Sociology: Marriage & Family

his multi-section program examines the relationships between established sociological perspectives—structural functionalism, Marxist theory, and early feminist theory—and the family; investigates how over several decades the decline in marriage, an increase in cohabitation and divorce, and the lowering fertility rate in the U.K. have affected the British nuclear family; and juxtaposes the old sociology of families and the new, with its emphasis on comparative analysis and how family relationships are negotiated in everyday life. The video concludes with a look at how changes in family life can be linked to changes in wider society and asks if families have a future.

For a long time, sociologists developed theories about something called 'the family'. This program illustrates changes in the structure, organization and culture of family and how this can be linked to changes in wider society. It also looks at the alleged sexualization of children to explore the idea that childhood may be disappearing and considers the effects new communication technologies are having on family life.