family studies, key individuals ect

Question 1

demography

child bearing patterns

Answer 1

1. the total number of births per year has declined over the last century
2. there was a baby boom in the 1960s
3. changing fertility rates over past 40 years may have been characterised by: falling fertility rates, rising mean age at first birth, higher levels of childlessness

Question 1

demography

what are the reasons for changing birth rates?

Answer 1

1. the role of women in society has changed - many women pursue education or a career
2. decline in the rate of infant mortality means couples have fewer baies on average
3. getting married is no longer an obligation - may result in less births as marriage was the main push factor for having children
4. contraception and abortion are more widely available
5. the cost of living has increased so people may not have children because they cant afford to

Question 2

demography

what is the impact of a declining birth rate?

Answer 2

1. ageing population - puts pressure on younger generations
2. ageing population will also mean pressure on the government as more pensions will need to be paid out
3. ageing population puts pressure on the nhs
4. some public services such as school may suffer due to lower numbers of children being born
5. greater strain on the workforce as there is less people to fill the same amount of jobs

Question 3

demography

what are the problems with an ageing population?

Answer 3

1. greater pressure on the nhs
2. strain on the governement as more pensions need to be paid out
3. pressure on younger generations to fill jobs
4. schools and other public services may suffer

Question 4

functionalist ideas on the family

parsons - warm bath theory

Answer 4

parsons warm bath theory suggests that when a man comes back home from a stressful day at work, his family provides him with stress relief and relaxation like a warm bath would

Question 5

functionalist ideas on the family

what does Parsons warm bath theory suggest the benefit of the family is?

Answer 5

the benefit of the family according to warm bath theory is that the emotional needs of the men are met

Question 6

functionalist ideas on the family

what role does the family play in socialisation according to parsons?

Answer 6

the family provides primary socialisation

Question 7

functionalist ideas on the family

according to parsons what does primary socialisation in the family do?

Answer 7

primary socialisation in the family allows the internalisation of societies culture and the structuring of the personality

Question 8

functionalist ideas on the family

parsons said families are factories which produce….

Answer 8

parsons says families are factories which produce human personalities and the family unit is the only unit to be able to do so

Question 9

functionalist ideas on the family

according to parsons, why is the family the only init able to produce human personalities?

Answer 9

families are the only unit able to produce human personalities because they provide the warmth, security and mutual support needed to do so

Question 10

functionalist ideas on the family

according to parsons, once a personality is produced, what can occur?

Answer 10

the stabilisation of adult personalities

Question 11

functionalist ideas on the family

murdock

Answer 11

murdock described the damily unit as the ‘nuclear family’ and described variations of the nuclear family as the extended family

Question 12

functionalist ideas on the family

according to murdock, what does the nuclear family consist of?

Answer 12

a husband, a wife and their children

Question 13

functionalist ideas on the family

what does murdock say the extended family is?

Answer 13

any unit larger than the conventional nuclear family - this can be a horizontal or vertical extended family

Question 14

functionalist ideas on the family

what does murdock say the 4 functions of the family are?

Answer 14

1. sexual
2. reproductive
3. economic
4. educational

Question 15

functionalist ideas on the family

what does Murdock say the sexual function of the family does?

Answer 15

the sexual function of the family ensures sexual urges are regulated

Question 16

functionalist ideas on the family

according to Murdock, although the family doesn’t perform the 4 functions he outlines on its own, there is no other institution….

Answer 16

there is no other institution that can perform these functions as sucessfully as the family

Question 17

functionalist ideas on the family

what do functionalists say the families is vital to maintain in society?

Answer 17

functionalists say that families are vital to maintaining stability in society

Question 18

functionalist ideas on the family

how does Parsons claim the family has evolved from pre-industrial to industrial society

Answer 18

from pre-industrial to industrial society, Parsons claims the family has moved from an extended form to an isolated nuclear form

Question 19

functionalist ideas on the family

Young and Willmott - the stages of family life

Answer 19

a study of family life in london from the 1950s to the 1970s to try to trace the development of the family from pre-industial england to the 1970s

Question 20

functionalist ideas on family

how did Willmott and Young research their study?

Answer 20

they did a survey where 1928 people were interviewed

Question 21

functionalist ideas on the family

what did Willmott and Young find in their survey?

Answer 21

They found that the early industrial family had largely disappeared and the symmetrical family had emerged

Question 22

what were the 3 stage of the family Willmott and Young identified?

Answer 22

1. the pre-industrial family
2. early industrial family
3. symmetrical family

Question 23

functionalist ideas on the family

what were the characteristics of the pre-industrial family according to Willmott and Young?

Answer 23

1. the family is a unit of production
2. family works as a team (usually in agriculture or textiles)

Question 24

functionalist ideas on the family

what were the characteristics of the early industrial family according to Willmott and Young?

Answer 24

1. family stopped being unit of production as individual members were employed as wage earners
2. extension of the nuclear family in response to high poverty rates

Question 25

functionalist ideas on the family

what were the characteristics of the symmetrical family according to Willmott and Young?

Answer 25

1. relatively self sufficient and home centred (close bonds between family members & activities like watching tv)
2. more equally balanced with husband and wife sharing chores and responsibilities

Question 26

marxist ideas on the family

what did Engles argue about the development of relationships throughout history?

Answer 26

argued that throughout history, more restrictions were put on sexual relationships and the production of children

Question 27

marxist