Unit 1 Family

Question 1

What is a family?

Answer 1

It is difficult to define
the term ‘family’ as
there is a variety of
family types in Britain
and not one main type.
Functionalists see the
basic traditional nuclear
family as the best way
to bring up children, but
other sociologists disagree.
Functionalist theories had a
very significant effect on how
families were viewed, but
their definition of the family is
now out of date.

Question 2

How do families vary globally?

Answer 2

There is a great variety of practices regarding family and marriage throughout the world. ‘Normal’ family life in one culture might be considered strange in another culture. Different countries also have different laws regarding marriage. In most Western countries, for example, polygamy is illegal.

Question 3

What types of family exist in the UK today?

Answer 3

People in Britain today live in a variety of family forms. There is no one dominant
family form.

Question 4

Why have marriage trends changed in the UK?

Answer 4

Social, economic and
religious developments have
led to significant changes in
marriage patterns in Britain
today:
More people are never
marrying and living as
single people.
More couples are
cohabiting instead of
marrying.
Many couples are
marrying at a later age.
There are now more
remarriages per year
than there are first-time
marriages.

Question 5

Why is there increasing family diversity?

Answer 5

The Rapoports identified diversity in families in Britain today. Robert Chester
disagrees with this view, arguing that the nuclear family is still the main family type.
Some sociologists see such diversity as a positive development, allowing family
members, and women in particular, more choice on how to live their lives.

Question 6

How has family diversity come about?

Answer 6

Family diversity in Britain has
increased due to a variety of
factors:
Social norms relating to
families have changed.
The decline in religion
has removed the religious
barrier to other family
forms.
The position of women
in society has improved,
giving women more
economic independence.
Legal changes have given
both men and women
greater freedom to
divorce.
There is greater ethnic
family diversity.

Question 7

Why are there more lone-parent families?

Answer 7

Social, legal and economic changes have led to the growth in the numbers of lone parent families in the UK.
The New Right blame the ‘inadequacy’ of lone-parent families for some of society’s
problems. Feminists argue against this view, pointing out that lone-parenting frees
women from dependency on men and allows them to bring up their children away
from, for example, an unhappy relationship.

Question 8

Why has there been a growth in singlehood?

Answer 8

There has been a growth in singlehood, caused by social, economic, religious and
technological changes:
Social norms have changed. It is now acceptable for women to remain single or
concentrate on a career. Sex outside marriage has become acceptable.
Contraception is available to people who are unmarried.
Women are now more able to support themselves financially.

Question 9

Why have there been changes to the divorce?

Answer 9

Changes in the law have
extended the grounds
of divorce to include
irreconcilable differences,
ie, relationship breakdown,
which allows more people
to divorce now than could in
the past.
Social and economic
changes, particularly
affecting women, have
also contributed to a rise in
divorce rates.

Question 10

How do functionalists and the New Right view divorce?

Answer 10

There are different sociological views on divorce. The New Right see it as destroying the nuclear family and the cause of many social problems. Functionalists see it as a
way of people escaping an unhappy marriage, not marriage itself. Feminists believe divorce gives women the opportunity to free themselves from unhappy marriages
and patriarchy.

Question 11

Why has there been a reduction in family size?

Answer 11

The average size of families in the UK has decreased over the last 40 years. This is the result of a number of social, economic, religious and technological changes. There
has been an increase in the overall birth rate, but more families are choosing to have only one child.

Question 12

is the family in decline?

Answer 12

There are different views on
whether or not the family
has declined. If the family
is defined as the nuclear
family, then changes such as
the increase in lone-parent
families, cohabitation and
children born outside of
marriage are leading to
family decline. An alternative
view, however, is that there
are many different types
of family that function
effectively and carry out the
functions of a family unit.

Question 13

Are conjugal roles changing?

Answer 13

Sociologists Willmott and Young claim that conjugal roles became symmetrical
in the 1970s, in that women and men shared the responsibilities of their domestic partnership in terms of work, household duties and childcare. Feminist sociologists dispute this claim, saying that, in the majority of families, there is an imbalance between male and female roles.

Question 14

Has the ‘new man’ become the norm?

Answer 14

Studies indicate that there is a move towards equality in conjugal roles, especially when women work. However, there is little widespread evidence of the ‘new man’ who is as equally involved in housework, childcare and emotion work as his partner.

Question 15

How have the roles of men been affected by social changes?

Answer 15

Social changes, such as in the world of work, have affected the role of men in the
family and in society. Although in some families, the father is still the breadwinner
and authority figure, some men face a crisis of identity or masculinity as they
struggle with their changing roles.

Question 16

How has the role of children in families changed?

Answer 16

The meaning of childhood has changed over the last 50 years in Britain, with children being given more rights. Some people believe we live in a very childcentred society. Not all children have shared equally in the improvements, however, and there are
still concerns over some children’s welfare compared with some other countries.

Question 17

How has the role of older people in families changed?

Answer 17

The arrangement of
members of an extended
family all living in the same
house is less common in
Britain today than it was
in the past and still is in
some other countries.
Nonetheless, extended
family ties are still strong
and grandparents often help
and support their children.
At the same time, increasing
numbers of elderly people
who are in ill health and
poverty might have to be
supported by their family.

Question 18

What is the functionalist view of the family?

Answer 18

Functionalists are very positive about the family and see it as performing vital roles
within a well-functioning society. Other sociologists, such as feminists and Marxists
do not agree with this view of the family.

Question 19

Has the nuclear family become more privatised?

Answer 19

Talcott Parsons argues that the modern privatised nuclear family has emerged because
it is mobile and can move to areas where there are jobs, so it is therefore functional
for the needs of modern society. However, there is evidence that many contemporary
families are not isolated and instead maintain ties with the extended family.

Question 20

What is the Marxist view of the family?

Answer 20

Marxists argue that the family serves the interests of capitalism and the bourgeoisie
because:
-workers bury themselves in the family unit and do not rebel against the injustice
of capitalism
-the capitalist classes focus on the family to buy their products
-workers have to support their family so are afraid to protest or strike.
Other groups, such as functionalists and feminists, disagree with this view.

Question 21

What is the feminist view of the family?

Answer 21

Feminists argue that the family is patriarchal and benefits men at the expense of
women. They point out that children learn gender roles in the family and that men
have a superior role to women. Women in the family are also more likely to be
victims of abuse and violence than men.

Question 22

Why are feminist critical of the family?

Answer 22

Feminists believe the family
is a patriarchal institution in
which the roles of females
are socially constructed to
become housewives and
mothers.
Sylvia Walby argues that
violence in the family is
mainly committed by
men against women, and
shows that men exert their
power over their partners
in the home. She says that
domestic abuse is a result
of the inferior position of
women in society.

Question 23

How can the theories of the family be summarised?

Answer 23

Functionalists argue that
families benefit society and
individual family members.
Marxists argue that families
benefit the upper class.
Feminists argue that families
benefit men.