Families And Households Flashcards
1
Q
What is the difference between family and households?
A
A household is a group of people who live together who may have kinship or family ties but some people may live with students friends of alone
2
Q
What is a household?
A
A group of people who live together
3
Q
What is a family?
A
A group of people who are related by birth or blood
4
Q
What are the 5 different types of family?
A
Nuclear family Traditional extended family Attenuated Extended family Lone-parent families Reconstituted family
5
Q
What is a nuclear family?
A
Two generations living together such as parents and dependent children
6
Q
What is a traditional extended family?
A
Three or more generations of the same family living together or close by with frequent contact such as grandparents cousins aunts and uncles
7
Q
What is an Attenuated family?
A
Nuclear families that live apart from their extended family but keep in contact via phone email..
8
Q
What is a lone parent family?
A
A single parent and their dependent children
9
Q
What is a reconstituted family?
A
New step families created when when two previous families are brought together to create a new family group
10
Q
How does functionalists see the family?
A
Family is one of the institutions that are essential to keep society running smoothly
11
Q
What did Murdock say?
A
Family is so useful to society it is inevitable and universal….you can’t avoid having family units in society
12
Q
What was Murdock study?
A
He looked at 250 societies in different cultures
13
Q
Who is Murdock?
A
Functionalist
14
Q
What did Murdock find in his study?
A
Some form of nuclear family existed in all 250 societies.
The family performed four basic functions
15
Q
What did Murdock find to be the four main functions of the family?
A
Sexual
Reproductive
Economic
Educational
16
Q
What did Murdock mean by a sexual function?
A
It provides a stable sexual relationship for adults and controls the sexual relationships of its members
17
Q
What did Murdock mean by the reproductive function?
A
Provides new babies/members of society
18
Q
What did Murdock mean by the economic factor?
A
Family pools resources and provides for all its members, adults and children
19
Q
What did Murdock mean by the educational function?
A
The family teaches children norms and values of society which keeps the values of society going
20
Q
What were the two basic functions in a family did parsons think of?
A
To primary socialise their children
The standardisation of adult personalities
21
Q
What does primary socialisation mean?
A
Process children learn to accept the values and norms of society
22
Q
What does the stabilisation of adult personalities mean?
A
The family provides emotional support and security through relationships. This is needed to cope in wider society from the stress of everyday life
23
Q
Why are functionalists criticised?
A
They ignore negative aspects of family life
24
Q
How do functionalists ignore negative aspects of family life?
A
1) idealise family focusing on positive aspects and ignoring the bad
2) functionalists view on family dominated sociology Murdock and parsons failed to look st conflict class or violence in relation to family
3 feminists believed the ignored issues of exploitation
4) the fact they overlooked negative aspects of family life made their position look weak
25
What do Marxists believe about the role of family in society?
Marxists think the family benefits the bourgeoisie and the economy
26
Why did Morgan criticise Murdock?
Murdock made no reference to alternative families or problems in family relationships
27
Who is Engels?
Marxist
28
What did Engels say about the family?
Family had an economic function keeping wealth within he bourgeoisie passing it on to the next generation as inheritance
29
What did Zaretsky say?
The family helps the capitalist economy.
Family is the one place in society where the proletariat can have power and control.
This allows working class men to relieve some frustration that they feel due to their low status
30
What do Marxists believe a women's role provides?
Women care for their children and husband making sure they are cared for an healthy so are able to work
31
What is Zaretsky?
Marxist
32
Why is the Marxist view criticised?
The Marxists see family as a tool of capitalism oppression which is seen as being too negative
33
Why is the Marxist view of the family seen as too negative?
It only focuses on benefits to the economy and the bourgeoisie and ignores benefits to individuals and society
Traditional Marxists assume men are the breadwinner and women are housewives
34
What is the similarities between functionalism and Marxism?
They both see family as having a key role in society in reproducing social structure and order
35
What's the difference between functionalism and Marxism?
Is the role of the family positive or negative and who does it benefit
36
What do administer believe is the role of the family?
The family exploits and oppresses women by maintaining social order that is patriarchal
37
What is patriarchy?
It is the combination of systems, ideologies and cultural practices which make sure that mean have the power
38
How does the family exploit women?
It supports and reproduces inequalities between men and women as women are socialised to be dependent on men. Expectations are formed in the family and carry out into wider society
39
What are the three main types of feminist?
Marxist feminist
Radical feminist
Liberal feminist
40
What do Marxist feminist believe?
Exploitation of women is essential to the success of capitalism. The family produces and cares for the next generation of workers at almost no cost to the capitalist system as housework is unpaid.
Men are paid for work outside of the home but women aren't paid for their work at home
41
What did Benston say?
If housework was paid at minimum wage it would damage capitalist profits hugely
42
What is Benston?
Liberal feminist
43
What do radical feminists believe?
Exploitation of women is down to the domination of men in society. Men will always oppress women
44
Who is Delphy and Leonard?
Radical feminist
45
What did Delphy and Leonard say?
Women do most of the work but men get most of the benefit
46
What did liberal feminists believe?
They look at he effects Cultural norms and values reinforced by the family and other institutions in society. The family is only sexist as it supports mainstream culture .
They think social change is possible by putting pressure on institutions such as the legal system to change laws that discriminate against women
47
Why has the feminist theory been criticised?
1) they all portray women as too passive making them look like they lack the ability to change and improve their situation
2) doesn't acknowledge that power might be shared
3) they don't consider lesbian gay relationships and lone parent households
4) black feminists pointed out that feminists theory doesn't address the fact that women from different ethnic backgrounds and life experiences
48
What does new right believe that the family role is?
New right believe the nuclear family is the bedrock of society
49
What's the theory?
The new rights theory is based around the idea that traditional nuclear family and its values is best for society.
Mum dad kids dad earning the money
50
What do new right think about social policies?
They think it undermines the family
51
Who is charles Murray?
New right
52
What did Charles Murray say?
Traditional family is under threat. Welfare benefits are too high and create a culture of dependency where people choose to go on benefits rather then working
53
What do new rights believe about single mothers?
They are concerned about giving lots of welfare benefits to single mothers as it is a bad idea to have children brought up in families where adults don't work
54
What do new rights believe has causes an increase in problems such as crime?
Increase in low parent and reconstituted families made it easier to get divorced high led to a breakdown in traditional values causing social problems such as an increase in crime
55
Why have the new right been criticised?
They blame victims for their problems
56
What do postmodernist think about the diversity in family structure?
Having a wider range of living options is due to a social and cultural change which is a positive change
57
Who is Judith Stacey?
Postmodernist
58
What did Judith Stacey think?
There's such a diversity in family types relationships and lifestyles that there will never be a dominant type of family in western culture this makes life more flexible as you can move from one family structure to another
59
What do postmodernist believe is the key idea of contemporary living?
Contemporary living is flexible so people can experience a lo of different typeset families in their lifetime and can chose an option that suits their individual needs
60
How did industrialisation change family structure?
Pre-industrial society was agriculture in home villages and farms extended family was more common
In industrial society the nuclear family became more dominant as individuals left home to find better pay
61
Why did parson think extended families changed to nuclear families?
Nuclear families was the best fit for industrial society
62
How did the roles of the family change after the industrialisation?
1) functions of the family were taken over by the state such as education healthcare and the police
2) nuclear family focuses on the function of socialising children into norms and values of industrial society
3) nuclear families are more geographically mobile with fewer ties with local ki ships and economic systems
63
Why do functionalist believe that the industrialisation has changed the roles and status within the family?
1) before it was ascribed now parsons thinks it's achieved status
2) nuclear family is better at allowing individuals to achieve a high status without conflict
3) specialised roles for men and women develop within a family men are practical and women are emotional leaders which is most effective for society
64
Why are functionalists criticised about their view of the industrialisation ?
They see the modern nuclear family as superior they also ignore evidence suggesting a variety of family forms in the past
65
Willmott and Young did a study looking at what?
They studied families in different parts of London and Essex to test the theory that nuclear families is the dominant form in modern industrial society
66
What did willmott and young find?
They found that British families have developed through 3 stages
67
What were the three stages that Willmott and young found
Stage one preindustrial families work together as an economic production unit work and home were combined
Stage to early industrial extended family is broken that as individuals leave home to work women at home have strong extended kinship networks
Stage three privatise nuclear family is based on consumption or production buying things rather than making them and focused on personal relationships and lifestyles husband wife have a joint roles
68
What is a key part of the definition of a symmetrical family
The idea is that both partners work either part-time or full time the economic contribution of men and women is equally important
69
What did Helen Wilkinson say
She argued the increasing number of women are working because the economy has moved away from historically male dominated industry or sector and towards the traditional female dominated service sector
70
What are the criticisms of willmott and youngs theory?
1) they assume that family life is got better as structured adapt to modern society
2) they ignore negative aspects of modern nuclear family like domestic violence child abuse and lack of care for older and venerable people
3) feminist suggest equal roles in a symmetrical family doesn't really exist
71
How has the government tried to influence family structure through social policy
They introduce laws designed to influence family life or structure such as divorce acts the benefit system and education reform acts
72
What did Donzelot say about social policies!
Social policies can be used by the state to control families.
He argues that professional such as health care visitors can you sell knowledge to control family's behaviour
73
How has social policy changed over time
The welfare state was set up by a Labour government in 1948 supporting family through benefits public housing family allowances and free healthcare. people pay national insurance scheme to pay for the welfare state everyone had the same benefits and services
74
What did the Conservative government do in 1979
They wanted to reduce state intervention and were influenced by new right ideology society should be free from interference by the state as much as possible and nuclear families are the basis society
75
What did the Conservative government do to reduce state intervention
They made individuals more responsible for their own lives and decisions.
Lowered tax and cut benefits.
Mothers were encouraged to stay at home and families were forced to take care of older people due to benefit cuts
76
What did Conservatives do to keep people in a traditional family
The child support agency was established in 1993 to force absent fathers and mothers to pay a fair amount towards upkeep of the children
The children act 1989 outlined child rights for the first time
77
When did new Labour come into power
1997
78
What did new labour based their ideologies on?
The third way which is a middle ground between left-wing and right-wing politics
79
How did new labour change their policies
They encourage nuclear families but showed an awareness and concern for diversity of family life
In 2005 introduce a civil partnerships a union like marriage that is available to gay couples
80
When was the coalition government
2010
81
What did the coalition government provide for families
Promoted marriage as a stabling force of family life
Legalised same-sex marriage in 2014
The Housing benefits was capped in 2013 at £500 a week for couples and single parents with children
82
What did Oakley think about family
She found out that while men do some housework women still do most of it
Women take on a dual burden taking on paid jobs and traditional responsibilities
83
What did Duncombe and marsden find?
Women in families are often required to do housework childcare paid employment and emotional work
Triple shift of work
84
What lead to the creation of the housewife?
The role of a house wife was socially constructed by the social change of the industrialisation.
Married people weren't allowed to work in factories
Women should be in charge of housework as it was seen as a natural or biological role
85
What did Edgell find when interviewing middle class couples?
Men had decision-making control over important things and women were in charge of minor decisions.
This is linked to the fact that men have higher earning
86
What did Carol Smart find?
She discovered at same sex couples don't link control over money with inequality in the relationship-they organise money based on what is best for the couple.
Same sex couples don't have the same ideas about gender and money that heterosexual couples traditionally hold
87
What is the functionalist theory about power in society
Men and women are still perform different tasks and roles within the family as its the most effective way of keeping society running smoothly
88
What is the Marxist theory about power in society
Men and women have different roles as evidence of the power of capitalism to control family life as the unequal power is most efficient
89
What does feminist think about power in society
Feminist perspective is that inequality in household roles demonstrates inequality in power between men and women are patriarchal society as it will produce an equal relationships as society systems and values will benefit men at the expense of women
90
What are the similarities and differences between the functionalist Marxist and feminist view and power in society
They all agree that the different roles for men and women helps to maintain the status quo in society but they disagree on who it benefits
91
How to sociologists see child abuse in terms of power
A parent or carer is able to abuse a child by manipulating responsibilities and trust which go along with the role of parent or carer
Families are private and separate from the rest of society making it less likely for children to report abuse
92
What social policies have been adapted to give some protection to children
The children act 1989 was set up so that the state could intervene and families if social workers are concerned about a child safety
93
How often is a woman killed by her current or former partner
Three days in England and Wales
94
How many cases of domestic violence is reported in the UK every year
570000
95
What do radical feminist think about domestic violence
Domestic violence is a form of patriarchal control
96
What did Dobash and Dobash find with domestic violence?
Police don't usually record violent crimes by a husbands against their wives
97
What law was in Britain in 1991
Husband was entitled to have sex with his wife against her will. This was changes in 1991 they could then be charged with rape
98
Why do radical feminists believe violence against a women within the family is used as a form of power and control?
Social climate helps to maintain the situation making women feel ashamed and stigmatised if they talk about the violence.
Women or ashamed as people think that they should know better then get involved with a violent man in the first place
99
What did Dobash and Dobash find about most women who left their partner?
Most women who left their violent partner end up returning to them due to the fear of being stigmatised or that they were financially dependent on their partner
100
Why a radical feminist criticised but their theory on domestic violence
1) there over emphasise the place of the Mestic violence and family life functionalists argue that most families operate harmoniously and post modernist think that individuals have much more choice and control to void leave a re-shape their family relationships
2) presents meant it's all powerful and women as powerless ignoring man you are the abuse by women
101
What are the two overall patterns of families and households
There's been an increase in devastate families in the UK
| The nuclear family is the most common type of family
102
How has the number of cohabitation changed
It's doubled since 1996
103
What were the five types of family diversity identified by Rapoport and Rapoport
1) organisational diversity
2) cultural diversity
3) class diversity
4) life-course diversity
5) cohort diversity
104
What is an organisational diversity
Differences in the way family are structured such as nuclear extended or reconstituted
105
What is cultural diversity within the family
The differences from the norms and values of different cultures
106
What's class diversity within the family?
Different views are held by different parts of society for example rich families can send their children to boarding school therefore having a very different relationship within the family compared to poorer families
107
What is the life course diversity within the family?
Diversity caused by the different stages people have reached in their life for example newlyweds with children, childless couple of people with grown-up children
108
What's cohort diversity within the family?
Difference created by historical periods the family have lived through
109
What to post modernists think about diversity?
There is no longer a single dominated family structure as society is diverse which is increasing
110
What do postmodernists believe about a women's choice in relationship?
Women's rights and the availability of contraception have resulted in more choice in the type of relationships
111
Why have marriage rates fallen?
1) more people have been cohabiting
2) social trend stats show that living with a partner doesn't mean you won't get married
3) people are getting married later in life the average has increased by 8 years
4) men die before women widowed pensioners make up a lot of of single person house holds and people are living longer
112
What has happened to the divorce and separation rate?
1) Divorce and separation rates have increased
2) 40% of all marriages end in divorce
3) serial monogamy is increasingly common many people have been married and divorced before
113
Why has divorce become more common?
1) its more available
2) it's become socially acceptable
3) women have higher expectations of marriage and better employment opportunities
114
What is demography?
The study of statistics that measures the size and growth of the population such as birth and death rates
115
What effects demography rates?
1) population increases when birth rates are higher than death rates
2) low fertility rates or high mortality rates lead to a decline in the population
3) immigration into a country causes the population to increase and emigration away form the country causes it to decrease
116
Why have birth and fertility rates decreased?
People have fewer children on average 2
Women are having them later in life 28
More people are choosing to not have children
Social trends have influenced these trends contraception is more available and women's role have changed
117
What is the total fertility rate?
The average number of children a women would have. it has decreased since the 20th century by peaked during baby booms after the war
118
Why have mortality and death rates decreased?
1) medical advancements such as vaccines blood transfusion and antibiotics and better care for pregnant women
2) the government improved public health regulating food and water quality and improving public awareness of how infections are transmitted
119
What did McKeown say?
Better nutrition was a major factor improving mortality rates as it made people able to fight off infection
120
What does ageing population mean?
The number and proportions of old people increases making the median age of population increase
121
What does life expectancy mean?
The average length a person is expected to live. Mortality rate has decreased causing life expectancy to increase
1 in 3 babies born in 2013 have the life expectancy of 100
122
Why is their an ageing population?
The proportions of over 65 is increase
| Baby boom means many children born after war are 60 70
123
What burdens comes with an ageing population?
1) society has a responsibility to care for kids and elderly however there is more old people so young people struggle to meet the needs of older people
2) the local council creates care services such as group homes
3) government provide caters for those who want to stay in the comfort of sir home or don't need 24 hour care
124
What did peter Townsend find?
There was a higher proportion of older people in poverty as they had to rely on pensions
Those with high status jobs are less likely to be in poverty when they are older
Working class are less likely to have the savings to support themselves
125
What did Pilcher think?
Class and gender affect income in retirement. Women have smaller pensions as they take time off to look after children
126
How has net migrations affected the structure of society and families?
1) low fertility rates is outweighed by the impact of net migration
2) migrants decrease the average age of the country as they are often younger decreasing the dependency ratio
3) fertility of those not born in the U.K. is higher
4)
127
How has globalisation increased international migration?
Britain is more ethnically diverse as migrants have brought different cultures and religions
128
What do functionalists think about the growth in diversity?
It's been exaggerated
129
Who's Robert Chester?
Functionalist
130
What did Robert Chester think?
There's been some growth in family diversity but believes nuclear family is the dominant structure
Statistics show greater diversity as their are more old people who are no longer in a nuclear family
131
What does new right think about family diversity
It's caused by failing moral standards and a decline in traditional values which threatens nuclear families
132
What did Murray say about family diversity and single mothers?
Single mothers are a cause of crime and social decay due to a lack of male role model
133
What do new right believe needs to be done to prevent family diversity?
State benefits should be cut and family diversity should be discouraged
134
What did carol smart say?
Family is linked to traditional ideas. Sociologists should use the term personal life when studying family relationships as it includes new relationships that exist in postmodern society
135
How can ethnicity influence family type and household structure?
Those who born abroad are more likely to live in multi-family households compared to those in the U.K.
Those in Bangladesh and Pakistani are more likely to live in extended families with dependent children
136
What ethnic minority are most likely to be divorced?
African Caribbean and European are more likely to be lone parents with a female lead
137
What did Eversley and Bonnerja find?
Middle class areas in the U.K. Have a higher then average proportion of nuclear families.
Inner city working class are more likely to have a higher proportion of lone parent household
138
What did Beck think?
Post modernist
People often lived in a negotiated family that vary according to the needs of the people in them. They are more equal but less stable
139
What did Stacey think?
Female members of an extended family stay connected by choice after divorce
140
What do some sociologists think about childhood?
It's a biological stage of development and a social construct. They way children are different from adults in their values behaviour and attitudes is different all of the world
141
What is an example of the change in childhood in Britain
The age you can leave education has moved from 12-18. Now it would be socially unacceptable and illegal to leave school at and work ful, time at the age of 12
142
What did Jane Pilcher think about childhood?
Highlighted the separateness of childhood from different phases. Children have different right and duties from adults and are regulated by specific laws
143
Who said their was a cult of childhood after the Industrialisation?
Areiès
144
What study did Ariès study?
She looked at paintings and found the concept of childhood in western culture has existed for 300 years
Before this children took on an adult role as soon as they were physically able
145
What did Ariès believe change social attitudes towards children ?
Industrialisation caused social attitudes to change people began to value children needing specialised care and nurturing
This reinforced the need for s housewife
146
Why was attitudes called th cult of children
It first developed with middle class and over time it became part of a working class value
147
How do functionalists see the change in the position of children?
March of progress
Society needs better educated citizens to lower infant mortality rate
Leaving are increased and child protection has improved
Current position of children is the result of positive progression
148
What does Donzelot think?
Theories of child development changed in the 19th century
| Children needed to be protected and supervised which is linked to the growing medical interest in childhood development
149
Why have families become more child focused
Infant mortality rate has decreased so families are having fewer children and giving more attention and money to each child
150
What laws are children protected by?
Restrict their sexual behaviour, access to alcohol and tobacco, and the mount of paid work
Children act allows them to be taken from their parents if they are incapable
151
What do child liberationists believe society oppresses children?
Age patriarchy adults use enforced dependency through protection from paid ime,ploy,met to maintain authority over children
152
How does childhood vary according to class?
Those living in poverty suffer from poorer health lack of basic necessities and lower achievement in education
153
How does ethnicity influence ethnicity?
Influences where people live white British people are more likely to live in rural areas then Pakistani
154
What did Julia Branden say about gender effecting childhood?
Asian families are stricter on heir daughters
155
What did Hillman find about children aged 7-15
Parents gave boys more freedom then girls to travel around their local area unaccompanied
156
How does childhood differ in other cultures?
Construction varies across historical and cultural societies
157
What did Punch find?
Children growing up in Bolivia were given responsibility to perform at the age of 5 compared to western attitude towards child labour since industrialisation
158
What do postmodernist sociologists think about the impact of childhood?
Jenks believed that children symbolised future potential the main concern of society. Adults sacrificed their needs to protect and nurture children
Since divorce is more common adults prioritise their relationships with children instead of friends and partners
159
What did palmer say about childhood?
Children are experiencing a toxic childhood their lives are more violent, stressful and sexually active
Leads to teen pregnancy, obesity, self harm and addiction to alcohol and drugs their development has been damaged by the increasing speed of technological advancement
160
What does Neil Postman think?
Childhood is disappearing they grow up quick experiencing that only adults could in the past through tv and the internet
161
How does nick lee disagree with Postman?
Childhood has become an ambiguous area but argues parents have financial control
