Families 10 markers Flashcards
Outline and explain two ways in which government policies may affect family structure.
One way- Is by making the family size smaller. women are now taking control of their fertility ie through 1970s introduction of contraception pill .Furthermore women are no longer economic burdens they are now assets and can be the breadwinners of their families which is why there has been an increase in spf and LPF
Another way - 2014 same sex marriage act - the decrease in social stigma has lead to the increase in same sex couples such as lesbian couples and shows an increase in family choice - this has been suggested by weeks we pick our families -. Reinforced through 2003 civil partnership act/ 2014/2004 same sex marriage act and the children’s adoption act which enables same sex couples to adopt, Murray would be concerned suggesting it shows the breakdown of traditional values
Outline and explain two ways in which postmodernists argue that increased choice for individuals has affected patterns of family life
One way- through the increase in LATs(living apart together) Duncan and Philips - weeks would suggest that this shows an increase in choice because we are choosing our families whilst maintaining a sense of individualism. which shows a positive affect on the patterns of family life demonstrating individualisation- this is the idea that people are now living the LIFE they they want to…, This is similar with . furthermore Giddens suggest the idea of pure relationships the ideas that people are now in relationships because it suits them not because they are conforming to traditional values which has enabled serial monogamy and a decline in the traditional nuclear family
Another way is through the changing position of women- according to stacey Stacey argues that women have more freedom that ever which has resulted in them shaping the family to meet their needs and freed themselves from the shackles of patriarchy.This means that because of this increased choice women are no longer putting family first instead women are choosing to return to education , divorcing or remarrying because they can and are no longer binded by tradition.. Furthermore society is i becoming more diverse and fragmented
Outline and explain two ways in which women’s involvement in paid work has affected family structures
- One way …Young&willmott - joint-conjugal roles/symmetrical family
changing roles of domestic work and decision making, more women taking on the breadwinner role and more men staying at home taking on domestic work or oles shared between the two partners both at home and outside of the home.
Another way- Harper - women giving birth later
women are more educated, having and choosing other opportunities ( sue Sharpe carrer centeredness) and see alternatives to traditional gender roles leave marriage and children till later = decrease in marriage rates and higher divorce rates = increase in lone parent or step families
Outline and explain two ways in which changing gender roles within the family may have affected the experience of childhood.
One way is through the increased role of fathers and grandparents this has enhanced the appearance… Blaky and brannen furthermore.. is a positive became it reinforces an idea of the golden age of childhood this contributes to more child centredness and how children and there happiness are being put first. pilcher supports this…Therefore affecting the experience of childhood …
Another way is by causing a toxic childhood - this is the idea of an increased reliance on technology that raises the children/ acts as a parental figure instead of physical parenting which can be harmful in many ways it creates a dependency on outside sources this is because women may be in single parent famailies thus not having enough time to parent properly palmer, shows that relationships rent being built how they were previously etc Furthermore this links to ideas of age patriarchy where there is inequality between adults and children with an increase in adult domination where childrens bodys , time space is being controlled this can produce a negative experience of childhood
Outline and explain two social policies which have affected the positions of children in the family
Policy 1 - 2019 divorce reform act this has introduced the concept of no blame divorce where the children are placed at the center of divorce furthermore linking to waggs idea of child centeredness this refers to the amount of time parents spend with there children which has significantly increase over the years
Policy 2- The rise in the age of consent to 16 which according to donzelot has continued to the state having increased state control. this suggests that children are being increasingly protected .. furthermore Aires and the cult of childhood the idea that childhood is s protected that its compared to a cut this has positively contributed to the position of children in the family
Outline and explain two reasons for changes in the size of families in the last 50 years or so.
Reason 1 - Changing position of women - this has contributed to a smaller family structure because of the decrease in Birth rate because of factors such as new tech , etc. Furthermore, women’s aspirations have changed this is evident through sue sharp and her arguments surrounding career centeredness. that the increased importance of women having a career and putting this first has lead to a drastic change in family size .. f
Reason 2 - Another way in which changes in society might have affected family size is through migration. There has been considerable growth over recent years in the number of migrants who have come to Britain - either through our membership of the EU or in response to our immigration policies which have allowed greater numbers of refugees and asylum seekers entering the country. This has leaf to larger family sizes within the population, since ethnic minority groups tend to hold cultural or religious norms and values that encourage larger families. Furthermore , Feminists might argue that it marks a step backwards in terms of the liberation of women as where there are larger families women are often expected to assume the unpaid role of housewife and mother.
Explain two criticism of structural explanations of family life
Criticism 1- The personal life perspective ignore the impact of processes such as globalisation on family life and how this has changed relationships for example Smart looks at different types of relationship’s that are important to people which has not been conventially seen as a typical family relationship ie fictive kin which is friends who are treated like family smart ignores how the process of globalisation may have impacted relationships in a positive or a negative way ie globalisation opening the borders of more/ different types of relationships. Furthermore Structural explanations dont see how the family has progressed because of globalisation
Criticism 2- another criticism is that interactionalists take a broad view of family and relationships that can be linked to family however this ignore the impact of personal relationships such as marriage and blood thus ignoring what makes the family special h
Outline and explain two reasons for the change in divorce rates over the past 50 years or so
Way 1 - Changes in legislation which has been caused by the shift in social attitudes due to the process of secularisation which has enabled laws such as the divorce reform act 1969 to be enforced therefore making it more acceptable for women in particular to divorce.. Furthermore lib fems would suggests that this change is a march of progress towards more equal relationships and women taking charge of what they want which has been the result of changing attitudes ie Stacey.
Way 2- Women are becoming more career centred which means that they no longer rush to get married as they are no longer economic burdens now can be seen as economic assets which means that they no longer rely on men thus they don’t need to get married in exchange for stability sue sharp and stacey . Furthermore Mcrobbie reinforces this idea by arguing that women’s priorities have shifted they put love on the back burner
Outline and explain two ways in which sociology of the personal life challenges other theories of the family
One way- personal life challenges other theories or the family by arguing that the family is a complex ,changing , institution that develops over time this differs from functionalist perspective where there are arguments that the nuclear family is the dominate family type which can adapt to the nature of changing societies when this is not the case. suggesting that the family is a passive fixed institution which differs from the views of Hareven. Furthermore Allan and crow argue that the life course has been disconnected from contempt society and individuals now have multiple paths of relationships and family types ie same sex, differes from new right.
Another way- Idea that families are not biological for example smart argues that there is an increasing importnac3e of relationships that are outside of the family for example fictive kin which is controversial to other theories such as new right , functionalism who focus on the importance of biological roles and forming those string bonds between blood families members. Furthermore,… Smart uses the example of adoptive parents they are not biogical but still have a significant impact on an individuals life. blood bonds not as significant tehre are new types of familes.
Outline and explain two reasons for the changing fertility rates
One reason- Shift from expressive care giver role to career centredness. Fertility rate refers to the number of live births per 1000 women , aged 15-444 over a year. The Changing role of women in todays society for example there has been a shift to more career centeredness as suggested by Sue Sharp who argues that women now prioritise there career over love and relationships , this has contributed to the changing fertility rates which refers to the average number of births a women makes in her lifetime because women are choosing to have less children or non at all. Women now control their bodies and acknowldge that there are mre important things than relationships.. Furthermore , decline in securalisation.,..
Another reason - social policys such as aborition act , divorce reform act have contributed to the decline in fertility rate / rise in migration
Outline and explain two affects of the ageing population on family roles and relationships
One affect is the strain on women - the ageing population is increasingly growing and according to functionalists and the new right they would argue that this is the responsibility of the women linking to those biological roles ie the expressive role therefore having a negative affect on the family roles as it reinforces gender serotypes. Furthermore this reinforces the dual burnden this is the idea that women are strained by unpaid work in the house and paid work in the workplace which reinforces the strain on women
Another affect is it would diversify the family - this is having a positive effect in family structures due to the fact that the ageing population would increase the role of grandparents blakey therefore widening the family structure. Furthermore this may reduce the strain on women in the family as they would have extra support
Outline and explain two ways in which the ageing population may have led to policies that affect families and households.
One way - is through Bedroom tax this was introduced by thatcher that meant that older people did not get any hosuing benfit for living in big houses that they cannot afford
Another way - Griifis report
