Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Sociology > Family > Flashcards

Family Flashcards

(68 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Murdock view of family

A 
Functionalist
Four functions -
Stable satisfaction of adult sex drive
Reproduction
Socialisation
Economic
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Functional fit theory

A

Parsons (functionalist)

Functions of the family will fit the needs of the society in which it is found

Pre-industrial - extended family
Industrial - nuclear family - geographically mobile

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Structural differentiation

A

Parsons (functionalist)

As society industrialises, some of the functions of the family are lost - other agencies carry them out - state provides education

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Two irreducible functions of the family

A

Parsons - functionalist

Socialisation - instrumental and expressive role models needed

Stabilisation of adult personalities (warm bath theory)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

New right theory of family

A

Murray

Lone parenting is on the rise and leads to social problems such as

Increased crime
Poor exam results
Increased permissiveness
Welfare dependency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

New right solutions for lone parent families

A

Reduce welfare benefits

Women should stay at home and men be the breadwinner

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Inheritance of property

A

Engels - Marxism

Inheritance laws keep the wealth and property in the hands of the bourgeoisie - rich peoples property is passed down to their children

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

False class consciousness

A

Zaretsky - Marxism

Socialising children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are the inevitable

Paternal power over children accustoms them to the idea that there always has to be someone in charge

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Unit of consumption

A

Marxism

Capitalism exploits workers by not paying them enough and then advertises the products, encouraging the workers to buy them, thus generating more capital for the the bourgeoisie

The media target children, who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to spend more

Children who lack the latest clothes or gadgets are mocked and stigmatised by peers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Radical feminist theory of family

A

Nuclear family must be abolished - separatism - women must organise themselves to live independently from men

Political lesbianism - heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive because they involve ‘sleeping with the enemy’

Greer - creation of matrilocal households - men move in with the wives family

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Liberal feminist theory of the family

A

Family is patriarchal but change is inevitable and evolutionary

Legal changes - 1970 equal pay act

Social changes - women are more socially free than in the past

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Marxist feminist theory of the family

A

Women are the biggest victims of capitalism

As mothers - reproduce and discipline the next generation of passive workers unpaid

As wives (Ansley ‘takers of shit’) - soothe their alienated husbands and send them back to work passive

Reserve army of cheap labour - taken on when extra workers are needed then dropped

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Beanpole family

A

Each generation has few members

Many generations within a family but with few siblings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Horizontally extended families

A

Include multiple siblings, their spouses and their children all living together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Vertically extended families

A

At least three generations of parents and children living together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Modified extended families/dispersed nuclear families

A

Keep in touch by technology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Lone parent families

A

One parent living with dependent children

1 in 4 children by the age of five will live with one parent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Why are lone parent families increasing

A

More divorce
Cohabitation break up
More mothers never in relationship with father
Changing social attitudes - secularisation
Women more economically independent
Changes in adoption laws

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Reconstituted families

A

Married or cohabiting couples with dependent children, at least one of whom is not the biological offspring of both partners

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Gay and lesbian families

A

Weeks - increased acceptance of homosexuality has led to more stable, long term relationships among this group

Same sex couples are pioneers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

One person households

A

Rise due to

Male divorcees
Decline in those marrying

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Confluent love

A

Giddens (postmodernist)

We have unrealistic expectations of relationships given to us by the media

This leads to more relationship breakdown

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Risk society and the negotiated family

A

Beck (postmodernist)

The post modern era is characterised by increased choice and risk taking. Tradition is less influential

As we enter relationships/families we negotiate what we expect from the deal. If this changes, individuals feel justified in leaving the family unit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Divorce extended families

A

Stacey (postmodernist)

Study of Silicon Valley showed how many families are now linked by divorce, not marriage.

Key members are usually female and may include former inlaws, such as mother and daughter in law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Neo conventional nuclear family
Chester (postmodernist) Dual earner family - both spouses go to work People still aspire for nuclear family
26
5 types of family diversity
Rapoports (postmodernist) ``` Organisational diversity Cultural diversity Social class diversity Life stage diversity Generational diversity ```
27
Individualisation
Beck (postmodernist) Risk society - tradition has less influence Greater gender equality - challenged male domination in both work and family Greater individualism - peoples actions are influenced more be calculations of their own self interest than by absence of obligation to others
28
Equality and the pure relationship
Giddens (postmodernist) Contraception has allowed intimacy rather than reproduction to become the main reason for the relationships existence Women have gained independence so have greater opportunities in work and education Pure relationship - couples stay together for love rather than law, religion and social norms - relationships can be easily ended by either partner
29
Socially constructed childhood
Pilcher - separateness Dress - clothes are different to adults Entertainment - toys Food - food advertised specifically for children Laws regulating what children are required to do - school Laws protecting children by prohibiting activities - drinking, smoking
30
What is divorce
The legal termination of a marriage
31
Changes in law making divorce easier
1971 divorce reform act - people could now ask for a divorce due to the ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’ 1984 matrimonial family and proceedings act - the time a couple had to be married before they could petition for a divorce dropped from three to one
32
Functionalist view for rise in divorce
Higher expectations of marriage due to romantic love therefore couples are less likely to tolerate an unhappy marriage
33
How changing social values influenced divorce rate
Divorce become more socially acceptable. Normalisation of divorce - decline in stigma attached to divorce - Mitchell and Goody
34
How secularisation relates to rise in divorce
Traditional opposition to divorce carries less weight in society
35
How the economic position of women influences divorce
Women are more likely to be in paid work Equal pay act has helped narrow pay gap Girls have greater success in school Welfare benefits mean women don’t have to rely financially on men
36
Total fertility rate
Average number of children that women will have during their fertile years (15-44)
37
Changing position of women during the 20th century - decline in BR
Access to abortion and reliable contraception gives women more control Increased educational opportunities- girls now outperform boys in schools More women in paid employment and having successful careers Changing attitudes towards family life - women don’t have to have children
38
Decline in the infant mortality rate- decline in birth rate
Improved housing and better sanitation Better nutrition of both mothers and children Better knowledge of hygiene, child health and welfare Improved services for mothers and children - ante and postnatal clinics Harper - if many infants die, mothers have more to replace the ones they have lost
39
Medical factors - decline in birth rate
Mass immunisations against childhood diseases such as whooping cough Improved midwifery
40
Children have become an economic liability - decline in birth rate
Changes in the law- banning child labour, making school compulsory and raising the school leaving age mean children have to rely on parent economically for longer Changing norms - about why children have a right to expect from parents (material possessions) this means the cost of raising a child has significantly risen
41
Child centredness - decline in birth rate
Childhood is now socially constructed as a uniquely important period of life. Parents have less children but give them more attention
42
Future trends in birth rates
Immigration - mothers from outside the uk have a higher fertility rate than women born in the uk Babies born to mothers who were from the outside the uk accounted for 22% of births in the uk
43
Effects of changes in fertility
Smaller families means that women are more likely to be free to go out to work - creating a dual earner family However better off couples may be able to afford childcare so can still have a large family and go out to work
44
Dependency ratio
Relationship between the size of the productive (working) part of the population and the size of the non - working (dependent) population A fall in the number of children reduces the burden of dependency
45
Lower birth rate effect on public services
Fewer schools Smaller houses being built Companies being able to give higher rates of maternity pay because women aren’t having as much time off overall
46
Infectious diseases - reason for falling death rate
Tranter 3/4 of the decline in the death rate from about 1850-1979 was due to a fall in deaths from infectious diseases like tb, smallpox
47
Improved nutrition - decline in death rate
Mckeown - improved nutrition accounted for up to half the reduction in death rates
48
Medical improvements - decline in death rate
Advancements in antibiotics, widespread immunisation and blood transfusions Better midwifery - reduce infant mortality rate and maternal mortality NHS introduces in 1949
49
Public health measures and environmental improvements - decline in death rate
Improvements in housing Purer drinking water Pasteurisation of milk Improved sewage disposal Laws to protect peoples health - clean air acts
50
Social changes that reduce death rate
Decline in more dangerous jobs like mining Smaller families reduces the transmission of infections Greater public awareness of the causes of illness Higher income sallow a healthier lifestyle
51
Regional differences in life expectancy
Those living in the north of England and Scotland have a lower life expectancy than those in the south
52
Social class differences leading to life expectancy
Wc men in unskilled or routine jobs are nearly three times more likely to die before they are 65, compared with men in managerial or professional jobs
53
Causes of an ageing population
Increased life expectancy Decking infant mortality rate
54
Effects of an ageing population
Older people consume a larger proportion of services than younger people - increased expenditure The number of pensioners living alone has increased. One person pensioner households account for 14% of all households. Feminisation of later life - mainly females living in their own as they live longer than men
55
Socially constructed view of the elderly
Griffiths report - society faces the problem of letting the escalated costs of health and social care for the growing numbers of old people Ageism - negative stereotyping of people based on age. Elderly often portrayed as vulnerable, irrational and a burden
56
Net migration
The difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants
57
Recent patterns in migration
2011 - ethnic minority’s groups accounted for 14% of the population
58
Migration acceleration
According to the UN 2013 between 2000 and 2013, international migration increased by 33% to reach 3.2% of the worlds population
59
Migration differentiation
Many different types of migrant Permanent settlers Temporary workers Spouses Forced migrants
60
Super diversity - migration
Vertovec Migrants is come from a much wider range of countries and within a single ethnic group people may have different legal status
61
3 types of migrant
Cohen Citizens - full citizenship rights Denizens - privileged foreign nationals welcomed by the state - highly paid employees of multinational companies Helots - disposable units of labour
62
Feminisation of migration
Hochschild Expansion of service occupations in western countries has led to increasing demand for female labour Western women have joined the labour force and are less willing to perform domestic labour Western men remain unwilling to perform domestic labour The failure of the state to provide adequate childcare
63
Politicisation of migration
States now have policies that seek to control immigration, absorb migrants into society and deal with increased ethnic and cultural diversity
64
Assimilation
First state policy approach on immigration. It aimed to encourage immigrants to adopt the language, values and customs
65
Multiculturalism
Accepts migrants may wish to retain a separate cultural identity
66
Shallow and deep diversity
Erikson Shallow - acceptable to state- accepting chicken tikka masala as Britain’s national dish Deep - not acceptable to state - arranged marriages
67
Othering of immigrants
Castles Assimilation leads to othering. This leads to minorities responding by emphasising their differences - Islamic fundamentalism
68
Divided working class communities - migration
Castles Assimilationist ideas may encourage workers to blame migrants for social problems such as unemployment, resulting in racist scapegoating

Sociology (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions