household unit
a group of people sharing living space
nuclear family
composed of a married adult man and woman with dependent children
extended family
a nuclear family living with other relatives
kinship
ties between people related by descent, marriage and adoption
one-parent or single-parent family
one parent and their dependent child living together
divorce
the legal end of a marriage
reconstituted family
a new family created by remarrying after loss of a partner
step-parent
new parental responsibility of step-parents after remarriage
step-child
a child who lives with one biological parent and one step-parent
civil partnership
formally resgistered relationship between 2 people of the same sex with similar rights to married couples
family diversity
increase in number of different types of families
matrifocal family
a family in which the mother heads the family and the father has less importance bringing up a child
matriarchy
when the mother is the head of the household
arranged marriage
marriage partners chosen by older family members
primary socialisation
process by which infants absorb the basic norms and values of culture
cereal packet family
stereotypical nuclear family with traditional gender roles
family functions
functions the family has according to functionalist theory
feminism
theoretical perspective focused on gender inequality centred around women
patriarchy
systems in which men are dominant and women are subordinate
commune
a group of people who choose to live together and share property
one-person household
when only one person lives in a residence
traditional societies
non-modern societies
monogamy
being married to one person at a time
serial monogamy
having more than one given partner in life but only one at a time
polygamy
being married to more than one person at the same time
polygyny
a man having more than one wife simultaneously
polyandry
a women having more than one husband simultaneously
divorce rate
number of divorces per 1000 people annually
cohabitation
two people in an intimate unmarried relationship
marriage
formal joining of a man and woman in a relationship with rights and responsibilities
marital breakdown
when a marriage has broken down so the couple isn’t living together
empty shell marriage
a married couple continuing to live together without love
secularisation
lack of importance of religion in daily life
family roles
parts played by different members of the family
conjugal roles
roles taken by husband and wife within the family from the domestic divison of labour
joint conjugal roles
no segregation of roles as husband and wife carry out tasks and activities together
traditional conjugal roles
segregated roles in a normal traditional nuclear family
symmetrical family
family with equal conjugal roles
dual worker families
families in which both man and woman do paid work
gender equality
when men and women have equal roles, status and rights
child-centredness
when a child’s needs and wants are the most important considerations
empty-nest families
parents living at home together after children move out
boomerang family
family in which adult children leave home but then return
segregated conjugal roles
husband and wife have different roles within the family
domestic division of labour
the way in which home tasks are divided between man and woman
dual burden
women who do paid work as well as look after the family
dark side of family
negative aspects of family life - arguments, abuse, neglect, violence
dysfunctional family
family failing to carry out its functions
domestic violence
violence and manipulation within the family
modern indutrial societies
societies with industrial economies and high urban populations
industrialisation
process in history in which societies changed from being rural to urban
urbanisation
growth of population in cities
demographic trends
patterns in changes of demographic measures
birth rate
number of live births per 1000 annually
fertility rate
number of live births per 1000 women of child bearing age in population
beanpole family
families with one or few children
death rate / mortality rate
number of deaths per 1000 annually