Ch 11. The Changing Family

Question 1

an institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including children

Answer 1

Family

Question 2

a social network of people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption

Answer 2

Kinship

Question 3

a unit composed of relatives in addition to parents and children, all of whom live in the same household

Answer 3

Extended family

Question 4

a unit composed of one or two parents and his/her/their dependent children who live apart from other relatives

Answer 4

Nuclear family

Question 5

• many women are in the labour force
• the focus has shifted from the needs of children to the needs of adults
• more single-person households
• many new types of families: common-law, same-sex, living apart together, blended

Answer 5

Reasons for Canadian Families are in Decline

Question 6

Original concepts of the family in Canada (2)

Answer 6

1. Based on Indigenous practices the family consisted of the nuclear family, extended family, and clan structures
2. Indigenous social structures did not dictate the clear gender division of labour, gender roles, or segregation of sexes that we currently see

Question 7

As women’s role in the domestic economy decreased…

Answer 7

…their role in household chores and child rearing increased

Question 8

As men increasingly worked outside of the home…

Answer 8

…their work at home began to decrease

Question 9

WWI and WWII had significant impacts on the family structure in North America

The dominance of the nuclear family as the ideal family type during post-war times

Talcott Parson’s idea of the ideal family (expressive/instrumental) reflects this period

Answer 9

Impacts of Structural Changes on the Family

Question 10

Structural Functionalist Theory

Answer 10

Stresses the importance of family in maintaining the stability of society and well-being of individuals

Question 11

1. regulate sexual behaviour and reproduction
2. socialize and educate children
3. provide economic and psychological support
4. provide social status for members

Answer 11

Families Role (Functionalist)

Question 12

Social Conflict Theory

Answer 12

Families are sources of social inequality and conflict over values and access to resources which benefits the capitalist class and subordinates women

• women and children are dominated by men like factory workers by managers (engels)
• women do more unpaid work in the home (child care) more than men

Question 13

Feminist Perspective (3)

Answer 13

1. Male domination occurred before capitalism and Inequality causes domestic abuse
2. Rates of spousal homicide is higher for females (6 million) than males (2 million) - inequality causes domestic abuse
3. Increases in age of first marriage and occupational opportunities may be helping the reduction of inequality

Question 14

Symbolic Interactional Theory

Answer 14

Partners develop a shared reality through interaction

Question 15

1. Women’s lives have become more “individualized”
2. Different expectations of marriage/family
3. Society emphasizes romantic love, but this can cause unrealistic expectations
4. Men and women may express love in different ways
5. Nuclear families used to predominate, now many forms exist

Answer 15

How do changes occur in family? (interactional theory)

Question 16

Monogamy

Answer 16

marriage between two people

Question 17

Marriages have been declining from the

Answer 17

1970s (started in the 50s after WWII)

Question 18

Singlehood

Answer 18

percent of individuals who live in one-person households in Canada has increased; for many it is involuntary

Question 19

Postponing marriage (and why?) (4)

Answer 19

Mean age of first marriage for men is 31.0, and for women, 29.6 years

1. the economic uncertainty due to changing job structure
2. women’s participation in work force
3. sexual revolution
4. rising divorce rate

Question 20

two unmarried adults living together in a sexual relationship without being married: 18 percent of all couples in Canada in 2011

Answer 20

Common Law/Cohabitaiton

Question 21

people in an intimate relationship living in another dwelling/location. Couples not living in the same dwelling for job opportunities or to minimize care-giving (among older couples)

Answer 21

Living Apart Together (LAT)

Question 22

Dual-earner marriage

Answer 22

both spouses in the labour force

Question 23

Second shift

Answer 23

domestic work that women do at home after completing their workday on the job

Question 24

Two-parent households

Answer 24

When father take an active part in the family, there are beneficial results. However, constant fighting/abuse, this leads to problems in two-parent household families.

Question 25

• 16.3 percent of all households (2011)
• Mothers head 80% and fathers 19%
• Children can be at a disadvantage for schooling, drug abuse, and later life problems.
• 21.8% of children in female lone-parent families are below LICO vs 8.2% in two-parent families

Answer 25

Lone-Parent Families

Question 26

1. Less financial security
2. Lower academic achievement
3. More substance use
4. Lower rates of employment

Answer 26

Problems that stem from divorce for children (4)

Question 27

Reproduction Related Issues (2)

Answer 27

1. Reproductive freedom, contraception, and abortion: abortion is not always available and protests take place at clinics, but it appears to be in decline
2. Infertility, inability to conceive after a year of unprotected sex, and new reproductive technologies

Question 28

1. 20% of children live under the poverty line
2. 40% of First Nations children live under the poverty line
3. 10% of families live under the poverty line
4. family poverty is gendered

Answer 28

Concerns for the current family (poverty)

Question 29

1. Rational
2. Responsive
3. Reasoning
4. Firm

Answer 29

Four parenting styles - style is more important than family income or structure for explaining behavior problems