Families

Question 1

Identify two ways in which people use the term family

Answer 1

• To refer to the family which would live in the same household, which could be one married couple and their children.
• It can also be used to refer to a person’s family of birth such as- An individual, plus their parents and siblings
• It can be used even more widely, refering to Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and more.
• It can also be used to refer to a cohabiting couple living alone

Question 2

What do sociologists mean by the term Household?

Answer 2

A household consists of either one person who lives alone or a group of people who live at the same address and who share at least one meal a day or facilities such as a living room.
Eg- A person living alone in a flat, or friends that live together in a shared house.

Question 3

What do sociologists mean by the term Nuclear Family?

Answer 3

A nuclear family consists of just a father, mother and their dependent child/children. It contains just two generations and the family members live together in the same household. The parents may be married or may be cohabiting instead or before getting married.

Question 4

What do sociologists mean by the terms Gay and Lesbian families?

Answer 4

A gay or lesbian family, in which a same sex couple live together with their child or children, can be seen as one alternative to the traditional, hetrosexual nuclear family. The rise of gay and lesbian families marks a shift towards greater freedom for individuals to make choices about their domestic situations and personal relationships.

Question 5

What do sociologists mean by the term Reconstituted Family?

Answer 5

Stepfamilies, or ‘Reconstituted families’ are families in which one or both partners have a child or children from a previous relationship living with them. Most stepfamilies comprise a stepfather and a biological mother and her child or children who live together. This family form might come about as a result of, for example a previously divorced woman with children marrying a single childless man. In this case, while the man is the children’s social father, in that he brings them up, he is not their biological father. However, they may go on to have a child or children later.

Question 6

What do sociologists mean by the term Lone Parent Family?

Answer 6

A lone-parent family consists of one parent and a dependent child or children who live together. The majority of lone-parent families are headed by women who may, for example be divorced, separated or widowed.

Question 7

What do sociologists mean by the term Extended Family?

Answer 7

An extended family includes relatives beyond the nuclear family. The classic extended family contains three generations who live together under the same roof or who live nearby. In this case, the family is extended vertically. Families may also be extended vertically, with the addition of someone such as a husband’s brother, where the amount of generations stays the same, but more people live inside.

Question 8

Identify one turning point in an individual’s life and explain why this might lead to change in their family or household situation.

Answer 8

Significant events such as the birth of a child, marriage, separation, divorce and remarriage may mark important turning points in a person’s life. Such turning points may lead to changes in an individual’s family and household settings.

Question 9

Explain what sociologists mean by the term ‘Primary Socialisation’

Answer 9

Primary Socialisation is socialisation (Teaching the norms and values of society) done by the family starting from a very early age.

Question 10

Explain two ways other than socialisation in which families may contribute to the wellbeing of others

Answer 10

• Emotional Support and nurture, where the family provides emotional and psycological support
• Economic provision where family members can support their children if needed econoically.

Question 11

Identify one similarity between the Functionalist and New Right approaches to the study of families

Answer 11

•Both believe the nuclear family to be the best environment to bring up a child. It suggests that children are more likely to develop into stable adults if they are brought up by both parents.

Question 12

Identify and explain one criticism of the nuclear family put forward by the Marxist approach

Answer 12

Marxists argue that the setup of the nuclear family allows inequalities to continue from one generation to the next. For example, the rich can pass on their huge amounts of wealth and property. In this way, social inequalities are passed down generations. Also, educational inequalities are passed down, as people from wealthy backgrounds can afford to pay high fees to send their children to private schools. Also, the Marxist approaches argue that through their socialisation young working-class people may learn to accept their position in society.

Question 13

Identify one similarity and one difference between the Marxist and feminist approaches to the study of families.

Answer 13

Feminists are also critical of the family as an institution and its role in society. In particular, they see families as having a negative impact on the lives of women. While Feminist Sociologists accept that there are biological differences between males and females, they argue that many of these believed interests are socially constructed, or created by society. Families actively contribute to the creation of these differences through primary socialisation processes.

Question 14

What do sociologists mean by the term “the domestic division of labour”?

Answer 14

Who does what in the home; Who does which roles, including work, caring for children etc.

Question 15

What do sociologists mean by the term “joint domestic roles”?

Answer 15

Where family members share responsibility and roles in the home

Question 16

What do sociologists mean by the term “segregated domestic roles”?

Answer 16

When the roles within the house are seperated and unequal.

Question 17

What do sociologists mean by the term “Symmetrical Family”?

Answer 17

A family in which the roles of husband and wife were less segregated.
Although different roles may be still present, husbands if working would contribute to the home in equal ways to the wife.
Another aspect is that decision-making, especially when regarding money was more of a shared activity, meaning women had a much larger role in decision-making.

Question 18

Identify and explain two possible reasons for the growth of the symmetrical family.

Answer 18

• The rise in feminism since the 1960s
• More effective forms of contraception have meant that women can have fewrer childre, and families can be planned. This means that women can combine motherhood with paid employment and a career.
• As a result of their participation in paid employment, many women are financially independent and have more freedom, equality and status, both inside and outside the home, than in the past
• There has been an increased interest in home life generally, for example in DIY and home improvements. Technological developments have created opportunities for home-based leisure pursuits linked, for example to computer games, DVDs and satelite television. As a result, men are now more likely to spend time at home and to become more involved with their family.

Question 19

Identify one way in which the role of fathers in families has changed since the 1970s.

Answer 19

The Symmetrical Family’s emergence has led to changes, such as an increase in men doing household tasks and bringing up their children.
More women are in paid employment today, and many more dual-earner households compared to old fashioned male-breadwinner hosueholds.

Question 20

To what extent would sociologists agree that living in a family tends to benefit women less than men?

Answer 20

On the subject of money in marriage, it can be argued that household decision making has become a much more shared activity, involving both men and women. However, many feminists argue that in many cases, men are solely responsible for decision making, and the wife has little access to money. In this way, living in a family still benefits women less than men.

Domestic violence figures are also a form of evidence which supports the statement. The true extent of domestic violence is unknown, although it is said that the crime “consists mainly of violence by men against women”, implying that women are benefitted less due to a larger risk of being a victim of domestic violence.

Question 21

Identify and explain two changes that have occurred in the relationship between parents and children over the last hundred years

Answer 21

Work
•In the 18th century, most children worked from the age of ten. This meant that children were seen as adults from very early in life. A later school leaving age led to childhood being regarded as its own stage of life.

Change in Authority
•Families in the past had more emphasis on discipline, obedience and parental authority over children. This is now not the case, with more emphasis on individual freedom and being generally more child-focused.

Decision Making
•In the past, all decisions in the family would be decided by the male breadwinner, head of the house. Now, however there has been an increase in democratic parenting, meaning children and all of the family are involved.

Family Size
•Average family size smaller, so individual children may get more attention

Question 22

Outline two reasons for the increase in one-person households

Answer 22

• Changing age structure of the population, meaning that there are more elderly, one-person households.
• Increased popularity of solo living among younger people

Question 23

Identify one reason why the majority of stepfamilies have a biological mother and a stepfather

Answer 23

When parents separate, children often stay with their mother, meaning that most stepfamilies contain a biological mother and a stepfather.

Question 24

Outline one reason for the increase in dual-worker families.

Answer 24

The increasing proportion of married or cohabiting women

Question 25

Identify and explain two changes in patterns of fertility in the UK over the last 30 years

Answer 25

• Women in the UK are having fewer children than 30 years ago and so there is a trend towards a smaller family size.
• The trend since the 1970s for people to get married at a later age, which means that some women will delay in having children.

Question 26

What do sociologists mean by “Cultural Diversity”?

Answer 26

Being home to a mix of cultural, ethnic and religious groups.

Question 27

What is meant by the term “Fertility Rate”?

Answer 27

The average number of children that women of childbearing age (Around 15-44) have in society.

Question 28

What is meant by the term life expectancy?

Answer 28

The average number of years a newly born baby may be expected to live

Question 29

What is meant by the term infant mortality?

Answer 29

The number of children dying in their first year of life

Question 30

What is meant by the term infant mortality rate?

Answer 30

The number of infant deaths per 1000 live births per year.

Question 31

Men and women in Britain tend to live longer than they did 100 years ago, give two reasons why.

Answer 31

• Welfare state provisions
• Developments in public health and medicine
• Improvements in diet and nutrition

Question 32

Outline one reason for the improved infant mortality rates over the last 100 years

Answer 32

• Improvements in sanititation
• Improvements in diet
• Development in immunisaion programmes
• Introduction of a midwifery service
• Improvements in care provided during pregnancy and after childbirth (antenatal care and post-natal care)

Question 33

What is meant by the term ageing population?

Answer 33

An increasing proportion of older people in society

Question 34

Explain two concequences of an ageing population

Answer 34

• More people retired and less people working means that there is more demand on the working people to pay for the pensions, social services and medical servives which the elderly need.
• Could cause changes in family structure, with beanpole families becoming much more prominent.
• Daughters, mothers and grandmothers may be under more pressure than the rest of the family, having to care for many of the family.

Question 35

Identify and explain two resources that influence whether an elderly person can live independently in the community.

Answer 35

Material resources:
•Income
•Savings
•Housing
•Car ownership

Health resources:
•Good health
•Physical ability
•Ability to provide self-care eg: bathing, walking outside the home

Caring resources:
Access to supportive care:
•In own household
•In the community
•From the state

Question 36

Identify and explain one reason why the average age in which people get married has increased in the last 30 years.

Answer 36

• Increased education opportunities
• Changing attitudes towards premarital sex, which is becoming more acceptable
• An increase in cohabitation

Question 37

Identify and explain why cohabitation has increased in Britain

Answer 37

• Some people may cohabit without expecting the relationship to be a long-term one
• Seen by some as a long-term alternative to marriage
• Linked to change in attitudes towards sex since the mid-1960s

Question 38

Give reasons why the divorce rate has increased since the 1960s

Answer 38

Changing social attitudes and values:
•The 1960s can be seen as making a shift towards more liberal attitudes to issues such as divorce.
•We are exposed to stories about celebrities divorcing and royalty etc. which makes it seem more acceptable

Changes in the law:
•Legal changes have made divorce more accessable, quicker and cheaper than ever.
•The Divorce Reform Act in England and Wales came into effect in 1971. Following this, an individual could petition for divorce on the grounds of ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’ as a result of separation, desertion, adultery or unreasonable behavior.
•Further legislation allowed couples to request or petition for divorce after only one year of marriage instead of three as previously.

Changes in the social position of women:
•Women in unhappy marriages are less tied to their husbands through economic independence than in the past as more women are able to work to earn their own living. There are now more employment opportunities for females. This means that more married women are in the workforce than in the 1960s. This means that married women are less economically dependent on their husbands and have more financial security than before.

Secularization:
The term ‘secularization’ refers to the idea that religion is losing its influence and importance in society. Statistics suggest that the Christian churches, in particular are attracting fewer members today compared with 20 years ago. Rather than a Church wedding, many people now choose to have a civil ceremony in a registry office or elsewhere. This means that fewer people take sacred vows during marriage. This means that the religious barrier to divorce is weaker today than it was in the past.

Media Influence:
The popular media tends to emphasize the importance of mutual attraction and ‘romantic love’ in relationships between couples. As a result, individuals getting married may have high expectations of what marriage should be like. These expectations may not match the realities of married life.

Question 39

Identify and explain two possible concequences of the increase in divorce for the people involved.

Answer 39

• Children may lose daily contact with their fathers
• Men in particular may experience loss of emotional support after divorce. Women can experiece this too, but are more likely to have other support networks.
• Conflict between former husband and wife
• Loss of income for the former parties after divorce as property, money and other belongings are divided.

Question 40

Identify one difference between an arranged and forced marriage.

Answer 40

The difference is in the right to choose. In an arranged marriage, the families of the prospective spouses take a leading role in finding a partner etc, but in the end the decision is up to the potential husband and wife. This is different from forced marriage, where one or both parties do not consent to the marriage.

Question 41

Describe one way in which governments have attempted to help families in recent years.

Answer 41

The Sure Start Program
“aims to deliver the best start in life for children and to achieve better outcomes for children, parents and communities by:
•increasing the availability of childcare for all children
•improving health and emotional development for young children
•supporting parents as parents and in their aspirations towards employment.”