What does the Shannon Matthews Case Suggest about Family Life in Modern Britain

This essay give take in and discuss whether the Matthews family is a typical archetype of family flavour in contemporary Britain. It will take a look at favorable class and investigate whether this effects the ethics and mechanics of family units today, taking into estimate contri nonwithstandinging factors such as pecuniary issues, the friendly upbeat ashes and changing determine in the 21st century.Nine stratum old Shannon Matthews from Dewsbury, West Yorks, went missing for a period of 24 days in February this year, in a suspected kidnapping. Shannon was imbed a short distance from her home, and after state of ward media c everyplaceage informed us that scorn her publicised pleas for Shannons safe return, her puzzle K ben, had know of her whereabouts the whole time. Since her release Shannon has remained in the burster of loving services. Her m other(a) has been charged with boor neglect and perverting the course of on the buttonice.Shannons stepfather Cr aig Meehan was charged with possessing indecent images of children. Public and media speculation suggests that the kidnapping was slight more(prenominal) whence a advancement stunt that went wrong. Police officers are examining say similarities between Shannons disappearance and a plot line from the Channel 4 drama serial publication Shameless that was shown shortly before the nine-year-old vanished. Stokes, P (2008) Shannon Matthews mother charged over disappearance. Telegraph. 9 June.As the family depicted in Shameless, The Matthews family spicy at bottom a typical example of an despised and unkempt council e order. According to the local youngspaper, The Dewsbury Reporter, Moorside is whizz of the most deprived areas in the area This is jeopardizeed up by entropy collated in the Index of Deprivation 2007&8242. Kirklees, the county in which the town of Dewsbury is located has been deemed as the twelfth worst district in England in terms of low income take aims, pos tgraduate evil rates, health deprivation and unemployment. Only 11.2% of the 32482 other LSOAs are in a worsened state than Moorside itself.Karen Matthews is un get hitched with, has seven children by five-spot different fathers, only four of which stay with her. She comes from a creaming class family and is cardinal of seven siblings, her parents were married and both worked, as does her sister who also has seven children, by whiz man, her husband. Despite the differences between her and her family, Karen is non an saveional case indoors her surroundings, or for that matter, in other deprived areas or sowhat the country. here was an example of Britains feckless only when fecund underclass, churning out children at a reckless rate, cushioned by benefits and permanently estranged from the world of work. Tweedie, N (2008) Another side to Shannon Matthews Moorside. Telegraph. 27 kinfolkBritains social classes were originally divided into iii distinct social groups, these represented an individuals train of education, occupation and financial status The Upper, eye and Lower/Working classes. Since the welfare placement was created a new class has begun to emerge.The Underclass, consists of great deal that are reliant on state benefits for the majority of their income. Not only does it acknowledge teenage and single mothers who are unable(p) or unwilling to work, and temporary benefit claimants who are trying to get back on their feet, but also layabouts, high school drop outs, drug addicts and those intricate in criminal activities. Many of the underclass are quite happy to live and raise their children on state benefits. by an attempt to help the needy the welfare state has created a dependency assimilation with no incentive to work, marry or educate themselves and who expect handouts to survive. The benefit system highlights the perks of not working, recipients not only satisfy forfeit money from the state but can also be entitle to free h ealth care, inte proportion free loans and free or discounted accommodation and council tax. Council trapping estates increase the segregation of the underclass from the rest of society and creates a never ratiocination social circle of crime, dependency and insolence. multitude who live on these estates rarely scram any positive influences around them, mathematical group deprived families together in one community leaves them with nobody to learn from except each other.Council estates became places of last resort for mint who had failed to keep up. They withdraw been given this sound out of the underclass .and begin to act like wasted people. So you get domestic violence, alcoholic beverage abuse and family break nap. (Estates An Intimate history Lynsey Hanley)It is not only the welfare system and morals of the lower classes that have brought about changes to groundbreaking society and family living, prior to the 20th century, women married young, stayed home and raised their children. After the war womens aspirations began to change as they questioned their positions as wives and mothers. It was within the same era that contraception became ordinarily available and divorce was liberalised. People were no longish restricted by so legion(predicate) rules, regulations and assumptions regarding what kind of behaviour was delightful and as the 20th century progressed this new state of mind caused the traditional aspects of family life to change tremendously.People no longer had to marry before beginning a sexual relationship or get-go a family, and could choose divorce when things didnt work out the way they had expected. In novel society it is acceptable for both parents to work, and for children to keep an eye on childcare settings whilst their parents are occupied. In some ways working families are depriving their children of the needful parental interactions needed to aid their development. In their aspirations to make more money in order to keep up with modern-day spirit parents are having to prioritise their jobs over their families.Halsey A H Quoted in Dennis N and Erdos G Families without Fatherhood, 1993 ..children of parents who do not follow the traditional norm (i.e. taking on personal, active and long-term responsibility for the social upbringing of the children they generate) are thereby disfavor in many major aspects of their chances of living a made life. On the demonstration available such children tend to do less well at school, to survive at a lower level of nutrition, comfort and conviviality, to suffer more unemployment, to be more prone to deviance and crime, and ultimately to repeat the cycle of volcanic parenting from which they themselves have suffered..ConclusionShannon Matthews family is not a sensible representation of family life in modern Britain. Families now come in many shapes and sizes and are defined by more than broader categories. It would be stereotypical to assume that un traditional family units or those that are further down the social ladder are more likely to have come from an unstable family background and themselves incapable of creating and sustaining a successful family life. Despite the fact that modern life has altered the mechanics of the family unit, many families/parents are still striving to provide for their children in the best way that they can, regardless of social status.Parents from lower and underclass backgrounds are just as likely to provide good-natured and caring parenting and create insightful and pushful children as those from other classes. In comparison, those from the top(prenominal) and middle classes are just as likely to create dysfunctional family units where the children spirit neglected and unloved because of their parents busy lifestyles. It is the ignorance of individuals that run away the main part in the knowledgeability of dysfunctional families and the negative psychological issues this then creates for those within that family. Overall an individuals personal strengths, weaknesses and morals are what cause them to make their choices in life regardless of nature, nurture and social grouping.