Studied by 4 people
Arranged Marriage
marriage partners are chosen by older family members rather than people choosing their marriage partner
Beanpole family
a family with only one child or very few children; combined with rising life expectancy this leads to family trees that look very tall and this with few people in each generation
Birth rate
the number of live births per 1000 people in the population per year
Boomerang family
a family in which the adult children have left home but then return
Cereal packet family
the stereotypical nuclear family of mother
Child centredness
when the child's needs and wishes are the most important considerations
Civil
a relationship between two people of the same sex that has been formally registered giving them similar rights to married couples
Cohabitation
two people who are not married to each other living in an intimate relationship
Commune
a group of people who choose to live together and share at least some of their property
Conjugal roles
the roles taken by the husband and wife within the family resulting from the domestic division of labour
Dark side of family
the negative aspects of family life such as arguments
Death rate
the number of deaths per 1000 people in the population in one year; also called the mortality rate
Demographic trends
patterns in the changes of demographic measures such as the birth rate and death rate
Divorce
the formal
Divorce rate
the number of divorces per year per 1000 people
Domestic division of labour
the way in which tasks in the home (such as cooking
Domestic violence
violence within the family
Dual burden
women who do paid work as well as look after the home and family are said to have a dual burden - the term 'triple burden' or 'triple shift' is also sometimes used
Dual worker families
families in which both the man and woman do paid work
Dysfunctional family
a family that fails to carry out the functions expected of it; for example
Empty shell marriage
a married couple continue to live together but without love or affection
Empty-nest families
parents living at home together after their adult children have moved out
Extended family
a nuclear family living with other relatives such as grandparents or great-grandparents or aunts
Family diversity
the increase in the number of different types of families
Family functions
the functions the family has
Family roles
the parts played by different members of the family
Feminism
a theoretical perspective that is mainly interested in issues of gender inequality and on the position of women in the family and in society
Fertility rate
the number of live births per 1000 women of child-bearing age in the population
Gender equality
when men and women have equal roles
Household unit
the group or people living together in the same residence and sharing living space
Industrialisation
the process in history in which societies changed from being mainly rural and based on agriculture to being urban and with more people working in industries
Joint conjugal roles
the husband and wife carry out many tasks and activities together
Kinship
when the ties between people are related by descent (having a common ancestor) by marriage and by adoption
Marital breakdown
when a marriage has broken down so that the couple are no longer living as husband and wife; some breakdowns lead to divorce
Marriage
the formal joining of a man and a woman in a relationship with rights and responsibilities; some countries now allow same sex marriage
Matriarchy
when the mother is the head of the household
Matrifocal families
one in which the mother heads the family and the father has a less important role in the family and bringing up children
Modern industrial societies
created by industrialisation; societies that today have industrial economies and high urban populations
Monogamy
being married to one person at a time
Nuclear family
made up of an adult man and an adult woman who are marries
One-parent or single-parent family
one parent and their dependent living together
One-person household
when only one person lives in a residence
Patriarchy
a term used by feminists to describe societies and organisation (including the family) in which men are dominant and women are subordinate
Pologyny
when a man has more than one wife at the same time
Polyandry
when a woman has more than one husband at the same time
Polygamy
being married to more than one person at the same time; for example
Primary socialisation
the process by which infants and young absorb the basic norms and values of their culture
Reconstituted family
after the death of a partner or a divorce
Secularisation
the process by which religion has become less important in the daily lives of many people in modern industrial societies
Segregated conjugal roles
the husband and wife have clearly different roles within the family and different interests and activities; the opposite of joint roles
Serial monogamy
when someone has more than one marriage partner during their life
Step-child
a child who lives with one biological parent and one-step parent
Step-parent
after remarriage a step-parent shares with their new partner parental responsibility for children from previous marriages
Symmetrical family
a family in which the conjugal roles have become more equal
Traditional conjugal roles
the segregated roles assumed to be normal in the traditional nuclear family
Traditional societies
non-modern societies
Urbanisation
the growth of cities
Agencies of social control
organisations
Anomie
when the social bonds and shared system between a society and individuals are broken
Community sentencing
punishments that involve non-custodial sentences
Conformity
matching attitudes and behaviour to those of a group
Corporate crime
crime committed by corporations or organisations
Crime
acts that break formal written laws
Crime prevention
attempts by governments to reduce crime
Crime rates
statistical measure of crime
Cybercrime
crime involving use of new technologies such as computers
Dark figure
The unknown number of crimes not included in official statistics
Deterrent
when a punishment is intended to stop the offender or others from committing the offence so as to avoid the punishment
Deviance
behaviour that breaks (or violates) the norms or values of a group
Deviancy amplification
when responses to deviance create further deviance
Deviant career
In labelling theory this term describes the choices that individuals make which lead them to behave in ways labelled as deviant and they go on to follow a deviant path or career
Dominant values
beliefs that form a basis for action and are held by most people or by those with the power to force their values on others
Formal social control
ways in which a government or it agencies
Inadequate socialisation
socialisation that fails to fully instill norms and values and so makes individuals more likely to become deviant
Informal social control
ways in which people get others to conform to norms
Internet crimes
crime involving use of internet
Judicial system
the system of courts that apply and interpret laws
Juvenile delinquency
deviant acts by young people that would be considered crimes if they were older
Labelling
the way in which acts and people are defined as deviant by the social reaction to their behaviour
Law enforcement agencies
government agencies with powers to make people conform to the law in. their area
Masculinity
the attitudes and behaviour associated with being a man in a particular culture
Master status
a status that overrides all others and becomes they way that individuals see themselves and are seen by others
Material deprivation
being short o the material goods needed in a society
Moral panic
exaggerated social reaction to deviance
Official crime statistics
official figures of the number of crimes and offenders
Ostracism
punishment involving being excluded from the community
Peer group
a group that individuals identify with because they share characteristics such as age or status
Penal system
the formal organisation of punishments for crime in a society
Policing
the ways in which the police carry out their work such as investigating crimes and arresting offenders
Prison
a place for physically confining offenders
Rehabilitation
when the punishment involves work or education to help offender realise they were wrong to commit the crime and to help them resume a law-abiding life
Relative deprivation
the feeling of having less than others with whom a comparison can legitimately be made
Rewards
positive benefits received for an act (also called positive sanctions)
Sanctions
penalties imposed for not conforming to norms and values
Self-report studies
research that asks people what crimes or deviant acts they have committed
Socialisation
the process by which individuals learn the norms and values of a social group
Sociological explanation
attempts to account for phenomena such as crime (as opposed to
Status frustration
when people are unable to achieve the socially approved goals because of their position in society
Stereotyping
representations of groups in popular culture or views held by individuals that assume that all members of a group have the same characteristics
Note 
Flashcard (39)