Sociology: Families and Households - 6

Flashcards covering key sociological concepts related to families, households, and childhood, based on the provided lecture notes.

What term is used by Parsons to describe the role of the breadwinner and disciplinarian of the family?

Instrumental role

Give two reasons why domestic violence is underreported.

Lack of reprimand, fear, may not know they are a victim, or believe they deserve it.

In which ethnic group are matrifocal single-parent families most common?

Afro-Caribbean

What term is used to describe a marriage with more than two partners?

Polygamy

What is an ascribed status?

A status one is born into, such as class, according to Parsons.

What is the difference between an 'empty nest' and an 'empty shell marriage'?

An 'empty nest' is when children have grown up and no longer live at home; an 'empty shell marriage' is when there is no love between partners, but they usually stay together for the children.

Before the Divorce Reform Act, what three reasons could be given by a woman for wanting a divorce?

Abuse, affair/adultery, abandonment

What is an extended family?

When multiple generations (three or more) live together or in close proximity to each other.

What are three main causes of domestic violence?

Crisis of masculinity, husband's expectations regarding a woman's domestic work, possessiveness and sexual jealousy, and allocation of family resources (money).

According to Postman, what is the concept of 'disappearing childhood' linked to?

Information hierarchy and new media, where children and adults have access to the same content, and adults participate in children's culture and vice versa, leading to children committing similar crimes as adults.

How does Opie challenge Postman's view of disappearing childhood?

Opie argues that childhood is not disappearing but changing, with children still having separate cultures, exemplified by children's rhymes.

What is Sue Palmer's concept of 'toxic childhood'?

An increase in ADHD and other mental issues in children due to factors like not interacting with family, not spending time outside, poor sleeping patterns, unhealthy food patterns, and a decline in emotional security.

What is the concept of 'universal childhood'?

The idea that the 'Western notion of childhood' is spreading around the world due to global media and charity.

According to the 'March of Progress' view, what are some changes to the status of childhood?

Laws like compulsory education, the United Nations' 'rights of the child' charter, and increasing child-centredness.

What are some of the rights of the child recognized by the United Nations?

Life, survival and development; protection from violence, abuse or neglect; an education that enables children to fulfill their potential; and the right to be raised by, or have a relationship with, their parents.

How do children's experiences differ based on gender, according to the conflict view?

Girls may experience a 'bedroom culture.'

How do children's experiences differ based on ethnicity, according to the conflict view?

Afro-Caribbean families often have lone-parent mothers; Asian cultures may have multi-generational households and stricter norms.

How do children's experiences differ based on social class, according to the conflict view?

Material deprivation, such as poor mothers being more likely to give birth to children of lower birth weight, linked to delayed physical and mental development.

What are four ways children are controlled by adults?

Control over space (e.g., CCTV, monitoring), time (e.g., strict routines for eating, TV), resources (e.g., pocket money), and bodies (e.g., clothes, food, posture).

How does cultural relativity support the idea that childhood is a social construct?

It shows intra-cultural differences (e.g., class) and inter-cultural differences (e.g., international tribes) in childhood experiences.

How does historical relativity, particularly Aries' work, support the idea that childhood is a social construct?

Aries argued that childhood has changed over time and is a modern construction, noting that previously children and adults looked the same in paintings.

How does Pilcher argue for childhood as a biological concept?

By citing physical immaturity (pre-puberty), psychological immaturity (pre-frontal lobe not fully developed until 20s), and socially separated laws creating distinct life stages.

What is the dominant framework view of childhood, according to James and Prout?

Children are seen as simple and amoral (black and white), while adults are complex and moral (greys).

What is the 'sensible analytical approach' to understanding childhood?

A mixed view that sees childhood as partly biological (up to around 12+ years of age) and partly a social construct.