Families Flashcards
Nuclear Family
Nuclear refers to the nuclear family, which consists of parents and their children living together in one household.
This family structure is often contrasted with extended families or other non-traditional family arrangements.
Extended Family
The extended family refers to a family structure that goes beyond the nuclear family. It includes not only parents and children but also other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins living together or in close proximity.
Lone-Parent Families
One parent with their child(ren).
Same-Sex Families
A family in which a gay or lesbian couple live together with their child(ren).
Reconstituted Families
A blended or step-family.
Domestic Division of Labour
Refers to how tasks and responsibilities are divided between members of a household, typically based on gender roles or other social norms.
It encompasses activities such as cooking, cleaning, childcare, and other household chores. This concept is often studied in sociology to understand how gender, culture, and societal expectations influence the distribution of work within families.
Child-Rearing
The process of raising and caring for children, encompassing all the activities, responsibilities, and decisions involved in nurturing a child’s physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.
This includes providing basic needs such as food, shelter, and safety, as well as guidance, education, and emotional support to help children grow and thrive.
Empty Nest Families
Empty nest families are households where the children have grown up and moved out, leaving the parents or guardians living alone or with a partner.
This phase typically occurs after children have reached adulthood and moved away to pursue their own lives, such as attending college, starting careers, or getting married.
Functionalist Perspective on Families
Sees the nuclear family as meeting the needs of society.
Functionalists emphasise the idea that families contribute to the smooth functioning of society by fulfilling these roles.
They believe that each family member plays a specific role within the family structure, and these roles contribute to the overall stability of society. For example, parents are responsible for socialising children and passing on societal norms and values, while children learn how to behave and function within society.
Marxist Perspective on Families
Sees them as institutions that primarily serve the interests of capitalism.
According to this view, families reproduce and raise the next generation of workers, ensuring a continuous labor force for capitalist economies. They also transmit capitalist values and norms, preparing individuals to accept their roles within the system. Inheritance of private property within families reinforces existing inequalities by passing down wealth and maintaining class divisions.
Overall, Marxists argue that families play a crucial role in perpetuating social inequality and supporting the capitalist system.
Feminist Perspective on Families
The feminist perspective on families focuses on how gender roles and power dynamics shape family life and contribute to gender inequality.
It highlights how traditional family structures often place women in subordinate roles, such as primary caregivers and homemakers, while men typically hold more power and authority.
Feminists argue that these gendered expectations limit women’s opportunities for education, employment, and decision-making within the family. They advocate for dismantling traditional gender roles and promoting equality within families, recognising the diverse experiences and contributions of all family members regardless of gender.
Egalitarianism
Refers to a principle or approach where all members, regardless of gender or other characteristics, have equal rights, opportunities, and responsibilities.
In an egalitarian family, decision-making, household chores, caregiving responsibilities, and other tasks are shared fairly among all members. This contrasts with more traditional family structures where certain roles and responsibilities are assigned based on gender or other social norms.
Egalitarianism in families aims to promote equality, respect, and cooperation among family members, fostering a more balanced and harmonious family dynamic.
Marxists and Feminists both hold which approach to families?
A conflict approach.
Canalisation
The channeling parents put into their children’s toys as seen as ‘gender appropriate’.
Triple Shift / Dual Burden
Dual Burden: Where women are engaged in both paid employment outside the home and unpaid domestic labor within the home.
Triple shift: Added emotional layer. Think of Parsons’ Warm Bath theory.
