Chapter 6 - The American Society: Families and Households

What is a household?

all the people who occupy a housing unit designed to be occupied as separate living quarters.

What defines a family household?

at least two members related by birth, marriage, or adoption, with one being the householder.

What is a nonfamily household?

household consists of a householder living alone or exclusively with others to whom they are not related.

What is a traditional family?

Married opposite sex-couple and their own or adopted children living at home

What is a stepfamily?

is a married-couple family household with at least one child under 18 who is a stepchild.

What trends are observed in the evolving American household?

rising single-parent families, cohabitation with children, blended families, multipartner fertility, and mothers as breadwinners.

What is the household life cycle?

The household life cycle refers to the stages households go through, including marriage, child-rearing, retirement, and aging.

What are the stages of the household life cycle for younger households?

Young Singles, Young Couples without Children, Full Nest I, and Single Parent I.

What characterizes middle-aged households in the household life cycle?

Middle-aged households include Empty Nest I, Delayed Full Nest I, Full Nest II, and Single Parent II, often with disposable income for leisure activities.

What defines older households in the household life cycle?

Empty Nest II and Single III, with changing financial situations and needs.

Applications in Consumer Behavior

Young singles are active and often have significant discretionary income. They are a prime market for higher quality apartments, sports cars, clothing, travel, and similar activities

How does the household life cycle influence marketing strategy?

The household life cycle serves as a segmentation variable, influencing the unique needs, wants, income, occupation, education, and consumption patterns at each stage.

What is family decision making?

is the process by which decisions involving two or more family members are made.

What factors determine family purchase roles?

culture, specialization of family members, their involvement in product areas, and personal characteristics.

What are common approaches to conflict resolution in family decision making?

bargaining, impression management, use of authority, reasoning, and emotional appeals.

What is consumer socialization?

is the process by which young people acquire skills, knowledge, and attitudes relevant to functioning as consumers.

What are the content categories of consumer socialization?

include consumer skills, consumption-related preferences, and consumption-related attitudes.

What are Piaget's stages of cognitive development related to consumer socialization?

Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs.), Preoperational (3-7 yrs.), Concrete Operations (8-11 yrs.), and Formal Operations (12-15 yrs.).

What are the methods of consumer socialization through family?

instrumental training, modeling, and mediation.

What ethical concerns are associated with marketing to children?

children's limited ability to process information, potential for undesirable values, and unhealthy family conflict.

What is the role of CARU in marketing to children?

The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) addresses ethical concerns in marketing directed at children.