key terms

Question 1

blended family
reconstituted

Answer 1

step family where parents with children from previously existing relationship form new relationships

Question 1

beanpole family

Answer 1

family with a long thin structure

not many children

few aunts uncles and cousins

Question 2

birth rate

Answer 2

number of babies born per thousand of the population per year

Question 3

cereal packet family

Answer 3

traditional nuclear family

consists of heterosexual parents and two children

Question 4

civil partnership

Answer 4

legally or formally recognised union of man and woman in a committed relationship

Question 5

cohabitation

Answer 5

two people living together in the same household

in an emotional intimate committed relationship without being married

Question 6

commercialisation of housework

Answer 6

new technologies lead to new products which people can buy which reduces the amount of domestic labour people have to do at home

hoovers washing machines etc

Question 7

death rate

Answer 7

number of deaths per thousand members of a population per year

Question 8

divorce

Answer 8

formal and legal end to a marriage

Question 9

dual burden

Answer 9

someone doe both paid work and a significant amount of domestic labour such as housework at home

radical feminists - mainly women who suffer this

Question 10

economic factors

Answer 10

how wealthy a society is and the amount of wealth and income an individual or family has

Question 11

emotional work

Answer 11

thinking about emotional well being of other members of the family

acting in ways which will be of emotional benefit to others

example hugging reassuring children in nightmares etc

Question 13

extended family

Answer 13

family beyond traditional nuclear family

aunts uncles grandparents

traditional extended family- members live in the same household

modern extended family - don’t live in same household

Question 14

family as a unit of consumption

Answer 14

marxist idea that the primary function of the family in capitalist societies is to consume products to keep capitalism going

two main ways this is done is through spending on the children especially at Christmas

spending on house and household purchases and improvements

Question 15

functional fit theory

Answer 15

the main type of family changes as the structures of society changes so that the former better fits with the later

Question 16

gender norms

Answer 16

expected patterns of behaviour associated with masculinity and femininity

example - fem caring masc competitive

Question 17

gender roles

Answer 17

social positions and occupations we associate with men and women

example- caring role- women provider role men

Question 18

globalisation

Answer 18

increasing interconnectedness of societies across the globe

Question 19

ideological functions

Answer 19

refers to the ways in which the ideas spread through institutions work too maintain the power of dominant groups in society

Question 20

individualisation

Answer 20

process where individuals have more freedom to make life choices and shape their identities because of a weakening of traditional social structures norms ands values

example - secularization means people have more choice over whether they should get married or simply cohabit

Question 21

instrumental role

Answer 21

provider or breadwinner which involves going out to work and earning money for the family

traditional male role within the family

Question 22

matrifocal household

Answer 22

family structure in which mothers are the heads of household

fathers have less power and control in family life and the allocation of resources

Question 23

multigenerational household

Answer 23

three generations live together in one household such as grandparents parents and children

Question 24

negotiated families

Answer 24

more equal than traditional nuclear families but more unstable

typical type of family in postmodern society

Question 25

net migration

Answer 25

difference between the numbers of people immigrating to and emigrating from a country

Question 26

patriarchy

Answer 26

society where mean hold the power and women are excluded disadvantaged or oppressed

example - one which women are not allowed to vote but men are

Question 27

personal life perspective

Answer 27

sociological perspective which believes we should understand family life from the perspective of the individuals who make up the family

focusing on the diverse ways in which different individuals within the family define and perceive their own experiences of family life

Question 28

polygamy

Answer 28

one husband legally has many wives

Question 29

polyandry

Answer 29

one women legally has many husbands

Question 30

postmodernism

Answer 30

view that social changes since the 1950s have resulted in a world in which individuals have much more choice and freedom that is suggested by modernists social theories such as functionalism marxist and feminism

Question 31

primary socialisation

Answer 31

first stages of learning norms and values of a society which is primarily done within the family with parents as the main agents of socialisation

where children learn the basic skills and norms such as language and basic matters

Question 32

serial monogamy

Answer 32

where an individual has a string of committed relationship’s one after another r

Question 33

social construction of childhood

Answer 33

idea that norms and values and social roles associated with childhood are influenced by society rather than being determined by the biological age of a child

Question 34

stabilisation of adult personalities

Answer 34

nuclear families provides a structure in which both adult partners gain emotional and psychological support from one another

Question 35

symmetrical family

Answer 35

family in which roles of husbands and wives are more similar
both do paid work
both do housework
spend leisure time together

Question 36

toxic childhood

Answer 36

social changes especially invention of new technologies does increasing amounts of harm to children

example increase in screen increases anxiety and reduces attention spans

Question 37

triple shift

Answer 37

builds on the idea of a dual burden women in facilities have three types of work paid work housework and emotional work

Question 38

warm bath theory

Answer 38

functionalist idea that within the nuclear family the wife takes on the role of the carer

providing support as a homemaker and carer while man goes off to work

help man distress when he gets home