Family - Defining A Family

Question 1

Give six family definitions

Answer 1

Nuclear family
Extended family 
Single parent 
Reconstituted 
Blood marriage or adoption 
Household

Question 2

Define the family definition of blood,marriage and adoption

Answer 2

Relatives, past or present , close or distant , frequent or not contact

Question 3

Define the family definition of household

Answer 3

A household is not always a family and best defined as a residence of one person or a groups go can be a family or be unrelated who live under the same roof
Families are households

Question 4

Define the family definition of nuclear family

Answer 4

Two generations

An adult heterosexual couple and their dependent children who live in the same household

Question 5

Define the family definition of extended families

Answer 5

Basic nuclear structure has enlarged due to cousins, grandparents etc who live in the same household or proximity or daily contact

Question 6

Define the family definition of single parent families

Answer 6

Broken nuclear
Many sociologists blame this structure for a breakdown in the quality of family life and a subsequent rise in social problems such as crime, antisocial behaviour and unemployment
This has increased as there is the availability of divorce and the relaxing of certain social attitudes

Question 7

Define the family definition of reconstructed families

Answer 7

Increased because of divorced rates and remarriage

Nuclear in structure and involves parents children of either spouse from a first marriage and possibly new children

Question 8

Who argued the the nuclear family is universal

Answer 8

George Peter Murdock

Question 9

What did Murdock (1949) believe

Answer 9

He focused on the nuclear family which provided very popular with politicians and new right sociologists who suggested that this is the ideal family and any deviation from this ideal type could destabilise society because it creates the potential for social problems

Question 10

What did Murdock think the ideal characteristics of the nuclear family should be? (6)

Answer 10

1. Small ,compact structure who are two adults and two children who are biologically related
2. Common residence so are a type of household
3. Adults should be heterosexual and based on romantic love
4. marriage which encouraged fidelity and therefore family stability and cohabit ion was seen as a sin
5. Marriage should be companionate
6. Conservative family ideology about what families should look like and behave

Question 11

Explain how marriage should be companionate

Answer 11

Their is an overlap between male and female economic responsibilities as men get more involved in childcare and housework
However natural divisions take place such as sexual division of labour with regard to domestic labour such as women are normally the ones who are responsible for nurturing and childcare and the men are defined as the main economic breadwinner and head of the household in terms of authority and discipline.

Question 12

Explain what are the five characteristics of the conservative family ideology

Answer 12

Women have maternal instincts and parenting lies with them
Cohabition does not have the same values as marriage
Lone parents are not effective a as two
Children need fathers
Homosexuals should not have the same fertility or parenting rights as heterosexuals

Question 13

Give the main criticisms of Murdock and his definition of the family

Answer 13

Very dated and failed to take into account modern social processes which have produced many variations on the theme of the nuclear family

His family ideal is very much a product of place and time such as 1940s USA, and consequently ethnocentric
It is based on the misguided view that western and especially American culture produces the best cultural institutions and that other cultural family types are so how inferior

Question 14

Murdock’s definition of the family failed to take into account modern social processes, what are these modern processes? (5)

Answer 14

1. Women have more control over reproductive rights - contraceptive pill in 1960s
2. Changes in demography (I.e birth rates) have resulted in various family types
3. Changes in social and religious attitudes have lead to legal changes regarding marriage and Cohabition,divorce, abortion and gay rights.
4. Family life was not necessarily positive or beneficial for all individuals after 1970s because of discovery of child abuse and domestic violence
5. A revolution in women’s attitudes: housewife as opinion not compulsory ( genderquake- Helen wilkinson)
   These changes coincided with the feminisation of the economy and workforce- alternatives to family life
   Genderquake undermined distribution of power between men and women in families and led to fundamental changes in how the domestic division of labour was organised

Question 15

Give four alternatives to the nuclear family

Answer 15

Kibbutz - Israel
Matrifocal families - Caribbean communities
Nayar Tribe ( Kathleen gough 1972) - Kerala, Southern India
Russian experiment 1917 - Russian revolution

Question 16

Explain Kibbutz - Israel family structure

Answer 16

A communal settlement, typically a farm
Everything is collectively done together at the same time
It is owned and administer communally by its members and children are reared collectively and eat with their parents

Question 17

Explain Matrifocal families - Caribbean communities family structure

Answer 17

Mothers head families and fathers play a less important role in the home and in bringing yo the children
This also may include single parent families where the mother is e parent and the father is not present

Question 18

Explain the Nayar Tribe ( Kathleen gough 1972) - Kerala, Southern India family structure

Answer 18

Women have multiple husbands this goes against social roles as women tend to be more passive towards relationships
Mother focused community
All the girls have to marry a man in the tribe however the man has not obligation to stay with her or stay in contact
The only thing the women needs to do is attend his funeral

Question 19

Explain Russian experiment 1917 - Russian revolution family structure

Answer 19

Immediately after the revolution their tried to abolish marriage and get rid of the nuclear family
Introducing childcare so women could work
No illegitimate children so it equalised the legal status of all children whether born out of wedlock or nor
You could get a divorce in minutes (legalised)
The father has to contribute to child support by giving the mother a third of his salary but only if she had no means of livelihood and only in separation

Question 20

What was wrong with the Russian experiment 1917 - Russian revolution

Answer 20

It didn’t work as society needs some type of family structure