Theories of the Family - Key Terms Flashcards
Family
Social institution consisting of a group of people who are related by kinship ties
Kinship
Relations of blood, marriage or adoption
Household
A person living alone or a group of people living together at the same address
Nuclear family
A family with two generations of parents and children living together in one household
Patriarchy
Male dominance with men having power and authority
Primary socialisation
Socialisation during early years of childhood
Expressive role
Nurturing, caring and emotional role
Instrumental role
The provider / breadwinner role in the family
Classic extended family
Several related nuclear families or family members live in the same house, street or area
Privatised nuclear family
Self-contained, self-reliant and home-centred family unit that is separated and isolated from extended kin, neighbours and local community
Modified extended family
Related nuclear families, geographically living apart but maintaining regular contact
Division of labour
Division of work into specialised jobs
Domestic labour
Unpaid housework (E.g. cooking, cleaning, childcare and looking after sick or elderly)
Dependancy culture
Set of values and beliefs, centred on dependancy on others, welfare state
Underclass
Social group right at the bottom of the social class hierarchy
Monogamy
Form of marriage where a person can only be legally married to one partner at a time
Ideological state apparatus
Agencies which serve to spread ideology and justify power of dominant social class
Symmetrical family
Family where the roles of the husband and wife have become more equal
Family ideology
Dominant set of beliefs, values and images about how families are and how they ought to be
Stereotype
Generalised, oversimplified view of an institution/social group
Cereal packet family
Stereotype of ideal family found in media and advertising. Married couple with father as breadwinner and mother as caregiver
Life course
Sequence of significant events (marriage, parenthood, retirement) individuals experience as they make their way through life
Individualisation
Process whereby traditional social relationships, role and beliefs lose their influence over lives of individuals
Confluent love
Active and conditional love, involves building of trust and emotional intimacy between two people. Conditional as it last as long as it meets needs of both partners
Pure relationship
Relationship where a couple choose to stay together because it meets their emotional and sexual needs
Divorce rate
Number of divorced per 1000 married people per year
Secularisation
Process where religious thinking, practice and institutions decline and lose influence in society
Marriage rate
Number of men or women marrying per 1000 unmarried men or women per year
Moral panic
Wave of public concern about some exaggerated or imaginary threat to society, stirred up by media
Beanpole family
Multi-generation extended family, which is long and thin, with few family members
Arranged marriage
Marriage arranged by parents of the marriage partners, with view of compatibility of background and status
Domestic division of labour
Division of roles, responsibilities and work tasks within a household
Segregated conjugal roles
Clear division and separation between male and female roles
Joint conjugal roles
Roles show few divisions between male and females
Demography
Term used for the study of characteristics of human populations
Life expectancy
An estimate of how long the average person can be expected to live
Birth rate
Number of live births per 1000 of population per year
Death rate
Number of deaths per 1000 of population per year
Infant mortality rate (IMR)
Number of deaths of babies in their first year of life per 1000 live births per year
Ageing population
One in which the average age is getting higher, with greater proportion of population over retirement age
Dependancy ratio
Relationship between the proportion of the population who are working and not working
General fertility rate (GFR)
Number of live births per 1000 women of child bearing age per year
Total fertility rate (TFR)
Average number of children women will have their child bearing years
