Sociology Familes & Households: Changing Family Patterns And Family Diversity

Question 1

Sociology: changing family patterns
Divorce
-change in law

Answer 1

-divorce reform act(1971)
-‘irretrievable breakdown’ made it easier to obtain
-legal aid for divorce made divorce cheaper

Question 2

Sociology: changing family patterns
Divorce
-declining stigma

Answer 2

-in the past divorce was stigmatised
-e.g churches tended to condemn divorce
-become more common reduces stigma it’s now regarded as misfortunate

Question 3

Sociology: changing family patterns
Divorce
-rising expectations of marriage

Answer 3

Fletcher
-marriage is largely linked to romantic idea of love so if they’re is no love no reason to be married
-some had no choice in the past and therefore had low expectations

Question 4

Sociology: changing family patterns
Divorce
-women’s independence

Answer 4

-women doing better in education
-more likely to be in paid work
-welfare benefits mean they don’t have to be dependent on men

Question 5

Sociology: changing family patterns
Reasons changing patterns Marriage

Answer 5

-declining stigma to marriage alternatives
-age of marriages are rising
-changes in position of women

Question 6

Sociology: changing family patterns
Reasons for increasing cohabitation

Answer 6

-the young are more likely to accept cohabitation
-secularisation
-more opportunities for women

Question 7

Sociology: changing family patterns
One-person households

Answer 7

-lots of pensioners live alone
-but now due to divorce huge increase in non pensioners

Question 8

Sociology: changing family patterns
Childbearing

Answer 8

-47% of children are born outside of marriage
-women are having children later
-fewer children or even childless

Question 9

Sociology: changing family patterns
Lone parent families

Answer 9

-one in four children lives in a parent only household
-due to increase divorce rate

Question 10

Sociology: changing family patterns
Why woman are most likely to be lone parent

Answer 10

-wide spread belief that women are more nurturing
-the fact divorce courts usually give custody to mothers

Question 11

Sociology: changing family patterns
Lone parents and the welfare state

Answer 11

Murray
-providing benefits to unmarried mothers and their children
-rewards irresponsible behaviour and creates dependency culture
-he said abolish walfare state

Question 12

Sociology: changing family patterns
Black family’s

Answer 12

-higher proportion rate on lone-parent households
-due to unemployment men cannot provide for their family leading to desertation

Question 13

Sociology: changing family patterns
Asian families

Answer 13

-nuclear
-due to Asian culture
-live nearby relatives

Question 14

Family diversity:
Rapoports:
Generational

Answer 14

Older and younger generations have different views, values and experiences that determines family structure

Question 15

Family diversity:
Rapoports:
Life stage

Answer 15

Difference in family structure due to stage in life cycle

Question 16

Family diversity:
Rapoports:
Social class

Answer 16

Difference in family structure due to income

Question 17

Family diversity:
Rapoports:
Organisational

Answer 17

Refers to the way family’s are organised e.g duel earners

Question 18

Family diversity:
Rapoports:
Cultural

Answer 18

Different cultures have different family structures e.g more Asian households are extended family’s

Question 19

Family diversity:
Neo-conventional

Answer 19

Chester
-dual earner family
-stats on house hold composition are a snap shot most people have spray their lives in a nuclear family (same beliefs as functionalism)

Question 20

Family diversity:
Functionalism

Answer 20

Parsons
-nuclear family is the only suitable structure
-others cannot perform functions required

Question 21

Family diversity:
New Right

Answer 21

-see only nuclear as functional
-breadwinner husband and homemaker wife
-lone parent family’s are harmful to children

Question 22

Family diversity:
New right critique

Answer 22

Oakley
-wrongly assume husbands and wives roles are fixed by biology
-study’s show a variation is best

Question 23

Family diversity:
Postmodern families

Answer 23

Stacey
-greater freedom has benefited women
-as women where the main reasons for changes in the family
-her interviews showed many women had rejected the traditional housewife role
-carrer then remarried

Question 24

Family diversity:
Choice and equality

Answer 24

Giddens
-family and Marriage has changed due to choice
-contraception has allowed sex not just for reproduction
-women’s independence

Question 25

Family diversity:
Pure relationship

Answer 25

Giddens
-relationships are no longer bound by traditional norms
-soles exists for each others needs
-free to enter and leave as they please
-however, less stable more like a rolling contract

Question 26

Family diversity:
Individualisation thesis

Answer 26

-traditional social structures like class,gender and family have lost influence
-less fixed roles

Question 27

Family diversity:
Individualisation thesis critique

Answer 27

-exaggerates how much choice people have about family relationships
-ignores factors like social class inequality and patriarchy in limiting choices