2.2.4
The Rapoports & Family Diversity
Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
The Rapoports' Types of Family Diversity
The Rapoports identified that there are different family types emerging in the UK, though the nuclear family type still remains one of the most typical. There are five types of family diversity.

Organisational family diversity
- Organisational family diversity describes how families are organised.
- Examples include:
- Dual-career families.
- Segregated or integrated conjugal roles.
- Traditional roles.

Cultural family diversity
- Cultural family diversity describes a family with different beliefs, lifestyles, norms and values.
- E.g. Polygamy - having more than one spouse at a time.
- E.g. Polyandry - a woman having more than one husband at a time.

Class family diversity
- Class family diversity occurs when a family’s position in society depicts the way the family is run.
- E.g. Higher-income families may hire childcare workers to help raise their children.

Life-course family diversity
- Life-course family diversity occurs when members of the family go through different stages of their lives.
- E.g. A family member might start life in a nuclear family, then undergo a divorce and become a lone parent family.

Cohort family diversity
- Cohort family diversity happens when family members have a different experience of life depending on the conditions and time in which they were born.
Emergence of Same-Sex Households
Rhona and Robert Rapoport’s work highlights the fact that there is an emergence of same-sex households and that our society is more open towards them.

Same-sex households
- Rhona and Robert Rapoport’s work highlights the fact that there is an emergence of same-sex households and that our society is more open towards them.

Criticism
- Robert Chester argued that family life has largely stayed the same and has criticised the Rapoports for exaggerating how much diversity exists in societies.
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
Jump to other topics
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
Practice questions on The Rapoports & Family Diversity
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books