Sociology, Paper2, 2018, Topic A2 Families and Households

Question 1

1. Outline and explain two ways in which government policies may affect family structure.
   [10 marks]

Answer 1

Indicative content

Answers may include the following and/or other relevant points such as the impact of:

• divorce legislation and the impact on family structure
• welfare policies that facilitate the existence of lone-parent families
• equal opportunities legislation on gender roles within the family
• migration policies that may lead to alternative family structures, eg multi-generational households
• policies on gay marriage which may encourage alternative family forms
• adoption policies that enable different family structures
• housing policies and boomerang children.

Sources may include the following or other relevant ones: 
Allan et al; 
Almond; Ballard;
Berthoud; 
Chamberlain; 
Cunningham; 
Ferri and Smith; 
Fletcher; 
Murray; 
Smart.

Question 2

2. Read Item C below and answer the question that follows.

Item C

There have been a number of demographic changes since 1900. Life expectancy has
increased and therefore several generations of a family may be alive at the same time.
Also, people now have fewer children.

Applying material from Item C, analyse two ways in which demographic trends since
1900 may have affected the nature of childhood in the United Kingdom today.
[10 marks]

Answer 2

Sources may include the following or other relevant ones: 
Cunningham; 
Evans and Chandler;
Giddens; 
Livingstone; 
Margo; 
Morrow; 
Palmer; 
Pilcher; 
Postman; 
Rees; 
Valentine; 
Vincent and
Ball; 
Womack.

Question 3

3. Read Item D below and answer the question that follows.

Item D

Postmodernist sociologists argue that individual choice is now more important to people than their responsibilities to their family. As a result, people are choosing to live in a variety of different ways and the idea of family is more difficult to define.
However, other sociologists argue that postmodernists overestimate the extent of
change in family life.

Applying material from Item D and your knowledge, evaluate the view that individual
choice in personal relationships has made family life less important in the United
Kingdom today.

Answer 3

Indicative content

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: 
individuation; 
confluent love; 
plastic
sexuality; 
pure relationship; 
life course; 
choice; 
family practices; 
cereal packet family; 
cohabitation;
trial marriage; lone-parent families; 
neo-conventional family; 
births outside marriage; 
divorce;
remarriage; 
serial monogamy; 
singletons; 
sex outside marriage; 
ethnic diversity; 
civil partnerships;
same-sex marriage; 
gay and lesbian families; 
new reproductive technologies.

Sources may include the following or other relevant ones: 
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim; Gabb;
Giddens; 
May; 
Morgan; 
Smart; Stacey; 
Weeks.