families and relationships (topics 8 and 9)

Question 1

Murray 2 concepts

Answer 1

-underclass, form the poorest
-depended on welfare benefits rather then work
underclass has emerged made up
-made up of lone parent mothers
-boys, growing up without a father more likely to turn to crime .

-rewarded irresponsible behaviour in over-generous welfare benefits
not enough promo the institution of marriage,
cohabitation, children outside marriage and divorce, too socially
acceptable.

Question 2

Dennis and Erdos

Answer 2

die earlier
more mental illness
lower educational attainment
poorer health
-boys grow up without learning that adulthood involves
taking responsibility for a wife and children, and so develop into immature, irresponsible and anti-social young men.
-the problems can last for generations.

Question 3

Schlafly views on family ,motherhood and marriage

Answer 3

family -‘Society has not invented a better way of raising children than the traditional [nuclear] family. The division of labour is cost efficient, the environment is healthy, and the children thrive on the “object constancy” of the mother.’
motherhood- [No measure] of career success can compare with the thrill, satisfaction, of having and caring for babies
marriage-If you want to love and be loved,marriage is for you,all-round
fulfilment as a woman.’

Question 4

evaluation of the new right x4

Answer 4

-Glorifying the past:
‘golden age’ of family life marriage was respected and where the nuclear family was, lone- parent families, cohabitation and sexual
relationships outside marriage have always existed
overwhelmingly the norm.
-Making value judgments:superior to other types of families. Critics have argued that individuals
should be free to choose what kind of family works best for them;
-Victim Blaming: people are blamed for their own poverty, which is arguably created by an
unfair and unequal society.
Contributing to a moral panic: Deborah Chambers
over-reaction to supposed social problems.1990s in a bid to
justify cuts to welfare

Question 5

Bernardes: Postmodern families

Answer 5

less certainty about how we should live our lives.
Choice -
 Ambivalence -
 Freedom -
 Diversity -
 Fluidity

Question 6

Giddens

Answer 6

-reflexivity,
-Confluent love

Question 7

beck and beck

Answer 7

-Risk
society
-Individualisation

Question 8

(Evaluation of Postmodern Theories of the family

Answer 8

 Exaggerating changes in the family:
neglected the extent to which there are still continuities in family.
For example, even though there is greater family diversity, two-parent families remain the norm and appear to be what most
people aspire towards
 Neglecting social structure:
A number of sociologists have argued that class, gender and ethnicity and other inequalities continue to structure the lives of
individuals and in some cases limit their choices. neglects the fact that real individuals experience very real constraints on their
decisions.
1) Ethnicity. The idea of choice and individualism also seems more applicable to certain groups in the white population than to some ethnic minorities. Tony Chapman (2004) observes that South Asian families still tend to hold to traditional values concerning marriage and follow a much stricter segregation of gender roles than most white families.