assesment 26/03/25 - 20 marks

Question 1

Reasons why marxist explanation for family is good

Answer 1

• Engel: it is good becuse the family has a clear economic function for capitalism. Children inherit their families wealth after they die. It is essential for this reason of inheritance of property/money.
• Zaretsky: it is good because it gives proletarian men something to control and be the “boss” of. Proletarian male workers would tolerate exploitation in the workplace because they have this private domain to release stress + frustration

Question 2

Reasons why marxist explanation for family is bad

Answer 2

• Against Engel: family should be more than what happens to your money after death, it should be more romantic and not just a feature of capitalist society like functionalists would say
• Against Zaretsky: theory is very much outdated, assumes worker is male and that there is only one worker in the family. Feminists would have an issue as it could be quite sexist and stereotypical, it also ignores all the positive aspects of families

Question 3

Gender roles and relationships within the family are still unequal in society today

Answer 3

• Feminists: women still do the majority of housework and much more than men do. ‘Triple shift’. E.g: Men spend 10 hours on care for family members compared to women who spend 23 hours on care
• Pooling: even when sharing money, men still dominate the money sharing. Men make the majority of decisions surrounding important spending whereas women make decisions on spending surrounding things like home decor, clothes or food

Question 4

Gender roles and relationships within the family are now equal in society today

Answer 4

• Oriel Sullivan: found a trend, women do a smaller share of the domestic work and men are doing more, there is an increase in couples with an equal division of labour (symmetrical) and men are performing more traditional ‘women’ tasks
• ‘Co-independence’: where there is sharing but each partner retains some control, this pattern is being found in cohabiting couples which make up a strong percentage of today’s society

Question 5

Sociological views on the impact of demographic changes - functionalist

Answer 5

Functionalist view society as a system of interconnected parts. They argue that demographic changes, like lower birth rates and longer life expectancy, have led to smaller family sizes and more nuclear families. This is seen as beneficial as it allows for more focused attention on children’s upbringing and better care for the elderly.

Question 6

Sociological views on the impact of demographic changes - marxist

Answer 6

Argue that demographic changes are driven by the needs of capitalism. For instance, they suggest that the increase in single-parent families is due to the capitalist system’s exploitation of workers, leading to family breakdowns. They also argue that the aging population puts pressure on younger generations to provide care, detracting from their ability to contribute to the economy.

Question 7

Sociological views on the impact of demographic changes - feminist

Answer 7

Focus on the gender implications of demographic changes. Argue that changes such as increased life expectancy and single-parent families have disproportionately affected women, who often bear the burden of care. They also highlight that women are more likely to head single-parent households, which can lead to financial instability and increased poverty.

Question 8

Sociological views on the impact of demographic changes - postmodernist

Answer 8

Argue that demographic changes have led to greater diversity and individual choice in family forms. They suggest that traditional family structures have been replaced by a variety of alternatives, such as cohabitation, single-parent families, and same-sex families. This is seen as a positive development, reflecting individual freedom and diversity.