sociology family booklet 1 flashcards and definitions

Household

an individual or group who share the same residence - does not have to be related

non-family household

an individual or group who share the same home but not related by blood or law

Klinenberg

there is a rise in people living alone

people now see living alone as a positive lifestyle choice

Chandler et al

the largest growth in people living alone is in the ages 25-44

this can be due to less proportion of people marrying

Levin

more people are now in relationships where they are ‘living apart together’ where they live in separate homes

this allows them to maintain their independence and freedom

Sharpe

working class values 1970 - love, marriage husbands and children

working class women value 1990 - having a job, being able to support themselves

they now see education as a main route for goals, not marriage

nuclear family

consisting of two generations, a married monogamous couple and their umarried dependant children

Murdock

murdock has been to 250 different societies and found the nuclear family was the most common, this can be due to:

1. sexual monogamy - enforced to keep society stable

2. reproductive - reproduce offspring for the survival of humanity

3. economic - men go work and women do not need to

   1. education - primary socialisation

Parsons

the nuclear family has two essential functions

Stabilisation - warm bath theory

primary socialisation - personalities are ‘made not born’

McAllister and Clarke

couples choose to have no kids as they see it as a positive lifestyle choice

this can be due to the high standards of parenting and wanting their freedom without kids

Allan and Crowe

• there is a rise in never-married mothers

• this can be due to less stigma attatched to single parents

Extended family

a multi generational family of at east 3 generations

beanpole family

a generational family with few horizontal extensions (aunties, uncles, siblings)

Brannen

there has been an increase in beanpole families due to:

1. increased life expectancy

2. decreased birth rated

3. increased geographical mobility

Henry and Henretta

sandwhich generations

ross et al

• grandparent’s rile is to care for young people

  • ylung people recieve guidance and make a connection between generations

Ghuman

South Asian families are more likely to be in extended families

this can be due to them being more concerned in culture and values

Lone parent family

one adult member with their dependant child / children

Robinson

90% of lone parent families are women

women are more likely to win custody

they have increased in 30 years to over 15%

allowed people to get divorces for non extreme reasons

divorce reform act

Giddens

people are willing to stay in empty shell marriages ‘there is no love but do it for the children’

reconstituted family

made up of two separated, divorced or widowed people in the same householdDe

De’ath & slater

children find themselves torn between their natural parent, straining relations

tense relationships can develop between step-parents

if they have kids, the older kids may envy them

Smart et al

children in reconstituted families are more likely to loose ties with the non-resident parent

this had lead to co-parenting where they both spend half the time with each other

Bedell

reconstituted families allow for a second chance at happiness

the shift in stigma and allowing for a new relationships ake parents and chilldren both happy with the decision

Chester

there has been an increase in single-parent families
however, people get re-married afterwards, meaning people will spend their lives mostly married, but not to the same person

same-sex family

a homosexual couple living together in a household with children

Dunne

sam-sex families tend to have more equal roles

this means children are raised in equal roles and not the seperation of jobs by gender

weeks et al

a more open attitude to homosexuality means more of them are getting IVF or adoption

the law that allowed non-married couples to adopt children

adoption act 2002

sugarman

parents teach kids different social norms and values depending on social class:

working class:

1. fatalism - accepting te situation and no effort to imporve

2. immediate gratification

3. present time orientation

4. collectivism - loyalty to the group rather than individual

   Middle class:

5. belief and change your status, high belief

6. deferred gratification

7. future time orientation

8. continuous individual development

Hardill et al

there has been a shift in decision making being shared

as well as families being more child centered

Ghuman 2

Asian parents want to see norms and values such as:

1. the importance of religion

2. mother tongue

3. respecting elders

Berthoud and Beishon

Pakistani families tend to be:

1. more likely to get marred earlier

2. less likely to be divorced

   1. less likely to live alone

marriage definition

voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, a legal arrangement meaning tey share their assets

cohabition

two people in a civil partnership without being legally married

Allan and crowe

cohabitation has become increasingly popular over the past 50 years due to:

1. change in attitude towards sex in marriage

   1. reluctance to commit to another marriage

   2. financial independance

Giddens 2

plastic sexuality has developed, meaning choosing someone because you want to be with them

Wilkinson

women have experienced a ‘genderquake’ meaning:

young females no longer prioitise marriage

this can be due to educational opportunities and feminism

Beck and Beck- Gersheim

people are now more diverse and freer in relationships to suit their needs

you can get a divorce for ‘irrevertable breakdown’ allowing the freedom to get divorced for non-serious reasons

divorce reform act 1969

men and women get paid the same

equal pay act 1970

Stacey

Families have become more diverse, fluid and unresolved, meaning that here is no perfect, dominant family type.  

Cost of child report

2013

children have gone from an economic assett to an economic burden

calculated to be around £200,000 until 21

Women Royal Voluntary Service

old people are the social glue in communities

older people are worth 10 billion in the UK economy

Kingman

the spending of older people has increased while for younger people it has declined

age concern

from 2020 half the population will be over 50

this makes them burdens as fewer people will be able to work and generate revenue for the UK

this will lead to limited elderly support in the future

Victor

in 2003, 7% of old people reported being lonely

this is said to increase wdue to the increased divorce rates