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Family Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Murdock view of family

A 
Functionalist
Four functions -
Stable satisfaction of adult sex drive
Reproduction
Socialisation
Economic
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2
Q

Functional fit theory

A

Parsons (functionalist)

Functions of the family will fit the needs of the society in which it is found

Pre-industrial - extended family
Industrial - nuclear family - geographically mobile

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3
Q

Structural differentiation

A

Parsons (functionalist)

As society industrialises, some of the functions of the family are lost - other agencies carry them out - state provides education

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4
Q

Two irreducible functions of the family

A

Parsons - functionalist

Socialisation - instrumental and expressive role models needed

Stabilisation of adult personalities (warm bath theory)

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5
Q

New right theory of family

A

Murray

Lone parenting is on the rise and leads to social problems such as

Increased crime
Poor exam results
Increased permissiveness
Welfare dependency

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6
Q

New right solutions for lone parent families

A

Reduce welfare benefits

Women should stay at home and men be the breadwinner

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7
Q

Inheritance of property

A

Engels - Marxism

Inheritance laws keep the wealth and property in the hands of the bourgeoisie - rich peoples property is passed down to their children

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8
Q

False class consciousness

A

Zaretsky - Marxism

Socialising children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are the inevitable

Paternal power over children accustoms them to the idea that there always has to be someone in charge

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9
Q

Unit of consumption

A

Marxism

Capitalism exploits workers by not paying them enough and then advertises the products, encouraging the workers to buy them, thus generating more capital for the the bourgeoisie

The media target children, who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to spend more

Children who lack the latest clothes or gadgets are mocked and stigmatised by peers

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10
Q

Radical feminist theory of family

A

Nuclear family must be abolished - separatism - women must organise themselves to live independently from men

Political lesbianism - heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive because they involve ‘sleeping with the enemy’

Greer - creation of matrilocal households - men move in with the wives family

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11
Q

Liberal feminist theory of the family

A

Family is patriarchal but change is inevitable and evolutionary

Legal changes - 1970 equal pay act

Social changes - women are more socially free than in the past

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12
Q

Marxist feminist theory of the family

A

Women are the biggest victims of capitalism

As mothers - reproduce and discipline the next generation of passive workers unpaid

As wives (Ansley ‘takers of shit’) - soothe their alienated husbands and send them back to work passive

Reserve army of cheap labour - taken on when extra workers are needed then dropped

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13
Q

Beanpole family

A

Each generation has few members

Many generations within a family but with few siblings

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14
Q

Horizontally extended families

A

Include multiple siblings, their spouses and their children all living together

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15
Q

Vertically extended families

A

At least three generations of parents and children living together

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16
Q

Modified extended families/dispersed nuclear families

A

Keep in touch by technology

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17
Q

Lone parent families

A

One parent living with dependent children

1 in 4 children by the age of five will live with one parent

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18
Q

Why are lone parent families increasing

A

More divorce
Cohabitation break up
More mothers never in relationship with father
Changing social attitudes - secularisation
Women more economically independent
Changes in adoption laws

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19
Q

Reconstituted families

A

Married or cohabiting couples with dependent children, at least one of whom is not the biological offspring of both partners

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20
Q

Gay and lesbian families

A

Weeks - increased acceptance of homosexuality has led to more stable, long term relationships among this group

Same sex couples are pioneers

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21
Q

One person households

A

Rise due to

Male divorcees
Decline in those marrying

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22
Q

Confluent love

A

Giddens (postmodernist)

We have unrealistic expectations of relationships given to us by the media

This leads to more relationship breakdown

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23
Q

Risk society and the negotiated family

A

Beck (postmodernist)

The post modern era is characterised by increased choice and risk taking. Tradition is less influential

As we enter relationships/families we negotiate what we expect from the deal. If this changes, individuals feel justified in leaving the family unit

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24
Q

Divorce extended families

A

Stacey (postmodernist)

Study of Silicon Valley showed how many families are now linked by divorce, not marriage.

Key members are usually female and may include former inlaws, such as mother and daughter in law

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25
Q

Neo conventional nuclear family

A

Chester (postmodernist)

Dual earner family - both spouses go to work

People still aspire for nuclear family

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26
Q

5 types of family diversity

A

Rapoports (postmodernist)

Organisational diversity
Cultural diversity
Social class diversity 
Life stage diversity
Generational diversity
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27
Q

Individualisation

A

Beck (postmodernist)

Risk society - tradition has less influence

Greater gender equality - challenged male domination in both work and family

Greater individualism - peoples actions are influenced more be calculations of their own self interest than by absence of obligation to others

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28
Q

Equality and the pure relationship

A

Giddens (postmodernist)

Contraception has allowed intimacy rather than reproduction to become the main reason for the relationships existence

Women have gained independence so have greater opportunities in work and education

Pure relationship - couples stay together for love rather than law, religion and social norms - relationships can be easily ended by either partner

29
Q

Socially constructed childhood

A

Pilcher - separateness

Dress - clothes are different to adults
Entertainment - toys
Food - food advertised specifically for children
Laws regulating what children are required to do - school
Laws protecting children by prohibiting activities - drinking, smoking

30
Q

What is divorce

A

The legal termination of a marriage

31
Q

Changes in law making divorce easier

A

1971 divorce reform act - people could now ask for a divorce due to the ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’

1984 matrimonial family and proceedings act - the time a couple had to be married before they could petition for a divorce dropped from three to one

32
Q

Functionalist view for rise in divorce

A

Higher expectations of marriage due to romantic love therefore couples are less likely to tolerate an unhappy marriage

33
Q

How changing social values influenced divorce rate

A

Divorce become more socially acceptable. Normalisation of divorce - decline in stigma attached to divorce - Mitchell and Goody

34
Q

How secularisation relates to rise in divorce

A

Traditional opposition to divorce carries less weight in society

35
Q

How the economic position of women influences divorce

A

Women are more likely to be in paid work

Equal pay act has helped narrow pay gap

Girls have greater success in school

Welfare benefits mean women don’t have to rely financially on men

36
Q

Total fertility rate

A

Average number of children that women will have during their fertile years (15-44)

37
Q

Changing position of women during the 20th century - decline in BR

A

Access to abortion and reliable contraception gives women more control

Increased educational opportunities- girls now outperform boys in schools

More women in paid employment and having successful careers

Changing attitudes towards family life - women don’t have to have children

38
Q

Decline in the infant mortality rate- decline in birth rate

A

Improved housing and better sanitation

Better nutrition of both mothers and children

Better knowledge of hygiene, child health and welfare

Improved services for mothers and children - ante and postnatal clinics

Harper - if many infants die, mothers have more to replace the ones they have lost

39
Q

Medical factors - decline in birth rate

A

Mass immunisations against childhood diseases such as whooping cough

Improved midwifery

40
Q

Children have become an economic liability - decline in birth rate

A

Changes in the law- banning child labour, making school compulsory and raising the school leaving age mean children have to rely on parent economically for longer

Changing norms - about why children have a right to expect from parents (material possessions) this means the cost of raising a child has significantly risen

41
Q

Child centredness - decline in birth rate

A

Childhood is now socially constructed as a uniquely important period of life.

Parents have less children but give them more attention

42
Q

Future trends in birth rates

A

Immigration - mothers from outside the uk have a higher fertility rate than women born in the uk

Babies born to mothers who were from the outside the uk accounted for 22% of births in the uk

43
Q

Effects of changes in fertility

A

Smaller families means that women are more likely to be free to go out to work - creating a dual earner family

However better off couples may be able to afford childcare so can still have a large family and go out to work

44
Q

Dependency ratio

A

Relationship between the size of the productive (working) part of the population and the size of the non - working (dependent) population

A fall in the number of children reduces the burden of dependency

45
Q

Lower birth rate effect on public services

A

Fewer schools
Smaller houses being built
Companies being able to give higher rates of maternity pay because women aren’t having as much time off overall

46
Q

Infectious diseases - reason for falling death rate

A

Tranter

3/4 of the decline in the death rate from about 1850-1979 was due to a fall in deaths from infectious diseases like tb, smallpox

47
Q

Improved nutrition - decline in death rate

A

Mckeown - improved nutrition accounted for up to half the reduction in death rates

48
Q

Medical improvements - decline in death rate

A

Advancements in antibiotics, widespread immunisation and blood transfusions

Better midwifery - reduce infant mortality rate and maternal mortality

NHS introduces in 1949

49
Q

Public health measures and environmental improvements - decline in death rate

A

Improvements in housing

Purer drinking water

Pasteurisation of milk

Improved sewage disposal

Laws to protect peoples health - clean air acts

50
Q

Social changes that reduce death rate

A

Decline in more dangerous jobs like mining

Smaller families reduces the transmission of infections

Greater public awareness of the causes of illness

Higher income sallow a healthier lifestyle

51
Q

Regional differences in life expectancy

A

Those living in the north of England and Scotland have a lower life expectancy than those in the south

52
Q

Social class differences leading to life expectancy

A

Wc men in unskilled or routine jobs are nearly three times more likely to die before they are 65, compared with men in managerial or professional jobs

53
Q

Causes of an ageing population

A

Increased life expectancy

Decking infant mortality rate

54
Q

Effects of an ageing population

A

Older people consume a larger proportion of services than younger people - increased expenditure

The number of pensioners living alone has increased. One person pensioner households account for 14% of all households.
Feminisation of later life - mainly females living in their own as they live longer than men

55
Q

Socially constructed view of the elderly

A

Griffiths report - society faces the problem of letting the escalated costs of health and social care for the growing numbers of old people

Ageism - negative stereotyping of people based on age. Elderly often portrayed as vulnerable, irrational and a burden

56
Q

Net migration

A

The difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants

57
Q

Recent patterns in migration

A

2011 - ethnic minority’s groups accounted for 14% of the population

58
Q

Migration acceleration

A

According to the UN 2013 between 2000 and 2013, international migration increased by 33% to reach 3.2% of the worlds population

59
Q

Migration differentiation

A

Many different types of migrant

Permanent settlers
Temporary workers
Spouses
Forced migrants

60
Q

Super diversity - migration

A

Vertovec

Migrants is come from a much wider range of countries and within a single ethnic group people may have different legal status

61
Q

3 types of migrant

A

Cohen

Citizens - full citizenship rights
Denizens - privileged foreign nationals welcomed by the state - highly paid employees of multinational companies
Helots - disposable units of labour

62
Q

Feminisation of migration

A

Hochschild

Expansion of service occupations in western countries has led to increasing demand for female labour

Western women have joined the labour force and are less willing to perform domestic labour

Western men remain unwilling to perform domestic labour

The failure of the state to provide adequate childcare

63
Q

Politicisation of migration

A

States now have policies that seek to control immigration, absorb migrants into society and deal with increased ethnic and cultural diversity

64
Q

Assimilation

A

First state policy approach on immigration. It aimed to encourage immigrants to adopt the language, values and customs

65
Q

Multiculturalism

A

Accepts migrants may wish to retain a separate cultural identity

66
Q

Shallow and deep diversity

A

Erikson
Shallow - acceptable to state- accepting chicken tikka masala as Britain’s national dish
Deep - not acceptable to state - arranged marriages

67
Q

Othering of immigrants

A

Castles

Assimilation leads to othering. This leads to minorities responding by emphasising their differences - Islamic fundamentalism

68
Q

Divided working class communities - migration

A

Castles

Assimilationist ideas may encourage workers to blame migrants for social problems such as unemployment, resulting in racist scapegoating

Sociology (7 decks)

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