-2003 onwards

The 1998 Government Green Paper on Families How it wanted to

strengthen the family Marriage and care for

children Where are children best

brought up: two natural parents, married (Guardian, 5 November 1998, p. 4)

Conclusion Changes in gender roles –more flexible, 2 parent

patriarchal family less dominant Responses from the right wing politician & chur

ch leaders: blame permissive legislation & social movements of 1960’s & 1970’s for decline in traditional family life

Responses from the left-wing– Margaret Thatcher’s right-wing revolution – rampant (unrestrained) individualism & consumer greed

New range of identities, especially, for women