Families and households

Question 1

What is family?

Answer 1

A family involves a group of individuals who are related by kinship ties, relations of blood, marriage/civil partnership or adoption

Question 2

What is cohabitation?

Answer 2

Individuals that live together without having legal bonds of marriage or civil partnership

Question 3

What are some types of families?

Answer 3

-Nuclear
-Extended
-Single parent(Lone-parent)
-Reconstituted(Step or Blended)
-Gay(Homosexual)
-Singletons

Question 4

What is kinship?

Answer 4

Ties that are made through either blood or marriage-relatives

Question 5

What does Allan and Crow(01) say about kinship?

Answer 5

They say that relationships are becoming more complicated with differing patterns of cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage

Question 6

What does Finch and Mason (93) say?

Answer 6

They said that divorce does not always sever relationships between family members and similarly children do not always accept step-parents and siblings

Question 7

How does the family socialise young children?

Answer 7

-They learn what is unacceptable and acceptable through trial and error with their parents due to them seeing them as role models
-They use sanctions so parents can instil social norms by telling them how to behave. For example, if they have good behaviour they will get things like cakes and chocolates but if they have bad behaviour they will get sent to their room
-The user of gender roles to reinforce stereotypes as stated by Oakley. For example, verbal appellations like ‘kind girl’ and ‘strong boy’, manipulation like behaviour being seen as normal for one gender but not the other, canalisation meaning giving children toys appropriate for their gender

Question 8

What are the differences between western and babongo culture?

Answer 8

-It is more family centred-more time
-Emotions are more open
-No money
-Time is not taken into account

Question 9

What are the similarities between western and babongo culture?

Answer 9

-They both include festivals and funerals
-They live in family groups
-They both take drugs
-They are both influenced by religion or spirituality

Question 10

What does Lawson and Garrod(96) say?

Answer 10

Most families live in households but not all households are families

Question 11

What does family mean?

Answer 11

Individuals that are related somehow

Question 12

What does household mean?

Answer 12

Individuals that share a living space

Question 13

What does Heath(04) say?

Answer 13

They say that there is a growing increase in young adults living in the same household and that the relationships that develop in these households are meaningful to the members and they blur the ideologies of families and households

Question 14

What does Roseneil et al (04) say?

Answer 14

They say that these families are of choice

Question 15

What does Bernardes(97) say?

Answer 15

They question if there is a normal family, by using families allowing for diversity

A household includes individuals that live at the same address and share meals and/or living accommodation

They may have a number of varied social arrangements, some of which are families

Question 16

What does Oakley (84) say?

Answer 16

They say that the nuclear family is seen as a norm in society

Question 17

What does barret et al (82) say?

Answer 17

They are critical of this due to it undermining different family types. They also believe that the nuclear family is a place of abuse and neglect

Question 18

What does Smart(99) say?

Answer 18

They say that the government sees diversity but still see the monogamous couple as the important element of gaining stability in society

Question 19

What does Parsons say about the family?

Answer 19

They say that the family is a ‘functional fit’ in society due to it fulfilling the functions needed

Question 20

What are the key ideas of functionalists?

Answer 20

-They say that society is based on a value consensus(agree with shared norms and values) and that the family is important for socialising its members into this. This helps them to comply with society’s needs and achieve shared goals
-They say that every institution contributes to the smooth running of society. They also say that the family is at the heart of society and that is also a unit of stability
-They also say that the family have a number of responsibilities placed upon it- these are the functions it performs in society. These functions are mostly concerned with the role of the family in preparing the children to fit into adult society

Question 21

What functions did Murdock (49) identify?

Answer 21

-Sexual- This means to express sexuality in a socially approved context
-Economic- This means family providing food and shelter for family members
-Educational- This means being responsible for primary socialisation- meaning family teaches socially acceptable behaviour
-Reproduction- This means the family providing some stability for the reproduction and rearing of children

Question 22

How did Murdock(49) complete this study?

Answer 22

He had studied 250 societies and believed the family to be a universal institution

Question 23

How many functions did Murdock(49) identify?

Answer 23

Four