Families and Households

Question 1

What is Murdock’s four functions of the family

Answer 1

sexual - adult sexual relationships are controlled and socially acceotable
reproduction - of next generation
socialisation - teaching basic norms and vaues
econmic - meeting its members needs

Question 2

What is the functionalist view on the family

Answer 2

one of the corner stones of society and performs essential functions which supports social stability

Question 3

What is Parsons geographical and social mobility?

Answer 3

people have moved away to more industrial areas to find jobs
different job opportunities mean people can start making f higher status than their family

Question 4

What is Parsons ‘fit’ theory

Answer 4

the nuclear family is the best fit for society as it is mobile and isolated from extended family

Question 5

What is structural differentiation (Parsons)?

Answer 5

the family has lost some of its functions due to the creation of specialised institutions

Question 6

Criticisms of Parsons historical development of family?

Answer 6

Laslett - nuclear family before industrial revolution
Anderson - extended family after revolution

Question 7

What does Parsons say is the two functions of the family

Answer 7

primary socialisation
stablisation of adult personnalities - family is a place where the working man can return and be de stressed by his wife (warm bath theory)

Question 8

What are the general criticisms of functionalist view on the family

Answer 8

downplays the conflict against women in the family
biological roles no longer apply as women can now go out to work
assumes members automatically take on norms and vaues
structure of the family changes as soceity changes

Question 9

What is the marxist view on the family

Answer 9

family is a tool of capitalism and its main function is to maintain capitalism and reinforce social inequalities

Question 10

What does Engles say is the function of the family

Answer 10

isolated nuclear family allows men to pass on their wealth to help maintain capitalism by keeping wealth within the private family

Question 11

What does Zaretsky say about the functions of the family

Answer 11

cushioning effect - family acts as a comfory from the stresses of scoiety as men can fall back when they feel out of control in the workplace
workers are paid less than the amount charged for the products they create and are then targeted by adveritsers to buy these products for a larger price

Question 12

What does Althusser say is the function of the family

Answer 12

the family socialises the next generation into ruling class ideology - ideological state appartatus

Question 13

What are the general criticisms of marxists theory on the family

Answer 13

ignores family diversity
overemphasises the role of the family in capitalism and ignores other inequalities
family can be benefical

Question 14

What are the different feminist theories on the family

Answer 14

liberal - families are slowly becoming more equal through changes in law and social attitude. They do not belive that full equality has been achieved byt the process is underway
marxist - the family is a tool of capitalism as they reproduce the new generation of workers, absorb mens anger from alienation and act as a reserve workfroce
radical - men are the enemy and marriage is the key instituion that allows patriarchy to exist thus it needs to be abloished - they advocate for separation

Question 15

What are the criticisms of each feminist theory

Answer 15

L - overstaes amount of progress that has been made and fails to challenge underlying cause
R - Sommerville argues they fail to see that improvements have been made
M - no longer a reserve labour force as they have equal rights to work

Question 16

What is the personal life view of the family

Answer 16

we choose the families we want and need but these are based on past experiences rather than an open choice - mothers noted their definition of motherhood was more linked to the time taken to raise their children

Question 17

What are the cirticisms of personal life perspective

Answer 17

too broad as it is possible to overlook what is special about relationships which are based on blood
helps understand how people construct and define family

Question 18

What is Giddens individualisation thesis

Answer 18

traditional structures have lost its influnece and we have become disemmbeded from ascribed status and can now choose the family taht best fits us - this has led to better contraception and female independence

Question 19

What is Stacey’s view on the family

Answer 19

greater freedom has benefitted women enabling them to be frre from oppression and shape their family arrangments to fit their needs - a new family called divorce extended family

Question 20

what are the criticisms of postmodern views on family

Answer 20

PLP - exaggerate chooice as traditional structures still in force to an extent
May - an idealised verison of white m.c man
Smart - connectedness thesis - people are social beings who live in a web of connectedness whic still influence and shape our opinions

Question 21

What are different sociologica views n social policy

Answer 21

functionalism - Flethcer - welfare helps family fufil its functions
New Right - nuclear family is self sufficent and policies promote dependency culture
Feminism - assume what a normal family is and ensure the maintenance of that type
marxism - a way for the ruling class to maintain control

Question 22

What were some Thatherite policies on the family

Answer 22

strengthend nuclear family and emphasised self reliance but reducing the welfare state
Child Support Agency (1993), Section 28, Childrens Act (1989)

Question 23

what were new labour policies on the family

Answer 23

Silva and Smart - favoured dual earning families but also emphasised nuclear family and parents taking responibility for their children
Parenting Order, Longer matenity leave, civil partnerships, sexuality discrimination law

Question 24

What were 2010- onward policies on the family

Answer 24

incosistent policies as conflict between modernists who accept diveristy and tarditonalists who don’t
Removed couples penalty, shared parental leave, Equal marriage act

Question 25

What are Botts two types of conjugal roles?

Answer 25

segregated- clear breadwinner and housemates joint - sharing housework

Question 26

What are Young and Wilmotts three stages

Answer 26

Pre industrial - unit of production based around agriculture early industrial extended family - individuals employed outside the famiky, poverty and unemployment caused the extension of the famiky used done by mothers, still present in 1950s Bethnal Green privatised symmetrical nuclear famiky - self sufficient and home centred with conjugal roles being shared

Question 27

What did Young and Wilmotts say are the three reasons the symmetrical family has developed? (march of progress)

Answer 27

geographical mobility - develops a closer bond so they work together more affluence - improved living standard so partners become more home crbtered values - less pressure to retain traditional calyes

Question 28

Critics on marriages being more equal

Answer 28

Knusden and wareness (2007) no modern countries in the world have men doing more domestic work - women prefer 2/3 Oakley

Question 29

What are Parsons instrumental and expressive roles

Answer 29

instrumental - husband is breadwinner and supports the family economically expressive - mother is the homemaker as well as emotional work

Question 30

Duncombe and Marsden - triple shift

Answer 30

paid work domestic labour and emotional work men wanted picture of marriage but did not want to participate emotionally in the family

Question 31

Impacts of the triple shift on women

Answer 31

Green - women tend to see lesiure time as time when they are away from paid work and family commitments Bernard - men were more staisfied with their marriage than women who felt lonely Oakley - women felt feelings of boredom felt by factory workers

Question 32

Different sociological persepctives on domestic violence

Answer 32

Radical feminists - Dobash and Dobas - evidence of patriarchy caused by challenge to male authority - csn be linked to masculintiy crisis New Right - murray - only happens in dysfunctional fmilies Postmodernsist - Giddens - caused by emotional intensity of family life and increasing isolation of nuclear famiy aids this Marxist feminists - Wilkinson and Pickett - result of stress of family caused by status frustration ans capitalism

Question 33

What do tehorists say on the decision making in the family

Answer 33

Edgell - important decisiosn taken by men like moving house hwile wome take day to day domestic decisions Laurie and Gurshunny - 70% of couples said thay had equal say in decisions but women who were high earners more likely to sya this Feminists argue decision making isn't linked to money but cultura;l expectations of patrairchy

Question 34

What do theorsist say about money in the family

Answer 34

McIntosh and Barret - emn gain more from womens unpaod domestic labour and in allowance situayions men do not give adequate fiancial recompense Kempson - women in low income families often go wihout in favour of making sure the family meets ends meet Pahl and Volger - allowance system - men give wives a certain amount each week for family expsenses

Question 35

How has the level of dometsic labour division been exaggerated

Answer 35

Meke and Bell - unemployed men resist please from partners to do more housework Brayfield - dual earners women still performed more domestic work Rappoports - women still viewed as wives and mothers Gray - women do 1/5 more housework than men

Question 36

What households are more financially symmetrical?

Answer 36

Dunne (1999) high level of flexibility when it came to all aspects of family life

Question 37

Time ecobkmy of parenting

Answer 37

men doing childcare has risen by 205% Gray - fathers provide covers whilst mothers work but mothers have to negotiate this first

Question 38

Do ash and Dobash and domestic violence

Answer 38

commonly happens when husband decides something and the wife persists it

Question 39

Statistics about child abuse?

Answer 39

every ten days a child is killed at the hands of their parents April 2010 abuse by strangers constituted only 5% of all abuse cases in the UK

Question 40

What do Dobash and Dobash say are the three aspects of culture that props up male violence?

Answer 40

history - until the end of the 18th century lawful correction was still in place, nagging wife, religion patriarchy - Russel (1982) police take no action because most police officers are male ideological preparation - early socialisation teaches girl to be submissive

Question 41

What is cohabitation and why is it important increasing?

Answer 41

living together while not being married women are becoming more career focused more opportunity to be independent financially trial run less pressure from religious beleif

Question 42

What is an empty shell marriage?

Answer 42

marriages where partners stay together in name only but there is no love or intimacy between the couplr

Question 43

reasons for increase in divorce rate and cohabitiation?

Answer 43

role of women - more ewual rights so no longer rely on financial secuity of men and cohabit first to check compatibility secularisation - divorce more acceptable social changes - more likely to leave an unsatisfacotry marriage legal - Divorce Reform Act - easier to divorce and same sex marriages are now legalised economic - women economically independent - rising house prices make cohbitation more desirable Postmoderism - pure relationship - Giddens family - roles in family become more equal and people have high expectatiosn of what they want

Question 44

What are the impacts of changing trends with divorce

Answer 44

Positive - feminists say cohabitiation has led to more equality Bernades - doivorce is less damaging on children than a negative marriage negative - Wilson and Stusbury - cohbitaion is less stable Murray - children of cohbiatinhg aprents are at a disadvantage

Question 45

What is ideology of the market?

Answer 45

we have the right to be individualistic and to demand choice

Question 46

Reasons for changes in the birth rate m

Answer 46

contaception - control number of burths they have and when to have them education - compulsory education mean children have become and economic burden as they don't work role of women - want careers first infant mortality - better healthcare and so families don't compesante by having more children georgaphical mobility - easier to move somewhere for job if family is smaller chnaging values - people are deciding not to be parents economic factors - £271,000 to raise children all the way to university

Question 47

Impacts of changing pertility rate

Answer 47

gaps in the kabour force dependency ration unbalance immigration become more important to fill gaps in labour market Brannon - growth of beanpole family less and less mother choosing to stay at home

Question 48

changing patterns in childbirth?

Answer 48

1/3 of children are now born outside of marriage growth in single parenthood Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy the average age of women at the time of the birth of their first child has increased to 28 the percentage of conceptions that are aborted has doubled in the last 30 years

Question 49

Reason for change in the death rate?

Answer 49

better sanitation of domestic settings less people dying of infectious disease improved nutrition better medical improvement introduction of the NHS better knowledge in mothers regarding child health

Question 50

What had caused an ageing population

Answer 50

increasing life expectancy declining infant mortality declining fertility

Question 51

effects of an ageing population?

Answer 51

older people consumer a larger proportion of services more pensioners living alone increase in dependency ratio on the working population growth in ageism like exclusion from paid work

Question 52

What is the pensioner time bomb

Answer 52

how demographic changes will cause a rise in the percentage of people entitled to a pension. An ageing population leads to smaller workforce more spending on pension and could require higher taxes

Question 53

What is the difference between immigration and emigration

Answer 53

immigration - movement of people into an area to settle permenately emigration - leaving home country to immigrate into abotger

Question 54

impact of migration on UK population structure

Answer 54

population size - growing, net migration is high (260000 in 2014) age structure - immigration lowers the average age dependency ratio - helps lower the dependency ratio as immigrants are lower

Question 55

What did Hochschikd (2003) say about feminisation of migration?

Answer 55

care work and domestic work in western countries are increasingly done by women - expansion of service occupations led to an increase demand of female labour western women are less willing to do domestic labour western men are less willing to do domestic labour failure if the state to provide adequate childcare

Question 56

What are transnational identities and its theories ?

Answer 56

Eriksen (2007) globalisation has created more diverse migration patterns - migrants are less likely to see themselves as belonging completely to one cukture

Question 57

What is the difference between assimilation and multiculturalism?

Answer 57

assimilation - encourages immigrants t to adopt language and customs of host countries multiculturalism- accepts migrants may wish to regain a separate cultural identity

Question 58

Why is assimilation policies counter productive?

Answer 58

Castles - they mark out minority groups as culturally backwards and may promote anti terrorism polices that target them

Question 59

What are trends in black families?

Answer 59

higher proportion of lone parent households - female headed under slavery when couple were sold separately and children stayed with mother Mizra - reflects the high value that black women place on independence

Question 60

What are trends in asian families?

Answer 60

larger families - higher proportion in childbearing most asian households were now nuclear but relatives often lived nesrby

Question 61

trends in same sex couples?

Answer 61

Stonewall (2012) 5-7% of the adult population today have same sex relationships increased social expectancy after age of consent was equalised

Question 62

What do Weejs and Weston say about chosen families

Answer 62

Weeks - social acceptance leads to increase in same sex cohabitation Weston - many gay couples are now deciding to cohabitate as stable partners

Question 63

What the problems with singleness

Answer 63

Macvarish (2006) solo living is a opportunity for self development appears to you get women however they didn’t want this to be permanent

Question 64

What has led to the increase in lone parents?

Answer 64

greater economic independence of women improved contraception reproductive technology changing social attitudes

Question 65

What has led to the increase in lone parents?

Answer 65

greater economic independence of women improved contraception reproductive technology changing social attitudes

Question 66

Pros and cons of reconstituted families?

Answer 66

Ferry and Smith (1997) stepfamilies are very similar to first families however are at greater risk of poverty Allan and Crow (2001) stepfamilies may fact particular problems of divided loyalties and issues

Question 67

Who created the neo conventional family

Answer 67

Chester - the nuclear family is dominated by however both spouses play an instrumental or breadwinnner role

Question 68

What are the Rapoports five types of diversity?

Answer 68

cultural diversity - different structures between culture life stage diversity - differ according to stage in life cycle organisational diversity - difference in the ways family roles are organised generational diversity - older and younger generations have different attitudes social class diversity - differences are a result of income feifferencrd

Question 69

What are the causes for family diveristy

Answer 69

changes in law - civil partnership and divorce reform changes to social attitudes - lone parents, same sex and stay at home fathers more accepted changing role of women - femnism gives more freedom secularisation globalisation - travel ability material factors - greater social mobility

Question 70

What sociological theories on family diversity

Answer 70

Functionalism - parosns - functional fit theory says the family is always changing to fit needs of society New Right - Murray - only one correct family type with a clear division of labour otherwise society breakdsown Postmodern - individualisation due to technology and female equality - relationships based on pure love Feminism - Stacey - allowed women to break away from tradtion and create family arrangments for them Chester - the neo conventional fanily is rising which is more symmetrical but still a nuclear family

Question 71

What does Pilcher say about childhood being a stage

Answer 71

childhood is separate from adult hood and are typically more vulnerable and in need of protection Children have different laws to adults, not phsyically equal and still psycholgically devlepming

Question 72

What is James and Prouts theory on childhood

Answer 72

children are simple and ammoral, seeing the world in black and white and only concerned with themselves adults are complex and moral and see the world in shades of gray

Question 73

what are historical differences in childhood?

Answer 73

in 16th and 17th century youngster moved from infancy straight to the adult world as long as they were physically able to expected to take part in same work as older members of the community

Question 74

What factors has led to changes in childhood?

Answer 74

laws restricting child labour - Factory Acr introduction of compulsory schooling welfare legislation declining families sizes lower infant mortality rate industrialisation

Question 75

What are cultural differences in childhood?

Answer 75

Katz (1993) in Sudan it normal for children be engaged in productive work from the age of 3 or 4 Punch (2001) in rural Bolivia children are 5 they are excited to take on responsibility at him and in the community

Question 76

Evidence that childhood is disappearing

Answer 76

Postmain - information hierarchy growth of techinoligy gives children more access to adult information, children have same rights as adults blurring of these cuktres means higher cirminality in children c - Opie - childhood is just changing and there is still separatness through culture of games and songs places the cuase of the disapperance of childhood in the rise of televison

Question 77

What did Palmer call toxic childhood

Answer 77

rapid technological change and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical emotional and intellectual development rgus is due to unhealthy food, lack of play and poor sleep patterns

Question 78

What do conflict view say about childhood?

Answer 78

Hillman - boys and girls will have different childhoods due to socialisation - boys are more free where girls socialised to a bedroom culture Brannen - ethnic grouos have different expectations of children - asian paents are tricter on daughters Woodroffer - poorer mothers were more likely to give birth to children who were under wight which could linked to delayed devlopment

Question 79

How are children controlled by adults

Answer 79

industries have limited childrens access to earning money so are dependingt on adults childrens movement is higky regulated and they are not allowed in specific areas strict daily routines during term time adults excerise great control over childrens bodies like how they dress and walk

Question 80

What is universal childhood

Answer 80

West - western notion of childhood spreading around the world through camoaigns for universal eductiion and globalised medua

Question 81

is the new sociolgicy of childhood

Answer 81

Smart - need to include the children Mayall - focs on present tense of childhood from a childs perspetve

Question 82

What is the march of progres view on childhood

Answer 82

more legal restrictions such as safeguarding and education being comuplsory UN sets out rights of a child UK has a minister for cildren and famukues decisions are taken in the best interest of the childnre

Question 83

what is the cereal packet norm

Answer 83

the main is the breadwinner and the women is the homemaker with two children

Question 84

What does Donzelot say about social policy?

Answer 84

a form of state power over families - professional survey families and is usually targeted at working class families rejects march of progress critics: fails to identity clearly who benefits from such policirs