Chapter 11, The Changing Family

Question 1

family;

Answer 1

a relationship in which people live together with commitment, form an economic commitment and care for any young, and consider the group critical to their identity, ex. as single-parent, cohabiting unmarried couples, domestic partnerships of gay couples, and several generations living under the same roof

Question 2

nuclear family;

Answer 2

a family unit composed of one or two parents, and any dependent children who live apart from other relatives

Question 3

extended family;

Answer 3

a family unit composed of relatives in addition to parents and children, all of whom live in the same household, ex. grandparents, uncles/aunts

Question 4

In which continents are extended families most commonly found?

Answer 4

areas of Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern/Southern Europe

Question 5

kinship;

Answer 5

the basis of the traditional family structure, a social network of people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption, gives us the necessities of time, food, shelter and transportation

Question 6

In which time in society did kinship thrive? and why?

Answer 6

in pre-industrial societies because kinship served as the means of producing/distributing food and goods, and transferring property and power from one generation to the next, ex. farming families

Question 7

marriage;

Answer 7

a legally recognized and/or socially approved arrangement between two individuals that carries certain right and obligations, and usually includes sexual activity

Question 8

monogamy;

Answer 8

a marriage between one man and one woman, only legal form of marriage in Canada

Question 9

What was a major change that occurred in the 1970s? and how did it effect the institution of marriage?

Answer 9

a cultural shift towards autonomy and personal growth, people no longer had to get married to be a proper member of society, became a matter of personal choice based on self-interest and self-fulfillment, therefore the marriage rate declined

Question 10

What percent of people will stay single for their lives?

Answer 10

10% percent of people will stay single for their lives

Question 11

When combined with those who are widowed, separated and divorced, what percent of households are single households? 2006 Census

Answer 11

26.8% of households are single households

Question 12

What are 5 reasons people are putting off marriage longer than 20 years ago?

Answer 12

1. economic uncertainty
2. the increasing number of women in the workforce
3. sex outside of marriage more acceptable than before 70s revolution
4. rising divorce rate, youth reluctant to copy parents
5. increasing cohabitation

Question 13

common-law/cohabitation;

Answer 13

two adults living together in a sexual relationship without being married, granted many of the same legal rights as a married couple

Question 14

What percent of all couples are living common-law? 2006 Census

Answer 14

15.5% of all couples are living common-law

Question 15

What are some reasons that common-law relationships might not last after marriage?

Answer 15

may contribute to people’s individualistic attitudes and values, makes the more aware of the other options than marriage

Question 16

dual-earner marriages;

Answer 16

marriages in which both spouses are in the labour force, more than 60% of all marriages in Canada, there are more married women with young children in the labour force than ever before

Question 17

second shift;

Answer 17

the domestic work that many employed woman perform at home after completing their workday on the job, amounts to a month each year

Question 18

What percent of her fertile years does the average woman spend trying to avoid pregnancy?

Answer 18

the average woman spends 90% of her fertile years trying to avoid pregnancy

Question 19

How many abortions occur per live birth? 2008

Answer 19

there are less than 3 abortions for every live birth in Canada

Question 20

infertility;

Answer 20

the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected sexual relations

Question 21

adoption;

Answer 21

legal process in which the rights and duties of parenting are transferred from a child’s biological/legal parents to new legal parents

Question 22

What are some causes for the decrease in available infants for adoption?

Answer 22

increased accessibility of birth control and abortion, more teens keeping their babies

Question 23

What percent of all births come from teens?

Answer 23

teen birth rates have dropped to only 6% of all births

Question 24

Why do sociologists see teen pregnancies are problematic?

Answer 24

teen mothers are typically unskilled at parenting, likely to drop out of school, and have no social support other than relatives, emotional/financial support from the father is often lacking

Question 25

What does the increasing rate of birth outside of marriage reflect?

Answer 25

the declining significance of marriage as a social obligation/necessity for reproduction

Question 26

What percent of divorcing couples have one or more children?

Answer 26

60% of divorcing couples have one or more children

Question 27

What is the most frequent form of child abuse?

Answer 27

neglect; not meeting a child’s basic needs for emotional warmth/security, shelter, food, healthcare, education, and clothing

Question 28

What have researchers found to be true about parents who abuse their children?

Answer 28

parents who were abused, neglected, or deprived as children, or who are socially isolated as adults are the most likely to abuse their children

Question 29

battered child syndrome;

Question 30

What percent of abused children show problems in overall functioning?

Answer 30

44% of abused children show problems in overall functioning, such as behavioural problems, depression/anxiety, irregular school attendance, and developmental delay

Question 31

What percent of children experience some form of sexual contact as children?

Answer 31

10-15% of children experience some form of sexual contact as children

Question 32

Are children or adults more likely to to be physically/sexually assaulted and to know their aggressor?

Answer 32

children/youth are more likely than adults to be physically/sexually assaulted, and more likely to know their aggressor

Question 33

What is the ratio of women to male victims of spousal violence?

Answer 33

5:1

Question 34

What is the ratio of women to male victims of spousal homicide?

Answer 34

women are 7 times more likely than males to be murdered by their spouse or partner

Question 35

Are spousal violence rates increasing or decreasing?

Answer 35

rates are declining with declining overall crime rates

Question 36

What percent of Canadian households have a single occupant?

Answer 36

25%

Question 37

domicile;

Answer 37

the spouse who takes on the larger domestic role, still mostly women

Question 38

How many children are there per Canadian household?

Answer 38

there is an average 1.7 children per Canadian household

Question 39

What percent of single parent families have a lone mother and what percent have a lone father?

Answer 39

81% mothers, and 19% fathers