family and households

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

'’organic analogy’’- every part of society helps to keep society going- for example, the family helps by bringing up the next generation. heart is the family

Question 2

Parsons

Answer 2

Functional fit theory- the sociological perspective on the evolution of the family. As society changes the type of family that ‘fits’ society and its functions change. The family is essential for socialising members and stabilizing adult personalities

Question 3

Murdock

Answer 3

4 functions:
- Stabilisation of sex drive
- socialisation of the young
- reproduction
- economic needs

Question 4

Why do functionalists think the family is good?

Answer 4

It socialises children into norms and values and reproduces the next generation and it provides economic support.

Question 5

The New Right

Answer 5

• Traditional way of living
• No same sex marriages
• The nuclear family should be a dominate family structure with 2 heterosexual parents
• father with the instrumental role
• Mother with the expressive role
• No one should get divorced because lone parenting is bad for the child
• they believe everyone should be self reliant and not ask for help from the government or anyone else

Question 6

Marxism

Answer 6

maintains class inequality and capitalism

Question 7

Engels

Answer 7

Inheritance of property- wealthy people pass on their properties, lower class may not have that luxury, as production developed so did wealth and private property, Engels state that this promoted monogamous nuclear family

Question 8

Zaretsky

Answer 8

ideological functions- the norms and values we are told at a young age are not always true, Zaretsky says, ‘‘the family being a safe haven is an illusion because it is not always like that’’

Question 9

Unit of consumption

Answer 9

• cycle of buying new things and wanting all new things and are encouraged to keep spending money
• children pester power the parents
• keeping up with the joneses- consuming all the latest products

Question 10

Warm bath theory

Answer 10

Parsons
- the family relieves the stress of modern day living.
- the family provides a warm, loving and stable environment for the working man who can be relaxed and refreshed after work

Question 11

When was the divorce reform act?

Answer 11

1969

Question 12

when was the marriage (same sex couples) act?

Answer 12

2013

Question 13

when was the child support agency?

Answer 13

2000

Question 14

althusser

Answer 14

ideological functions- Marxists believe that the modern family supports the ideology that justifies inequality by persuading individuals to accept it as fair, natural and unchanging to uphold capitalism

Question 15

marxist feminist

Answer 15

• Believe that the main causes of womens oppression is not men, but capitalism, and they do this in 3 ways.
• women reproduce the labour force
• women absorb anger- Ansley- ‘wives are takers of shit’
• women are a reserve army of cheap labour.

Question 16

Radical feminists

Answer 16

• Believe that men are the enemy as they exploit women
• they also believe family and marriage are the key institutions in a patriarchal society.
• they want to abolish the family structure and live a life separate to men

Question 17

Greyer- Radical feminist

Answer 17

argues for the creation of a ‘matrilocal’ households (all female)

Question 18

Difference feminism

Answer 18

• Argue that we can not generalise the same points across different families. They argue that heterosexual lesbian, white and black women all experience life differently
• black feminists, put forward the argue that the function the family is to be supportive and resistant against racism

Question 19

Instrumental role

Answer 19

male
success at work so can support the family.
he is the breadwinner

Question 20

expressive role

Answer 20

female
geared towards primary socialisation and meeting the families emotional needs

Question 21

segregated conjugal roles- Bott (1957)

Answer 21

where the couples have separate roles, such as parsons instrumental roles and expressive roles

Question 22

joint conjugal roles- Bott (1957)

Answer 22

where the couples shares tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together

Question 23

Willmott and Young

Answer 23

completed a study on segregated roles in the 1950 on a traditional w/c families in Bethnal green. They found that the breadwinners would spend their time in pub, whereas women leisure would be limited and spend with female kin

Question 24

Willmott and Young- March to progress view

Answer 24

put forward the argument of the symmetrical family. they suggest that although roles are not identical they are now similar
- women can now go to work, men can also help with housework

Question 25

Oakley

Answer 25

criticises willmott and youngs view that the family is now symmetrical- found only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework

Question 26

Boulten

Answer 26

She found that 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. She said that the father had a few roles but it was always the mother who was responsible for the child's security and well- being.

Question 27

warde and Hetherington

Answer 27

found out that men would only carry out 'female' tasks when their female partner was not around to do them.

Question 28

Giddens

Answer 28

a postmodernist explains how before modernity there was little or no intimacy in love relationships. Today, Giddens argues that it has become possible to create and sustain long term loving relationships- 'pure relationship'

Question 29

Dunscombe and Marsden

Answer 29

research into 40 m/c couples and found that women felt emotionally deserted by their husbands. they found that women felt that they were carrying out a demanding triple shift: paid work, housework and emotion work

Question 30

Dunne

Answer 30

research into lesbian couples and found an absence of 'gender scripts' relationships were far more equal and negotiated.

Question 31

southerton

Answer 31

women still in heterosexual couples take responsibility and have to plan quality time

Question 32

reasons for growth in divorce

Answer 32

- changing gender roles - social media - women now get employed and work so they do not need to rely on men - secularisation- divorce is not as frowned upon - divorce reform act 1969- free divorce - women want their own voice

Question 33

cohabitation

Answer 33

two people living together in the same residence whilst also being part of an intimate relationship

Question 34

negative impacts of divorce/ cohabitation

Answer 34

Wilson and Stuchbury- Cohabitation is less stable than marriage Murphy- children of cohabiting parents are disadvantaged New right- divorce is eroding the fabric of society feminists- Divorce laws have helped women to gain freedom, independence and social equality

Question 35

impact of changing fertility rates

Answer 35

- reduction in labour force - dependency ration - immigration - growth of bean pole family - voluntary childlessness - decrease in full time mothers

Question 36

reasons for trends in fertility rates

Answer 36

- contraception - education - role of women - infant mortality rate - geographic mobility - changing values - economic factors