family and households Flashcards
what theorist came up with the ‘golden age of childhood’ and what is it
pilcher
he believes chilhood is separate, innocent and happiness
evidence for the social construct argument in non-industrial societes
benedict looked at 3 things
- children taking
responsibility at a young age - (punch = children start work at 5 in bolivia)
- children are less obedient
- sexual behaviours in children are viewed differently
how is globalisation changing childhood all over the world
media
unicef
increase in psychology
campaigns
evidence for social construct
aries looking at paintings
- 10th-13th century - children were unhappy, working, lots of them in one family
- 13th-20th century - children seemed happier, creations of god, viewed as more important
- 20th-onwards - protected by laws, no child labour
why has childhood changed
compulsory eductaion (1880)
laws applied for children
reduced family sizes
what is the march of progress
aries believed that children today are more benefited as they have better healthcare, education etc
what inequalities are there within childhood
gender - hillman found boys are more likely to go out at night
ethnicity - brannen found that asian parents are more likely to discipline their daughters
class - if born into the w/c, then children may die earlier as they have a weaker immune system etc.
what inequalities are there between children and adults
- neglect and abuse
- control of childs space
- control over childs time
- control over childs bodies
- control over childs access
what is child liberationism
the need to set children free from adults control
what is age patriarchy
gittins found that children are dominated by the adults.
hockey and james found that children either act up or act down
who spoke about the disappearance of childhood and what did they say
postman found there is a disappearance as there is a lack of childhood games and tv shows
information hierarchy is destroyed due to television culture
what is the childhood of postmodernity
jenks found that as we move to a postmodern society, relationships between adults and children are less stable.
who looked at the childs point of view
smart
reasons for increase in divorce
- changes in law e.g 1949 divorce became cheaper
- decline in stigma
- secularisation
- womens changing attitudes
- rising expectations for marriage
- modernity and individualism
- feminist explanation e.g dual burden
reasons for changes in marriage
- changing attitudes
- secularisation
- reduce stigma
- changing position of women
- fear of divorce
reasons for increase in cohabitation
- decline in stigma
- young people are more accepting
- secularisation
- changing positions of women
same-sex relationships - who looked at them
weeks - he says they are based on friendship and they are seen as more chosen families
why is there more social acceptance for same-sex relationships
social policies
since 2014 - been able to marry
reasons for change in one person households
divorce rates increasing
marrying later
reasons for lats
people cant afford to live together
changing positions of women
reasons for change in childbearing
decline in stigma for births outside marriages
women having children later
reasons for change in lone-parent families
increase in divorce
decline in stigma
women are more suited to work on their own
single by choice
reasons for change in stepfamilies
increase in divorce
greater risk of poverty
which type of family has the highest proportion of lone parent family’s
ethnic/ black families - 24% in 2011
what do black families suffer with in society
links to slavery
high rates of unemployment
discrimination
what type of family household do asian households have and what does this help with
extended
childcare,financial support
what is the extended family today
charles - found the 3 generation family all living under one roof is now all but extinct
willmott - says it still exists but it’s more disperse, they don’t live together but remain in contact
what is the beanpole family today
brannen - found it is extended vertically, through the generations but not extended horizontally (no aunties, cousins etc)
what has the beanpole family been a result of
increased life expectancy - more grandparents and great grandparents
smaller family sizes - people have fewer siblings
What do functionalists say about the nuclear family ; roles of the parents
Expressive role - The wife takes care of the domestic work and raises the children
Instrumental role - The husband is the breadwinner and provides the money and provides for the family
What are the functionalists two essential functions in the nuclear family
- Primary socialisation of adult personalities
- Primary socialisation
What do the New Right say about the nuclear family
They say that tradition is important - a clear breadwinner (male) and homemaker (female)
What do the New Right say about lone parent families
- can’t properly discipline their children
- leave boys without an adult male role model
- they become welfare dependent and become a burden
What do the New Right say about cohabitation versus marriage
Benson argues that marriage offers further stability as it involves a commitment; there are lower rates of divorce among married couples than the rate of breakups within cohabiting couples
Who came up with the Midway Theory and what does it say
Chester; the neo-conventional family - there is some diversity in family types however it isnt seen as a negative as there are dual earners within the family. There will be changes in the family.
What are the Rapoports 5 types of family diversity
Organisational
Cultural
Social Class
Life Stage
Generational
Postmodernism and family diversity
They see that we no longer live in a modern society, instead we are now in a chaotic, fragmented postmodern era.
What does stacey say about postmodern families
that they give greater freedom and choice has benefitted women the most
they break away from the traditional patriarchal family
What is the individualisation thesis and who came up with it
Beck and Giddens say that traditional social structures such as class, gender and family have lost their influence over us.
Creating more freedom of choice
What does Giddens believe are the two reasons for the pure relationship
Contraception
Women have gained independency
What does Beck say about how we live in a ‘risk society’
Traditional has less influence and people have more choice
People are more aware of risks as making choices involves calculating risks and rewards.
What does Beck say about the ‘negotiated family’
They don’t conform to traditional norms but vary dependent on the wishes and expectations of their members
What is the connectedness thesis and who came up with it
Smart - Argues that we are social beings whose choices are made ‘within a web of connectedness’
We live within networks of existing relationships that strongly influence our decisions and range of options
What did the conservative government focus on
- They wanted to ban the promotion of homosexuality
- They introduced policies that made divorce easier
What policies did the new labour government bring about
- Introduced maternity leave
- Free council flat for single mothers
- Equality Act 2010
What policies did the coalition government bring about
- The austerity policies (cuts to benefits)
- Childcare (no help or benefits)
What policies did the conservative government bring about
- Maternity leave (shorter and unpaid)
- Social/Council houses = hard to access
- Benefits cap e.g. child benefit
- Pensions rose by 2.5%
What are the 3 functions functionalists came up with
- Organic analogy
- Parson’s “functional fit”
- Parson - primary socialisation and SOAP
What are the 3 functions marxists came up with
- Inheritance of property
- Ideology function ( socialising children into the idea of a hierarchy and inequality)
- A unit of consumption
What are the 3 functions feminists came up with
- Liberal feminists (campaign for equal rights)
- Marxists feminists (women serve capitalism in 3 ways (reproduce labour force, absorb anger, a reserve army of cheap labour)
- Radical feminists (society is founded on patriarchy)
What is the domestic division of labour
- Instrumental role : Husbands role to be the breadwinner and provide for the family
- Expressive role : Woman’s role to be the homemaker and primary socialise their children
What does young and wilmott say about the division of labour
Men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks
What are the two different conjugal roles that Bott came up with and what do they mean
- Segregated conjugal roles : where the couple have separate roles
- Joint conjugal roles : where the couple share tasks
What does Young and Wilmott say about the symmetrical family
- Women now go out to work
- Men now help with housework
What are social changes that have caused an increase in the symmetrical family
- Changes in the position of women
- Geographic mobility
- Higher standards of living
What are the MOP’s views on the impact of paid work
- It leads to a more equal division of labour at home
- Men are becoming more involved in paid work outside of the home
What are the Feminists views of the impact of paid work
- Women going out to work has not led to a ‘New Man’ emerging instead women carry a dual burden
What are the two explanations for the gender division of labour
Cultural explanation
Material explanation
What is the cultural explanation
Where the division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values
What is the material explanation
As women join the workforce, we will see a more equal shift in the relationship between the men and women
What do radical feminists say about DV
- Marriage promotes and maintains a patriarchal society
- Men dominate women through threats
- DV is an inevitable feature of a patriarchal society
What does Firestone & Millet (feminists) say about DV
All societies are founded on patriarchy where men are the enemy and they oppress and exploit women
What is the materialistic explanation of DV according to Wilkinson & Pickett
Domestic violence is a result of stress
What marxist feminist talks about DV
Ansley - describes women as the ‘takers of shit’
DV is the product of capitalism : male workers are exploited at work and they come and take their frustrations out on their wives
What are the reasons for the decrease in birth rates
1) Creative singlehood
2) Women choosing to have kids older
3) Same-sex relationships
4) Fewer kids = better socialisation
What are the social impacts for the decrease in birth rates
1) Increasing beanpole families
2)Pension age gets higher every year
3) Dependency ratio is negatively impacted
4) Decrease extended families
What are the reasons for a decreasing death rate
1) Improved nutrition
2) Medical improvements
3) Smoking and diet
What are the social impacts for the decrease in death rates
1) Increasing ageing population
2) Increase in dependency culture
3) Strain on public services e.g NHS
4) Smaller and weaker workforce
What are the reasons for increasing ageing population
1) Decline in fertility
2) Increased life expectancy
3) Decline in infant mortality rate
What are the social impacts for increasing ageing population
1) Increased dependency ratio
2) Strain on public services e.g NHS
3) Increase in one-person pensioner households
What are the reasons for the increase in migration
1) Higher wages
2) Better opportunities abroad
3) Unemployment at home
4) Economic recession
What are the social impacts for the increase in migration
1) Increase dependency ratio
2) Increase family diversity
3) Natural increase in more births than deaths
What are the 3 ideas brought about with globalisation and migration
1) acceleration
2) differentiation
3) feminisation of migration
What is acceleration
rate of migration has sped up
What is differentiation
there are many different types of migrant that have resulted from globalisation
e.g refuges and asylum seekers
there are also class differences
e.g citizens - have the right to vote etc
Denizens - privileged foreign nationals - billionaires
Helots - literally slaves
What is the feminisation of migration
in the past most migrants were male
but now almost half of all global migrants are female
also a global transfer of women’s emotional labour e.g nannie’s
