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Sociology > Families > Flashcards

Families Flashcards

1
Q

How do functionalists view domestic division of labour?

A
  • Parsons and Murdock: natural for women to have the expressive role as the caretaker ie cooking and men have the instrumental role as the breadwinner ie paid work as its biologically determined
  • Young and Willmott: there are more symmetrical families meaning more joint/integrated conjugal roles (more equal domestic division of labour)
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2
Q

Are couples becoming more equal/symmetrical?

A

Yes:
- The ‘New man’
- Symmetrical family - Young and Wilmott - more joint conjugal roles (sharing housework and child upbringing) and dual worker families
No:
- Division of labour not yet equal: men cherry pick more ‘masculine’ tasks to help with
- Dual burden: paid work and domestic work by women and triple shift: women also have to provide emotional support (Oakley) and dismisses ‘New Man’
- Delphy and Leonard argue women still exploited for invisible work, like making birthday cards

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3
Q

What are Parsons views on families?

A
  • Functionalist
    Two functions:
    -Stabilisation of adult personalities
    -> the warm bath theory: home a safe haven where family feels secure and cushions stress from society (marxists argue this is so proletariats don’t rebel in a capitalist society)
    -Primary socialisation of the young
    -> family responsible for teaching the norms and values of society, like manners saying please and thank you, where mother plays expressive role as caregiver and father plays instrumental role as the breadwinner
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4
Q

What are Murdocks views on families?

A
  • Functionalist
    Four functions: Sexual, Educational, Economic, Reproductive
  • Educational: family transmits norms and values of society ie manners. this is via primary socialisation.
  • Economic: provide for basic necessities like food and water. ensures social stability.
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5
Q

What are Young and Wilmott’s views on the family + a criticism?

A
  • Functionalists
    Family becoming more symmetrical and is typical in Britain with more joint conjugal roles:
  • Domestic division of labour more shared and equal
  • Principle of stratified diffusion: what change starts at the top eventually spreads to the lower strata
  • Feminists argue they ignore men that ‘cherry pick’ and the dual burden + triple shift (Oakley)
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6
Q

Explain one reason why families are becoming more symmetrical

A

The ‘New man’. The husband is becoming more involved with home tasks like cooking. This means there are more joint conjugal roles.

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7
Q

Describe one reason why there is there family hierarchy

A

Gender socialisation. For example, girls being brought up cleaning and staying at home whilst boys brought up to be the ‘man of the house’ which is also reinforced by canalisation. Feminists argue this reinforces patriarchy.

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8
Q

What is the general functionalist view on families?

A

-Consensus view
-Organic analogy: different parts of society work together to maintain social cohesion

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9
Q

What is the general marxist view on families?

A
  • Conflict view
  • Families support capitalism and help maintain class inequality as they are a ‘unit of consumption’ which benefits the upper class who own the means of production (ie factories) and get to keep all the profits
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10
Q

What are Zaretsky’s views on the family?

A
  • Marxist
  • Families have a reproductive and economic function which aid capitalism:
    -> Women help reproduce obedient docile workers and womens unpaid work benefitting the bourgeoisie to have higher profits
    -> Families a unit of consumption
    -> Wealth is passed on within upper class (generational wealth)
  • Families cushions stress from capitalism creating an ‘illusion’ so proletariats don’t rebel
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11
Q

What is the general feminist views on the family?

A
  • Conflict view
  • Live in a patriarchal society where the traditional family exploits and oppresses women
  • Critical of ‘roles’ in the family
  • Critical of financial inequality
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12
Q

What are Delphy and Leonard’s view on the family?

A
  • Feminists
  • Family responsible for patriarchy
  • Clear hierarchy in the family with men at top that exploit women and benefit from their unpaid invisible labour (ie cleaning and making birthday cards)
  • Women have a financial dependence which reinforces hierarchy
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13
Q

What are Oakley’s view on the family?

A
  • Feminist
  • Women experience a dual burden and triple shift in the home and thus exploited for unpaid work
  • Strains of the conventional family: women dissatisfied with housework, men have depression from being the breadwinner, argues this official stereotypes are becoming more archaic
  • Rejects idea of New Man
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14
Q

What is a conventional family?

A

Nuclear families consisting of legally married couple that choose to have children.

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15
Q

What is the Murrays view on the family?

A
  • The New Right
  • Division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female caretaker is natural and biologically determined
  • Families should be self reliant
    -> reliance on state welfare results in a culture of dependency which undermines traditional gender roles
  • Increase in lone parent families leads to poor socialisation of children, no male figure to properly socialise child
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16
Q

What is the statistic for how many marriages have ended in divorce and why (why has divorce increased) ?

A

40% of marriages have ended in divorce:
- Legal changes: divorce reform act 1969 eg ‘irretrievable breakdown made it easier and quicker to divorce
- Changing attitudes: media emphasis on ‘romantic love’ puts women at having high expectations of marriage so if not being fulfilled will divorce, celebrities divorcing may also influence ie Kim and Kanye West
secularisation - less pressure
-> less stigma
- Changing roles of women: more women in paid employment so less financial dependence on a man

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17
Q

Why have marriage rates decreased?

A
  • Changing roles of women: more financially independent, more focus on specific career
  • Marriage expensive and alternatives to marriage like cohabitation with less financial commitment, changing attitudes allows this alternative to be more widely used
  • Changing attitudes: less pressure to marry with secularisation and less stigma for alternatives to marriage ie cohabiting
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18
Q

Is marriage still important?

A

Yes:
- Functionalists argue nuclear family serves important functions in society to maintain social cohesion and see as ‘ideal’ family
No:
- Changing roles of women - feminism rising
- Less stigma around cohabitation and lone-person households which are increasing (40% of marriages end in divorce)

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19
Q

How do sociologists view family diversity?

A
  • Functionalists and the New Right: against as argue nuclear family only family type
  • Feminists argue family becoming more diverse due to women being unhappy in their marriage and having more independence financially
  • Rappoports: increasing family diversity (CLOGS)
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20
Q

What are the Rapoports view on family diversity + a criticism?

A

Identified 5 types of family diversity: Cultural, Life course, Organisational, Generational, Social class
- Life course: child may go to university, being in different families over their life course. Results in an empty nest family at home
- Organisational: how family structures roles in house ie domestic division of labour
- Criticism: exaggerate family diversity in society, outdated view

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21
Q

What has lead to an increase in family diversity? (3)

A
  • Law changes ie Divorce Reform Act increased divorce rates as easier to get by ‘irretrievable breakdown’ so more lone parent families and reconstituted families
  • Changing roles of women: feminism and more focus on jobs meaning less financial dependence on men
  • Changes in social values/attitudes: less stigma around different family types ie cohabiting/same-sex
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22
Q

What is a family?

A

Two or more people linked by adoption, marriage, birth or cohabitation

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23
Q

What is a nuclear family/cereal packet family?

A

Heterosexual couple with dependent children.

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24
Q

What is a reconstitutional/step/blended family?

A

One or both partners in a married couple have a child/children from a previous relationship.

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25
Q

What is a beanpole family?

A

Multiple generations with few extended members in each. For example, no aunties or uncles.

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26
Q

What is an extended family?

A

Parents, children and close relatives (at least three generations) living together under the same address/nearby.

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27
Q

Describe one way that family relationships have changed in the modern day

A

Children now economic liabilities not economic assets (child labour). For example, children have to stay in education until they are 18 and can no longer work from a young age. This means now more financially dependent on parents for longer time.

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28
Q

Describe one reason why family relationships have changed

A

Changes in law. For example, child protection acts meaning children must stay in education until 18 years old. This means children cannot work for longer, and so are now economic liabilities.

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29
Q

Describe one reason why domestic abuse be unreported

A

May be financially dependent on the abuser. For example, a wife may earn less than her husband and so relies on him to support herself and her children. Feminists argue this dependence reinforces hierarchy in families and patriarchy in society.

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30
Q

Define monogamy.

A

Married to only one person.

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31
Q

Define bigamy.

A

Married to more than one person.

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32
Q

Define serial monogamy.

A

Remarrying.

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33
Q

Define polyandy.

A

Man has more than one wife.

34
Q

Define polygyny.

A

Woman has more than one husband.

35
Q

What is a household?

A

One person/ a group of people living together at the same address and share at least one meal//facility a day.

36
Q

Why have fertility rates decreased?

A
  • More expensive: children no longer economic assets but economic liabilities due to law changes
  • Changing attitudes: less expectations for women to marry and have children -> secularisation
  • Changing roles in women: education and employment and changed views on family + wider access to contraception so more control
37
Q

What is the importance of the extended family today?

A
  • Geographic mobility means there is more distance between wider relatives as nuclear families become more privatised but advancements in technology mean can still keep regular contact and strong kinship
  • Functionalists argue important not to alienate grandparents who are vital agents of primary socialisation: view can be seen as outdated as roles are becoming less important in society
38
Q

Describe a consequences of divorce

A

Can leave an unhappy marriage. For example, a woman that was previously abused in a dysfunctional family can be free. Functionalists argue this divorce would be positive to maintain social cohesion, as that family didn’t carry out a useful function in society.

39
Q

What are the perspectives views on divorce?

A

Functionalists: less dysfunctional families and more jobs - many remarriages so not a threat to society but may disrupt social cohesion

Marxists: due to conflict about power and resources in a capitalist society

Feminists: most women carry out divorce - dissatisfied with dual burden - no longer want to be trapped in empty shell marriages where they are oppressed for unpaid labour and are becoming more independent financially

40
Q

Define kinship.

A

Relationship with someone biologically, by marriage or adoption.

41
Q

What is birth/fertility rate?

A

Number of live births per yer per 1000 women of child bearing age

42
Q

What is death rate?

A

Number of deaths per yer per 1000.

43
Q

Describe one reason why death rates have declined

A

Medical improvements. For example, vaccines. This leads to an increasing ageing population.

44
Q

Describe one impact of an ageing population

A

More strain on public services. For example, NHS having to care for more of the elderly who may for example struggle to walk. This increases costs for NHS.

45
Q

What are the criticisms of the functionalist view?

A

-Ignore family diversity
- Idealise the nuclear family and ignore dysfunctional families ie domestic abuse
- Outdated: gender roles obsolete ie both partners work ++ children outside wedlock
- Feminists and Marxists would have a negative view as they ignore inequality in families and society:
Feminist: Oakley argues women have a dual burden to reinforce patriarchy
Marxists: women exploited at home serving unpaid labour to benefit capitalism

46
Q

What are the criticisms of the marxist view?

A
  • Feminists agree of women exploitation but argue due to patriarchal society
  • Functionalists have a positive view, argue marxists ignore positive functions of families (ie from primary socialisation)
47
Q

What are the criticisms of the feminist view?

A
  • See women as passive and stereotype families to have an uneven power balance: argued more symmetrical families and some women may enjoy caregiver role
  • Ignore other inequalities ie class argued by marxists where inequality stems from capitalism
  • Functionalists have a positive view, argue ignore positive functions of families (ie from primary socialisation)
48
Q

Define canalisation.

A

Parents channel their children’s interests into toys, games and other activities based on gender: a part of gender socialisation

49
Q

Define ageing population.

A

Proportion of population over retirement age.

50
Q

Define boomerang children.

A

Young adults later return to live at home after leaving.

51
Q

Define civil partnership.

A

A relationship between two people of the same sex having a legally recognised relationship.

52
Q

Describe a commune.

A

A group of people who live together, share possessions, wealth and property. For example, kibbutz. They live communally and have shared norms and values.

53
Q

Explain what are Kibbutz.

A

A group of people who live together in settlements in Israel. For example, they eat food together. This is an example of a commune.

54
Q

Describe the principle of stratified diffusion.

A

Social change starts at the top of the social stratification system and spreads downwards. For example, middle class aquire certain values which ‘diffuse’ down gradually to the working class like joint conjugal roles. This is argued by Young and Wilmott.

55
Q

Explain social stigma.

A

Negative views attached to something.
Ie having an illegitimate child

56
Q

What is the key term for bringing up children?

A

Child rearing.

57
Q

What is the key term for the process of giving birth to children?

A

Child bearing

58
Q

Define immigration.

A

Moving into another country.

59
Q

Give one alternative to the family.

A

Living in a commune. For example a Kibbutz living in settlements in Israel. They have shared norms and values.

60
Q

Describe what is the conventional family/cereal packet family (idealisation)

A

The ‘ideal’ family presented by the media consisting of a married heterosexual couple and dependent children. For example, the father is the breadwinner and the mother stays at home to clean and carry out child rearing. Functionalists argue this family is ideal to sustain social cohesion.

61
Q

What is a Neo-conventional family?

A

A typical nuclear family but both parents go to work.

62
Q

Describe one way how power is exerted within conjugal relationships

A

Domestic violence a form of power to attempt to control. For example, a women abused by her husband for not cleaning. Feminists argue this reinforces patriarchy.

63
Q

Describe one contemporary family issue

A

Toxic childhood. For example porn being easily accessible. Results in delinquent teenagers, due to technological advances like the media.

64
Q

How far do sociologists argue nuclear family is still important?

A
  • Functionalist see as ideal: keeps society stable (warm bath, primary and secondary socialisation)
  • Marxists conflict approach: reinforces capitalism
  • Feminists conflict approach: reinforces patriarchy
65
Q

What are conjugal roles?

A

All responsibilities and roles split between a couple (domestic division of labour)

66
Q

Describe an arranged marriage

A

Parents choose a spouse for their child where its consensual from both partners. For example, in India it is traditional for the parents to choose their daughters husband. This is legal in the UK, unlike forced marriage.

67
Q

Define census

A

a questionnaire survey conducted every 10 years in the UK to collect information on the whole population by the government

68
Q

Describe the crisis of masculinity

A

The idea that males see their traditional masculine identity as under threat today. For example, they are no longer the breadwinner within the family. Oakley argues this is because stereotypical roles in the home are becoming archaic.

69
Q

Describe double standards

A

A rule or code of behaviour that is unfairly applied to one group (such as women) and not another (such as men). For example, praising men for having multiple girlfriends but stigmatising women for it. Feminists argue this is due to patriarchy which oppresses and controls women.

70
Q

Describe a dysfunctional family

A

A family in which functions are not being carried out. For example, an abusive husband. Functionalists argue dysfunctional families will disrupt social cohesion within society.

71
Q

Define particularistic standards

A

In the family, children are judged against the standards and rules of their particular family and its values.

72
Q

Describe a privatised nuclear family

A

A nuclear family that is cut off from the extended family. For example, a nuclear family with children living in another country from their grandparents. The lifestyle tends to be more home centred.

73
Q

Define the separate spheres

A

The split between the private world of home and the public world of work(for women)

74
Q

Define social convention

A

The norms, or accepted ways to behave in particular situations.

75
Q

Describe gender domains

A

Activities which either gender sees as their ‘territory’. For example, boys being associated with football and outdoor sports. This stems from gender socialisation.

76
Q

Define pester power

A

Children persuade parents to buy them material items - benefits bourgeoisie

77
Q

Describe what is meant by egalitarian

A

A society where all are considered equal. For example, everyone has the right to vote regardless of gender or ethnicity. This has driven many political movements in modern society, i.e. feminism.

78
Q

Define adolescence

A

The period from the start of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult (10-19)

79
Q

Describe popular press

A

Material written for the general public. For example, tabloid news on celebrities. May cause a reaction from society if doesn’t follow norms and values.

80
Q

Define youth culture

A

Norms and values of children, adolescents and young adults

81
Q

Describe privatised instrumentalism

A

Social relationships centred on the home. For example, a family staying at home watching TV rather than going out and socialising with other individuals. They are usually more distant from their extended family members.

Sociology (5 decks)

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