Questions For Sociology Exam

Question 1

What is a nuclear family

Answer 1

A married heterosexual family who have their own biological children

Question 2

What is are criticisms of parsons instrumental and expressive roles

Answer 2

• young and willmott: men are taking a greater share of housework, more women earners
• feminists : not natural only Benefits men

Question 3

Joint and conjugal roles-Bott

Answer 3

Segregated-separate roles including leisure interests

Joint-share housework and childcare and spend leisure time togther

Question 4

Symmetrical family-young and Willmott

Answer 4

• March of progress -trend away from segregated roles towards joint ‘symmetrical ‘ roles
• although not identical much similar
• eg women work even part time, men help with housework. Couples spend leisure time togther

Question 5

What is the rise of symmetrical families due to:

Answer 5

1. Changes in women’s position
2. Geographical mobility
3. New technology
4. Higher standards of living

Question 6

What do warde and Hetherington argue

Answer 6

“Sex typing “ men are more likely to wash the car, men do female tasks their not around. Although there is a shift in attitudes about women doing all the housework

Question 7

What is a consolidated “block”

Answer 7

Also called uninterrupted leisure time. This is what men are more likely to experience. Whereas women leisure is often is often punctuated by childcare. Women are More likely to multitask then men.

Question 8

Low income families -kempson

Answer 8

Women denied their own needs; rarely going out, eating smaller portions or skipping meals. In many houses women have no entitlement to a share of household resources. As a result , she is likely to see anything she spends on herself as money that should be spent for the children. This leaves a lot of women in poverty

Question 9

Why is there still inequality

Answer 9

When the pooled income controlled by men , giveS him more power to make major financial decisions (Pahl and Vogler)

Question 10

Vogler - couples

Answer 10

Cohabitating couples less likely to pool money but more likely to share domestic tasks

Question 11

Postman-Future of childhood (AO3)

Answer 11

+ valuable in showing how technology can influence childhood

- but ignores other factors that influence childhood development

Question 12

Reasons for changes in the position of children

Answer 12

• laws restricting child labour/ pad work- rather than economic assets, children became an economic liability, dependent on their parents financially
• compulsory schooling- Big effect on WC families ( middle class already went to school ). Raising of school leaving age meant children were economically dependent on parents
• laws and polices - minimum ages eg smoking , sex

Question 13

What do Aries and shorter argue

Answer 13

That hold a march of progress view. They are argue that today’s children are more valued , better cared for protected, educated than those of previous generations. For example today’s children are protected from harm by laws against child abuse

Question 14

What does child centeredness mean?

Answer 14

March or progress sociologist argue that the family has become child centred. Children age now the focal point of the family. Consulted on many decisions than ever before. Also in society much as things age designed specifically for children

Question 15

What does age patriarchy mean?

Answer 15

Gittins uses this term to describe inequalities between adults and children. Child liberationists view argue adults control over children’s lives is justified in order to keep them safe as children cannot name rational decisions

Question 16

What is the new sociology of children

Answer 16

This approach sees children as active agents who play a major part in increasing their on childhoods.

Question 17

Name 1 official statistic of domestic violence

Answer 17

Victims may be unwilling to report it to the police. Yearnshire found on average a women suffers 35 assault before making a report. Domestic Violence is a violent crime lease likely to be reported

Question 18

What is radical feminists explanation of domestic violence

Answer 18

Radical feminists inetepret findings such aa Dobash and Dobash as evidence of patriarchy. Radical feminists see the family and marriage as the key institutions in patriarchal society and the main source of women’s oppression

Question 19

What is the materialist explaination of domestic violence

Answer 19

Focuses on material factors such as inequalities in income and housing to explain why some groups age more at risk than others

Question 20

What does opie argue about the future of childhood

Answer 20

Argues that childhood is not disappearing. She argues that there is strong evidence Of the continued existence of a separate childhood over many years based on a lifetime of research such as into ryhmes and songs

Question 21

What do conflict sociologists argue

Answer 21

Argue that that the March of process view of modern childhood is based on false abs idealised image that ignores important inequalities

Question 22

What does Hochshild argue in the domestic division of labour

Answer 22

‘Emotion work’ feminists have noted women are often required to perform emotion work where they take responsibility for managing emotions and feelings of family members

Question 23

What is the cultural explanation of the gender division of labour?

Answer 23

Equality will be achieved when norms about gender roles change change. This would involve changes in men and women’s attitudes, values and expectations, role models and socialisation. For example Gershuny found that couples who’s parents had a more equal relationship are more likely to share housework equally themselves. This suggests parental roles are important

Question 24

What are the material explanation for explaining gender divisions of labour ?

Answer 24

If women join the labour force and earn as much as their partners, we should expect to see men and women doing more equal amounts of domestic work eg Kan found that every 10,000 a year a women earns , she does 2 hours less house work a week

Question 25

What did Laurie and Gershuny find

Answer 25

They found that by 1995, 70% of couples said that they had an equal say in decisions. However significantly women who were high earning, well qualified professionals were more likely to have an equal say .

Question 26

What did smart discover

Answer 26

Same sex couples placed no importance to who controls the money. Control of money does not define equality

Question 27

Functionalism- Murdock

Answer 27

4 functionalist:

1. Satisfaction of sex drive: same partner, prevents social disruption of “free for all “
2. Reproduction: without this society will not continue
3. Socialisation: of the young , shared valued and norms
4. Economic needs : food and shelter etc

Question 28

Parsons “ functional fit “ theory

Answer 28

The family will depend on what kind of society it is found in.

Question 29

Marxism - the inheritance of property

Answer 29

Primitive communism- no private property, all members own the means of production. No family but a promiscuous horde

Question 30

Marxism- ideological functions

Answer 30

Ideology is a set of beliefs that justify inequalities and persuade people to accept a capitalist system. Family does this by socialising children into accepting hierarchy and that inequality is inevitable

Question 31

Marxism- unit of consumption

Answer 31

Capitalism exploits labour of workers: makes a profit by selling products for more than it costs to produce them. The family generates costs for three reasons 1 includes:
Children who love lake the “ latest “ clothes/ gadgets face being mocked by pears

Question 32

Liberal feminists

Answer 32

Equal pay and discrimination
Hold a similar view to March of progress, gradual progress towards gender equality, overcome laws and attitudes but will need further reforms to reach full equality

Question 33

How do others criticise liberal feminists

Answer 33

Other criticise liberal feminists for failing to challenge the cause of women’s oppression and believing people’s attitudes will be enough to bring equality

Question 34

Marxism feminists

Answer 34

Argue main form of oppression in the family is not men but capitalism. One way is how women reproduce the labour force through unpaid work labour and socialising the next generation of workers

Question 35

Radical feminists

Answer 35

Argue all societies are ruled by men; key division of society :
• men are the enemy and source of women’s oppression
• men benefit from women’s unpaid labour and sexual services

Question 36

What are the criticism of radical feminists

Answer 36

Liberal feminists argue that radical feminists fail do recognise women’s position has improved considerably eg job opportunities.

Question 37

Difference Feminists

Answer 37

Argue we cannot generalise women’s experience for example
Black /white
Lesbian/ heterosexual
Middle class/ Wc

Question 38

Personal life perspective - beyond ties of blood and marriage

Answer 38

Personal life perspective takes a Wider view of relationships based on blood/ marriage. Eg we may form relationships with non blood relatives such as ex partners of parents. These may be stronger than blood relationships

Question 39

Personal life perspective- Nordqvist and Smart

Answer 39

Researched donor conceived children
“ what counts as family when your child shares a genetic link with a stranger “
The issue of blood and genes raised a range of feelings and emphasised the importance of social relationships

Question 40

AO3 points functionalism

Answer 40

• feminists reject this rose tinted view of the family as it neglects conflict and exploration ( serving men and oppression women )
• Marxist argue that it meets the need of capitalism not as society as a whole

Question 41

AO3 points Marxism

Answer 41

• functionalists - Marxists ignore the benefits the family provides
• ignores the wider family structures and assumes nuclear families are dominant
• feminists - family serves the interest of men, not capitalism, more gender inequalities than class inequalities