ABSTRACT
One way to grasp the enormous power of modernist family theorising is in the area that has become known as ‘family discourse’. Cheal summarises this area, ‘Social Scientific…concepts of “the family”, are commonly derived from folk models…. When these categories become objects of attention in discussions and debates they acquire common meanings within a shared way of talking, or discourse’ (1991, p. 20). This is to look at the models people have in their heads and their shared language(s). Feminist work, both inside and outside academic circles, has brought the unequal status of women to public attention and raised numerous issues around abuse, wages for paid work, safety on the streets and much more. This has had the effect of shifting the nature of family discourse and set the conditions for theoretical development.
