Sociology Exam :Family life and Population. Flashcards
Define ‘affective individualism’
The practice of forming marriage ties on the basis of LOVE. Romantic love. Lawrence STONE identified the industrial revolution as areas on for the change to a nuclear family. Changing the form and function of the household to become private and personal. People moved from rural to urban locations, giving up their support networks. Pre-modern Europe marriage was a property arrangement to raise children as assets to work on the farm,
Define family….
Complex and diverse combination of kin and welfare
A group of people who are related to each other by blood ties or legally ie. Marriage or adoption.
A place to upbringing children.
Usually in the same household.
A place of unconditional love and support.
Outline ‘structuralism’
Both Marxists and feminists believe the structure of the family is a way of maintaining patriarchal power and enhancing capitalism.
Monogamous marriage was protected by the state as it was seen as a smooth operation of inheritance from men to their sons.
Reproduces workers through procreation,
women’s domestic labour ensures the worker ready for work each day at no cost to the employer.
Society is made up of interlocking systems.
Each element can be understood by its relation to other elements, as part of a larger structure.
Outline ‘functionalism’
Talbot PARSONS: nuclear family crucial to industrialised society as geographically mobile and emotionally stable labour force.
Functions of a family:
1. Reproduction: social reproduction…maintains society
2.Protection: care for helpless infant
3. Regulation of sexual behaviour: monogamous relationships
4. Socialisation: transmit the ‘norms’ of culture to the child
5. Affection & companionship: to be understood, loved and taken care
6. Provision of social status: inherit social position from parents
Outline ‘symbolic interactionist ‘
Looks at society and its shared meanings for patterns of social behaviour. The meanings are ‘fluid’ and constantly change in society.
Studies are about small individual interactions.
Herbert BLUMER: 1.interactions dependant on meaning we associate
2. Different meaning to different people
3. The meaning we give can change
Tree/shade hot day. /ants/…..bites…/tree/ants
Negotiating the everyday routines of family life.
Draw the demographic transition model and describe it.
Also describe the shortcomings of the model.
DTM : 4 stages
Stage1- Slow population growth, high birth match high death rates…primitive technology, low income and living standards. Pre-Industrial
Stage2- Population growth, high birth rate, decreasing death rate. Shift from Pre-Industrial into Industrial.
Stage3- Slow but steady population growth,decreasing birth and death rate. Industrial stage
Stage4- nil or negative population growth, birth and death rate low. Post -Industrial stage.
The model show’s the phase or stage a country is in. The densely populated developing countries are still very rural and have not made the shift to industrial growth in these areas food supply will not be able to keep pace with population demand.
Describe ‘Fertility’
The number of babies a woman will have between the ages of 15-44. The incidence or rate of childbearing in a population. CBR…crude birth rate = the number of live births per 1000 .
The fertility rate is being effected as more women are having no or less children, taking further education or having their family later in life(therefore having less children)
Describe ‘fecundity’
Is the number of children a woman is biologically ABLE to have during her childbearing years, onset of menstruation to menopause. A woman is capable of beating 20 children!
Often reduced by cultural norms, financial restrictions or personal choice. Women’s roles have changed, no longer get married have children, now more women working, contraception more easily available. Children no longer seen as an economic asset to work on the farm, now an economic liability costing lots of money.
Define, ‘life expectancy’
It is the average number of years a person can expect to live.
CDR or crude death rate shows an important trend that people are living longer. Populations are more likely to survive childhood illness due to immunisations and medical treatment for curable diseases…degenerative disease become the main cause of death.
The dependency ratio of children, unemployed and old people is getting larger as populations live longer, the working population is decreasing so less earnings will go to the govt for benefits.
Put forward a case argues the significance of one of these perspectives to understand family in contemporary society.
McLennan et al note in modern families the traditional responsibilities of the family network have been replaced by the development of the welfare state. Marxist sociologists think the capitalist state has destroyed the privacy of the families, social, health and welfare workers.. The structure of the family has diversified but it has retained it’s core functions to are for children and the old.
Outline agricultural modernisation
Argues that world hunger problems are caused by not enough food and poor productivity of the traditional agriculture in the LDC’s. Wants capital investment in agricultural development that is environmentally sustainable. Huge multinational firms could produce more food in total but distribution to the hungry is the issue.
Outline ecological Neo-malthusianism ideas
Work from the logical view…faster rate of population growth = more people = less food available. Reminds the earth is a biosphere and solutions must be found long term within the limits of earths resources. Rapid growth of population = sustaining the environment is more important than the population size. Soil and water/environment must be maintained. They want a shift away from the successful but environmentally damaging agricultural technology. Have academic research to show population growth is regionally specific….not worldwide.
Outline inequality and political economy
Incorporates the social conflict theory that inequality and poverty due to the social inequality of the developing nations cause both global and local hunger. The social relations are causing hunger, malnutrition and starvation. The global inequality is perpetuated by large corporations able to increase the total volume of food produced still leaving those with little or no money and small producers without food.
Describe the social disruption factors of hunger
Particularly wars, in poor areas where entitlement to food is low are very damaging. Usually even very poor countries can avoid famine if there are no social disruptions too.
Describe how natural disasters effect hunger
Natural disasters such as , floods, or droughts often lead to famine. Research shows only 10% of all hunger deaths are due directly to natural disasters, the natural disasters add to the severe conditions.
