Families and Households Flashcards
Family
There is not one clear single definition of “family”. It tends to be used either in a broad sense (as in a “family tree”) or in a narrower sense, of parents living together with their children as a “unit”.
Parsons
Men and women have biologically suited roles that are functional for society:
Expressive role - Women = Homemaker
Instrumental role - Men = Breadwinner
Bott (2)
Segregated conjugal roles - Division of labour between men and women, couples spend leisure time separately.
Joint conjugal roles - couples share domestic tasks and leisure time.
Willmott and Young (1973)
Conducted in Bethnal Green
Men went to work and spent leisure time at the pub and women stayed at home and spent time with female relatives (1960s)
They developed an idea of the family developing through a number of stages through history- A March of Progress
By 1973 the trend towards the symmetrical family was on the rise
Reasoning for the ‘March of Progress’/ Rise of the symmetrical family
Changes in the position of women e.g., legislation changes
Geographic mobility- couples moving away due to the industrial revolution
New technology e.g., hoovers
Better standards of living- rise in economy, more jobs and leisure
Oakley on the March of Progress
Rejects the march of progress view. Men do more but this is based on them doing one task a week like taking the children for a walk which is hardly symmetrical.
Domestic labour is heavily sex typed men tend to o by DIY and gardening and women do more cooking and cleaning.
Dual Burden
Women do paid work and housework
Triple Shift
Paid work, housework and emotional work (care and support for partner and children)
Why do we continue to see the division of labour in modern families?
Cultural explanation: Division of labour is due to patriarchal norms and values
Material explanation: Division of labour due to the fact that women earn less money/ spend more time in the home
Allowance system:
Men give their wives an allowance out of which they must budget and meet the family’s needs with the man maintaining surplus income
Pooling system
Both partners have access to income and have joint responsibility for its expenditures
Edgell (1980)
interviewed middle class couples and found that the decisions which men made were:
Moving house
Finance
Car
Decisions made by women were:
Interior decorations
Children’s clothing
Food and other domestic spending
Triggers of Domestic Violence (Feminism)
Dobash and Dobash (interviews with women in women’s refuges)- domestic violence is evidence of patriarchy. Men dominate women through domestic violence
Domestic violence is a part of the patriarchal system and helps to maintain men’s power. Radical feminists see marriage and family as an agent that pushes abuse on women
Triggers of Domestic Violence (Material Explanation)
WILKINSON:
Domestic violence is a result of stress on family members caused by social inequality (specifically working class). Those on low income and/or living in overcrowded accommodation are likely to experience high levels of stress.
Reduces their chances of maintaining stable, caring relationships and increases the risk of conflict and violence
Why don’t victims leave?
Emotional :
- Attachment to partner
- Belief that they will change
- Fear of consequences of leaving for themself and their children
Situational:
- Economic reasons as victim may not be financially stable
- No suitable housing alternatives
- Fear that law enforcement will not take situation seriously
- Cultures and religions may be against divorce
David Cheal (1991)
State Agencies make three assumptions about family life:
The family is a private sphere, so access to it by state agencies should be limited
The family is a good thing and so agencies tend to neglect the ‘darker side’ of family life
That individuals are free agents, so it is assumed that if a woman is experiencing abuse, she is free to leave.
Ansley
Domestic violence is the product of capitalism: male workers are exploited at work and take their frustration out on their wives.
Boden (2005) on Childhood
claims there was little research about children as consumers, but now shops are targeting young adolescents with ‘older’ clothes, makeup, shoes, fake tattoos, fake cigarettes
Duncan (2006) on Childhood
states that teen pregnancy is not damaging childhood, as it is just making teenagers more responsible
Aries on Changes to Childhood overtime
In the Middle Ages, the idea of childhood did not exist.
Children had the same responsibilities, rights and skills as adults - in turn, they were considered economic assets. Referred to as ‘little adults’
However, as the modern notion of childhood began to emerge, there became a profound distinction between children and adults in terms of clothing, rights and responsibilities.
Postman on Childhood changes overtime
In modern society, childhood is ‘disappearing’. Children and adults have some of the same rights, children’s unsupervised traditional games are disappearing, children are committing ‘adult’ crimes.
Information Hierarchy (Postman)
The printed word created an information hierarchy between adults, who can read, and children, who cannot - this gave adults the power to keep ‘adult matters’ private.
However, TV blurs the distinction and information hierarchy; TV does not require special skills to access it.
Shorter on Childhood
In the middle ages, the high death rate of children encouraged indifference and neglect.
For example, parents referred to their child as “it” or gave the child a name of a recently dead sibling.
March of Progress view on Childhood
Childhood has improved significantly, due to how children are now perceived as vulnerable people who need taking care of.
In addition, there has been an introduction of laws which improve the experience of childhood (E.g. laws banning child labour).
Sue Palmer
‘Toxic childhood’ - Rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development.
This is the result of intensive marketing to children, parents working long hours and testing in education
Age Patriarchy (Gittens)
There is an age patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency. This may assert itself in the form of violence against children.
New Sociology of Childhood
Carol Smart (2011) new approach claims to include views and experiences of children themselves.
New sociology draws attention to children’s lack of power. As such, child liberationists campaign in favour of children’s rights and priorities
New Right View on the Family
A biologically-based division of labour - the division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female homemaker is natural and biologically determined.
Families should be self-reliant - reliance on state welfare leads to a dependency culture and undermines traditional gender roles.
It produces a family breakdown and an increase of lone-parent families, which results in social problems due to poor socialisation.
Birth Rate
the number of live births per year per 1000.
Trends on Birth Rate
A long-term decline in birth rate.
However, there were 3 ‘baby booms’ after WW1, WW2 and during the 1960’s.
Reasons for Decline in Birth Rate
Changes in the position of women - Increased educational opportunities, more women in paid work, wider access to abortion and contraception.
Fall in infant mortality rate - improved housing, sanitation, nutrition, improved technology.
Children as an economic liability - Laws banning child labour coupled with the introduction of compulsory schooling
Child centeredness - childhood is now socially constructed and uniquely important period of life, parents focus on quality not quantity.
Impact of Declining Birth Rate
The dependency ratio increases
The working population’s earnings support the dependent population through tax.
Public services - fewer schools, child health services etc.
Death Rate
The number of deaths per 1000 per year
Trends in Death Rate
Declining death rate
With the exception of fluctuations in WW1, WW2 and the 1918 flu epidemic.
Reasons for a decline in the death rate
Improved nutrition
Medical improvements (vaccinations, antibiotics, NHS)
Public health improvements (better housing, clean water, clean air)
Social change (decline in manual labour, greater knowledge of disease)
Reasons for an Aging Population
Increased life expectancy
Low infant mortality rate
Declining fertility
Impact of an ageing population
Increased strain on public services
More one-person households
The rising dependency ratio
Ageism
Structural Dependency
Many sociologists argue that ageism is a result of structured dependency. This is because we live our lives through life stages (fixed life course).
The elderly must rely on the state/ family as they’re excluded from paid work.
Media on Aging Population
Elderly people are portrayed in the media as: immobile, unemployed, lack of cognitive abilities, poor hearing and eyesight, caregivers to grandchildren
Philipson (Marxist) on Ageing Population
The old are of no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive and an economically dependent group, adding to the dependency ratio.
Hunt (Postmodernist) on Ageing Population
Argue that fixed life stages have now gone in society e.g. children now dressing older
We can choose our identity no matter what our age as our age no longer determines who we are.
Immigration
Movement into a new country
Emigration
Movement out of a country to move to another country.
Reasons for Migration
Push factors:
- Unemployment
- Economic recession
- Religious Persecution
- Political Reasons
Pull factors:
- Higher wages
- Better opportunities
Different types of migration
Globalisation
Barriers between societies that are disappearing, and people becoming increasingly interconnected across national borders.
This is due to increased trade and cultural exchange
Causes of Globalisation
Transnational incorporations e.g. Mcdonalds
Transportation developments
Increased trade e.g. exchanging currencies
ICT e.g. technology
Increasing rates of migration (across the UN between 2000 and 2013 international migration increased by 33%
Reasons for an increase in divorce rates
Legal changes - divorce has become easier to access e.g. ‘no fault divorce’
Less stigma - divorce has become more common and widely accepted.
Secularisation - decline in religious influence on society.
Higher expectations of marriage - the rising expectation of marriage based upon unrealistic scenarios shown in movies has led to the dissatisfaction amongst many couples (Fletcher).
Women’s financial independence - more women are now in paid employment, and lone parent welfare benefits are available. Women are less economically dependent on a man and can afford divorce.
Reason for decreasing marriage rates
Changing attitudes - less pressure to marry
Alternatives to marriage (such as cohabitation) are less stigmatised
Women’s economic independence
Impact of feminism - some women now see marriage as a patriarchal institution
Rising divorce rates - this may put women off marrying
Alternatives (Partnerships)
More people are living together without being married (Cohabitation) This is due to secularisation, less of a stigma and cost.
Increase in same-sex partnerships (secularisation and stigma).
More people living alone (life expectancy and stigma).
Childbearing and Childrearing
More children are born outside marriage.
Women are having children later.
Radical feminists are still unhappy with women being the main caregivers.
Functionalist view on Family Diversity
States that family diversity has increased, and there has been a shift away from the traditional nuclear family.
Nowadays, it is more common for reconstituted, lone-parent and cohabiting families to exist.
However, functionalists and the new right reject this in arguing the nuclear family is the only family type functional for society (sees any family apart from nuclear as deviant).
New Right on Family Diversity (Murray)
The New Right believe that the nuclear family as the only ‘natural’ family type.
Other family types produce social problems, causing a break down in society (E.g. lone parent families lead to a dependency culture).
Generous welfare benefits have encouraged such family types
The Rapoports on Family Diversity
Believe we have moved away from the nuclear family into a range of different family types.
Rapports see diversity as a positive response to people’s needs and wishes.
Their 5 types of family diversity include:
Organisational diversity
Cultural diversity
Social class diversity
Life-stage diversity
Generational diversity.
Chester on Family Diversity
States that although there has been some increase in diversity, the nuclear family remains dominant.
There has been an important change from the conventional family (segregated conjugal roles) to the neo-conventional family, which adopts a symmetrical family structure
Carol Smart on Family Diversity
Believes that we are not detached individuals, but we make decisions about relationships within a ‘web of connectedness’.
Postmodernist view on Family Diversity (Beck)
States that Equality and individualism have created the ‘negotiated family’ which varied according to the members’ wants.
However, this creates a ‘risk society’, producing less stability within the family as members can leave whenever they like
Postmodernist view on Family Diversity (Giddens)
Believes that Society has become ‘detached’ from traditional family structures, leaving us free to choose how we live our lives.
This has led to the ‘pure relationship’ - one that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs. With the help of contraception, intimate relationships are not solely based on childbearing
