all family + beliefs

jan 13 mock

marriage tax allowance 1990

married couples paid less tax

• aimed at cohabitating couples

adoption act 2002

• married and unmarried people to adopt + same sex couples

charles murray

• welfare benefits encourage irresponsible behaviour

• fathers see state maintains their children → abandon family responsibilities

diana leonard

• family policy maintains patriachy

• normally paid to mother

• assumes child’s welfare is mother’s responsibility

diana leonard however

you can now nominate who recieves the money

reasons for changes in the position of children

• laws

• declining family size and infant mortality rates

child protection and welfare legislation law

every child matters 2003

laws and policies relating specifically to children

• sure start (1998)

• free early years provision

edward shorter

children are more valued, protected and educated

jane pilcher

• childhood is separate from adulthood

• golden age: characterised by innocence and happiness

phillipe aries

• in the middle ages, childhood did not exsist

• mini adults

• children depicted as small adults in art

sue palmer

• toxic childhood

• rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development

neil postman

• disappearance of childhood

• similar knowledge with adults: illness, death, war

• democratisation of information

neil postman however

• parental controls

• ability to restrict

carol smart 

children were actively involved in trying to make the situation better for everyone

inequality between children and adults

• control over children’s time (curfew)

• control over children’s bodies (diet, clothing)

• control over access to resources (pocket money)

pahl and vogler

• men make major financial decisions

• pooling: both partners have access to income

janet finch

• women’s lives structured around men’s careers

• his career takes priority when new house or new job

stephen edgell

• very important decisions (finance, house) - taken by husband

• important decision (child education, holiday) - taken jointly

• less important decisions (home decor, clothes) - usually made by wife

evaluation: carol smart

some gay men and lesbian attatched no importance to who controlled the money

evaluation: weeks et al

• co independence

• typical pattern: pooling for household spending, separate accounts for personal spending

• each partner retains control over money + maintains sense of independence

young and willmott

• march of progress

• family life improving for all its members

• joint conjugal roles

ann oakley

• dual burden

• women: domestic labour, paid employment

• men are more likely to carry out ‘female’ tasks when their partners were not around them

mary boulton

fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare

dumcombe and marsden

• triple shift

• women: domestic labour, paid work, emotional labour

british social attitudes survey

2013: less than 10% of under 35s agree with a traditional division of labour as against 30% of the over 65s

crompton and lyonette

• women earn less than men

• therefore, economically rational for them to do housework + childcare

• men spend more time earning money

why are gender roles changing?

• women are working outside the home

• equality laws (equality act 2010)

• attitudes towards responsibility of domestic chores

• technological changes: domestic tasks are easier

giddens

• romantic love

• people are now looking to create meaningful relationships that are based on love and respect

gernsheim

• individuals expect to make their own decisions about more aspects of their lives

• more opportunities for everyone, especially women

dennis and erdos

• increasing numbers of children born outside marriage/ single mothers

• children have poorer health and lower educational attainment than two parent children

evaluation of new right

• blaming victims for problems that aren’t their fault

• low wages, inadequate state benefits

charles murray

• socialisation and role model required to develop are often lacking in female headed, LPF dependent on welfare

charles murray evaluation

idealistic - harking back into golden age where family never exsisted

rad fem: delphy and leonard

the family is a partiachal and hierarchal institution through which men dominate and exploit women

marx fem: fran ansley

women soak up the frustration of their husbands

• alienation and exploitation at work

• explains domestic violence

lib fem: sommerville

• need to adopt principled pragmatism

• practical policies produce greater equality

• most women don’t want to live w/o a male partner

difference feminism

• society cannot generalise all women’s experiences

• black fem: white fem neglect white women’s experiences of racial oppression (family can support)

zaretsky: unit of consumption

• consumption festivals (christmas)

• family encouraged to spend money

unit of consumption evaluation

• some families do not conform to the expectation

• pooling, commune

zaretsky: ruling class ideology

• during socialisation, teaches children how to obey

• transfers to workplace

• do not question alienation, creating obedient docile workers

evaluation of marxist theory

• feminists: too much focus on class inequality, ignores gender

• ignores positive aspect of family life: parsons

functionalist theory of the family

views society as being a system of interconnected parts

• organic analogy

murdock’s 4 functions of family

• sexual function

• economic function

• reproductive function

• educational function

criticisms of murdock

• non-nuclear families

• rose tinted view

non nuclear families

can also perform the functions to the same standard

rose-tinted view

feminists see the family as serving the needs of men oppressing women

parsons: irreducible functions

• primary socialisation

• soap (stabilisation of adult personalities)

primary socialisation

• equips children with basic skills + society’s norms and values

• e.g. manners, hygiene

• reduces conflict

stabilisation of adult personalities

• place where adults relax + release tensions

• enables return to the workplace refreshed and ready to meet demands

soap evaluation

• not everyone has a safe home: radical feminists

• burden on women

robert chester

• neo conventional family

• earner family where both spouses work

• become the new norm

• nuclear still most aspired to structure

allan and crow

• lone parent family often not permanent

• average lifespan of LPF 5 years

• non permanent alternative

asian families

• most are based on nuclear families, 20% extended

• low divorce + cohabitation rates

ken price

• african carribean families

• lone parent families 48%

• headed by women

• low marriage rates

multicultural families

recent increase in the number of partnerships between people of different ethnic groups

giddens

• romantic love

• relationships exist solely to satisfy each others needs

• individuals unwilling to stay with partner if fails to deliver fulfillment

charles murray: rise in family diversity

• since 1970s, 3rd experience diversity continual generations who view dependency on welfare + lone parent as the norm

new right family preference

• 2 opposite sex role models

• mother → nurturing

• father → discipline

underclass norms

• lone parent family

• long term unemployment

• crime

organisational diversity

• different ways family roles are organised

• conjugal roles, one wage earner

cultural diversity

• different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures

social class diversity

differences in family structure are partly the result of income differences

life stage diversity

family structures differ according to the stage reached in the life cycle

generational diversity

older and younger generations have different attitudes and experience that reflect the historical periods in which they have lived

jane pilcher

• life course has changed alongside the wider social reorganisation of industrialisation and post modernity

featherstone and hepworth

• life course has be deconstructed in modern society

• previously structured life stages have been broken down and blurred by post modernity

how has childhood and old age changed?

• age of first child increased

• no ‘retirement’ age

• older age trying to feel younger

• women in high paying jobs

main trend in marriage

marriage in total is decreasing

reasons for decline in first time marriage

• changing attitudes

• secularisation

• declining stigma

• changes in the position of women

• fear of divorce

changing attitudes

• less pressure to marry

• widespread belief that the quality of a couple’s relationship is better than legal status

changing positions 

• less economically dependent on men

• marriage oppressive partiachal institution

change in attitude towards marriage

• marriage is not held with as much importance

• laws related to marriage do not enforce it

reasons for decline in first time marriage

• secularisation

• changes in the position of women

• fear of divorce

divorce reform act 1969

idea of matrimonial offence + guilty part abolished

empty shell marriage

• feminists approve

• an escape from partiachal families (triple shift + dual burden)

mitchell and goody

• divorce more socially acceptable

• willing to resort to it to solve marital problems

• e.g. king charles = divorcee, head of CofE

crow

• women are more financially independent

• equal pay act

• welfare benefits → no dependency on husbands

feminist: jessie bernard

• women feel dissatisfaction with partiachal marriage

• women more confident in rejecting partiachal oppression

post modernist: gernsheim

• women and men expected to work + pursue personal career ambitions

• can cause conflicts of interest + contribute to marital breakdown

child bearing trend

birth rate is decreasing

sue sharpe

• 1974: marriage and children as priority

• 1994: career as top priority, children and marriage least important achievement

reasons for decline in birth rate

• cost

• development of medicine

• emancipation of women

cost of raising children

• £220,000

• birth to 21 years

• economic burden

• child labour + education laws

development of medicine and hygiene

• decrease in infant mortality

• quantity over quality

emancipation of women

• set free from legal, social, or political restrictions

• no longer seen as just ‘producers of children’

post modern: gurnshiem

people are delaying parenthood and choosing to focus on their own life; jobs and careers

• holidays

• travel

• owning a home

reasons for increase of age in first time parents

• ivf

• older women less issues with fertility

• ivf = reliable, well known

• allowed to delay having children

reasons for rise of cohabitation

• changing attitudes of the young

• increased opportunities for women

• secularisation

durkheim: bringing people together

• arunta clan

• follow the religion: totenism

• came together for group worshship

• such as, Sunday mass (catholic)

durkheim however

• doesn’t take into account secularisation

• less people in group worship, less sense of social solidarity

malinowski: emotional support

• trobriand islanders

• lagoon fishing: safe

• ocean fishing: rituals are more important

• such as, funerals

parsons: guides for how we act

• american protestantism

• core valued built on

• equality, meritocracy, working hard, democracy

• united multi cultural society

marx: ruling class ideology

• must be obidient

• ten commandments (christianity)

marx rci evaluation

• parsons argues that marx ignores the benefits of religion

• gives people core values

marx: false class consciousness

• divine compensation

• working towards the ultimate reward, being in the afterlife with god

marx fcc evaluation

• secularisation

• replaced with the internet

leach: social hierarchy

• church of england

• 80% bishops privately educated + oxbridge

• lower understanding of the w/c experience

• less motivation to change

leach however

• archbishop of cantnbury

• justin webly

• helped stop the exploitation of the w/c

hook: social hierarchy

• catholic church - conservative institution

• against contraception + abortion

• creates dependency of capitalism