Families Flashcards
Define family.
A couple whose relationship is based on marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation, with or without dependent children, or a lone parent and their child or children.
What is family diversity?
The variety of family types.
What is the nuclear family?
A family consisting of mother, father and their dependent children. Also known as ‘cereal packet’ family.
What is a household?
All the people living together in a domestic dwelling.
What is a dependent child?
A person living in the household who is under sixteen years of age or age between sixteen to eighteen and in full-time education.
What is a generation?
A group of people who live during the same period.
What does cohabiting mean?
Partners living together without being married.
What is a reconstituted family?
A new family formed when two adults remarry or cohabit and live together with children from a previous family. Also known as stepfamilies.
What is an empty nest family?
Parents living together in the family home when their children have left home.
What is a beanpole family?
The family tree is tall and thin. The tree is thinner because families are having fewer children then they did in the past and older relatives are living longer.
In 2015, 29% of households were one person households. Why?
Increase in divorce
Internationals migrants such as students
Increase in widows/widowers
People are living longer
What is cultural diversity?
Culturally based differences between people within a society in terms of religion, ethnicity, social class and so on.
Name the five aspects of family diversity. THINK CLOGS.
Cultural diversity Life-course diversity Organisational diversity Generational (cohort) diversity Social class diversity
What is organisational diversity?
Differences between families in their structure and how they organise their domestic division of labour and their social network such as their links to their extended family.
What is cultural diversity? (Between families)
Families differ in their cultural values and beliefs. Affects lifestyle and ideas about gender roles, the domestic division of labour and child rearing.
What is social class diversity?
A families social class position affects the resources available to it. Affects child rearing practices eg discipline is more physical in working classes. In middle class families roles may be unequal because of demands of the husbands career.
What is life course diversity?
This relates to the stage in the family life-cycle that a particular family has reached. Eg newly weds are at a different stage to retired couples. The specific stage will determine the lifestyles that reflect the circumstances. Eg families with young children will have similar concerns.
What is generational (cohort) diversity?
The particular period in which a family passed through different stages of the family life-cycle. Eg the stigma attached to divorce has reduced over time, so you get couples ,au find it easier to get divorced today.
Differences created by the historical periods the family have lived through.
What type of sociologist is Murdock and what did he say about the family?
MURDOCK - FUNCTIONALIST - 1949 He believed that the family has four functions: Education Sexual function Economic provision Reproduction.
Explain Murdock beliefs about reproduction as a function of the family.
Society needs new members to survive over time.
Through procreation and child-bearing. The nuclear family has the main responsibility for bearing, rearing and caring for children.
Explain Murdock beliefs about education as a function of the family.
The family needs to ensure new members learn its culture.
Through the socialisation process, parents have the main role.
Explain Murdock beliefs about the sexual function as a function of the family.
Society needs a way of regulating sexual activity.
The woman and man who live together and have a sexual relationship is approved of by society. The nuclear family regulate sexual behaviour and maintains their relationship.
Explain Murdock beliefs about economic provision as a function of the family.
A way of providing people with economic support.
Murdock argues that economic cooperation is based on a division of labour between a husband and wife within a nuclear family. He believes all known societies have developed a sexual division of labour because it has definite advantages. Eg the men do the more strenuous tasks.
What did Parsons believe the two functions of the family are?
Primary socialisation.
Stabilisation of adult personality.
SO FOR PARON’S, OUR PERSONALITY IS PRODUCED THROUGH PRIMARY SOCIALISATION. ONCE THE PERSONALITY IS PRODUCED THE FAMILY KEEPS IT STABLE.
Having children benefits its stabilisation because adults can express the childish elements of their own personality. The family also helps adults cope with external pressures of work because they are a safe haven that offer emotional stability and support.
What are some criticisms of Parson’s?
His research was conducted on white middle class Americans so ignores ethnic, social class and religious differences. Therefore, the sample was not representative. Ethnocentric - only applies to one group.
Ignores any alternatives to the nuclear family that could fulfil the two functions such as the extended family.
Parsons view is rose tinted and idealistic, it ignores the dark side of the family including incidents of child and domestic violence.
Leach argues that family dysfunction is common in nuclear families and ,embers expect too much from ones other, expecting their needs to be met solely by family members and for children to be obedient. This can lead to conflict.
Why do Marxists believe that the family reproduces social inequality?
The rich pass down their wealth through family members
Educational advantages are passes through families eg private school
As family is an agent of socialisation the working class therefore learn to accept their position in an unequal society.
What does Zaretsky (MARXIST) say about the family?
It has moves from a unit of production to a unit of consumption.
What does Zaretsky (MARXIST) say are the three main functions of the family in a capitalist society?
The economic role
Social class reproduction
Unit of consumption for capitalism.
Explain the economic role of the family from Zaretsky’s point of view.
The women should partake in unpaid labour in the home such as child rearing. The men go to work and come home to a ready household due to the women’s devalued work. Women work for free to help the workers, therefore making more money for the bourgeoisie as the men are in good working conditions.
The work the women do is not valued because it is seen as separate from the production of commodities.
Explain the social class reproduction function of the family from Zaretsky’s point of view.
The bourgeoisie family preserve its private property and transmits it from one generation to the next. The proletariat family reproduces the labour force by producing further generations of workers.
Explain the family as a unit of consumption for capitalism (function) from Zaretsky’s point of view.
Families buy and consume the products of capitalist system and, in doing so, enable the bourgeoisie to make their profits.
What is the solution to the artificial desperation of the family and public life?
Socialism (a society without social classes).
After the rise of industrial capitalism and production in factories, what happened to the family and the economy?
They were seen as two separate spheres. The private sphere and public sphere. This is because there was a split between family life and work.
What are the criticisms of the Marxist approach to families?
Marxists ignore the fact that many individuals are satisfied with family life.
Feminists point out that Marxists tend to work with the traditional model of the nuclear family - where the male is the breadwinner of the house. In this way,Marxists ignore the diversity of families today.
Some females see female oppression as linked to patriarchy rather than capitalism. They question the Marxist view that female oppression will simply disappear in a socialist society.
Functionalists view the nuclear family in positive terms as meeting the needs of individuals and industrial society.
What is canalisation?
Describes how parents channel their children’s interests into toys, clothes etc. that are seen as gender appropriate.
Discuss Delphi and Leonard’s view on exploitation of women in families and marriage.
They are critical of the family as an institution because women have to do unpaid housework for their husband and family. Their work is in valued. Also, they are critical because the family is male dominated.
They believe men exploit women because:
Wives labour is used by their husbands.
Wives work is not valued.
Wives financial dependence on their husbands.
Wives subordinate position in the family.
What does subordinate mean?
Less powerful in comparison to the man.
What are some criticisms of Delphi and Leonard?
They d’t consider families where the power is equally shared.
Marxist approaches argue that inequality with families is linked to the working of capitalism rather than patriarchy.
Functionalists see the structure of the family as benefit g individuals and society.
Define conjugal roles.
The domestic roles of married or cohabiting partners (who does what).
Define conjugal relationships.
The relationship between married or cohabiting partners.
Define joint/integrated roles.
The husband and wife do not have a rigid division of household tasks, and share many tasks.
Define segregated conjugal roles.
There is a clear division of labour in the household, with tasks divided into male and female roles.
What is the instrumental role?
Breadwinner.
What is the expressive role?
Looks after the house and the children.
What is the principle of Stratford diffusion?
Social changes start from the top and work their way down. This means that changes happen in the middle class first and filter down to the lower class.
Define symmetrical family.
A family form in which spouses carry out different tasks but each makes a similar contribution within the home.