Sociology - Family Keyterms

SOCIOLOGY GCSE Y10

What is a household?

People living together in the same dwelling, not necessarily related.

What is a family?

People connected by kinship, marriage or chosen relationships who support each other.

What is a nuclear (cereal-packet) family?

Two parents and their dependent children living together.

What is the instrumental role in the family?

The breadwinner/provider role.

What is the expressive role in the family?

The emotional and caring role.

What does family diversity mean?

The variety of family types in society.

What is an extended family?

A nuclear family plus additional relatives.

What is the double shift (for women)?

Doing paid work and most domestic work.

What is the triple shift (for women)?

Paid work + housework + emotional labour.

What is a blended family?

A family where parents bring children from previous relationships.

What is a beanpole family?

A long, thin family with several generations but few members in each.

What is a horizontal extended family?

Relatives of the same generation involved or living close.

What is a modified extended family?

Family who live apart but stay close through contact and support.

What is a lone-parent family?

One parent raising dependent children.

What is a reconstituted family?

Another term for a blended family.

What is a same-sex family?

A family with parents who are a same-sex couple.

What is a matrifocal family?

A family where the mother is the head of the household.

What is a one-person household?

A single person living alone.

What is an empty-nest family?

Parents whose children have grown up and moved out.

What are looked-after children?

Children cared for by the state in foster care or residential homes.

What is life course analysis?

A sociological approach that studies how individuals and families experience changes over their lifetime.

What is a cohort?

A group of people who share a common characteristic, usually born in the same time period.

What is industrialisation?

The shift from agricultural society to industrial society involving urbanisation, factory-based work, and decline of extended families.

What is a symmetrical family?

A family where roles of men and women are more equal and shared.

What is stratified diffusion?

The idea that social changes start in higher social classes and spread to lower ones.

What is geographical mobility?

The movement of people from one area to another, often for work.

What are extended kin?

Relatives beyond the nuclear family.

Who are the Rapoports?

Sociologists who argued that family diversity is increasing and identified 5 types of diversity.

What is organisational diversity?

Differences in how families are structured.

What is cultural diversity in families?

Differences in family behaviour and structures due to culture or religion.

What is social class diversity?

Family structures and roles differing by class.

What is life cycle diversity?

Differences related to the stage people are at in life.

What is cohort diversity?

Different generations experiencing families differently due to the era they grew up in.

What is the Civil Partnership Act?

A law giving same-sex couples legal recognition with rights similar to marriage.

What is the Divorce Reform Act?

A law allowing divorce on the basis of 'irretrievable breakdown,' making divorce easier.

What is the Equal Pay Act?

A law requiring men and women to be paid equally for the same work.

What is the Sex Discrimination Act?

A law banning discrimination based on sex or marital status.

What is secularisation according to Bruce?

The argument that religion's influence on society is declining.

What is a commune?

A shared-living community where property, work, and childcare are shared.

What was the one-child policy?

A Chinese government policy allowing most families to have only one child.

Give an example of a global family pattern.

In rural India, patriarchal extended families where several generations live together.

What functions does the family perform according to functionalists?

Reproductive, sexual, economic, socialisation, and stabilisation functions.

What is the warm bath theory?

Parsons' idea that the family provides emotional comfort for workers—like a warm bath relieving stress.

What do Marxists say the family does?

Families pass property to children, reproduce future workers, and act as a unit of consumption.

What are conjugal roles?

The roles played by husbands and wives.

What are conjugal relationships?

The relationships between married or cohabiting partners.

What is the domestic division of labour?

How household tasks are divided between men and women.

What is commercialisation of housework?

Buying goods/services that make housework easier.

What are authority relationships in families?

Who has power or makes decisions within the family.

What does it mean when children are economic assets?

Children who contribute financially or through labour.

What are "mini adults"?

Children in the past treated like small adults.

What are children as economic liabilities?

Children who cost money and depend on parents.

What is a child-centred society?

A society where children's needs and interests are prioritised.

What is bedroom culture?

Girls spending more time in bedrooms due to safety or parenting, using media/social media.

What is the sandwich generation?

Adults caring for both children and ageing parents.

Who are boomerang children?

Young adults who return to live with parents after moving out.

What is a dual-worker family?

A household where both partners work.

What is the birth rate?

Number of live births per 1,000 people per year.

What is the baby boom period?

A time of increased birth rates, especially after WWII (1940s-60s).

What is marriage?

A legally recognised relationship between partners.

What is cohabitation?

An unmarried couple living together.

What is polyandry?

One woman married to multiple men.

What is polygamy?

Being married to more than one partner at the same time.

What is polygyny?

One man married to multiple women.

What is bigamy?

Illegally marrying someone while already married.

What is an arranged marriage?

Marriage arranged by families with consent of the individuals.

What is a forced marriage?

A marriage where one or both people do not consent.

What is divorce?

The legal ending of a marriage.

What did the Divorce Reform Act do?

Allowed divorce based on 'irretrievable breakdown,' making divorce easier.

What did the Family Law Act do?

Encouraged mediation and introduced 'no-fault' divorce ideas.

What is the infant mortality rate?

Number of babies dying before age 1 per 1,000 live births.

What is life expectancy?

The average number of years a person can expect to live.

What is an ageing population?

A population with a growing proportion of elderly people.

What is the class deal?

The promise of good working conditions and a fair wage for working-class women.

What is a dysfunctional family?

A family unable to provide stability or healthy relationships.

What is an empty-nest family?

Parents living alone after children leave home.

What is an empty-shell marriage?

A marriage where the couple stays together but love has gone.

What is the gender deal?

The promise of happiness through traditional roles for working-class women.

What is the glass ceiling?

Invisible barriers that stop women reaching top jobs.

What are integrated conjugal roles?

Husbands and wives sharing tasks and roles.

Who are dependent family members?

Members who rely on others financially.

What is kinship?

Family relationships based on blood, marriage, or adoption.

What is racial discrimination?

Treating someone unfairly because of their race.

What is racism?

Beliefs or actions that assume one race is superior.

What are segregated conjugal roles?

Husbands and wives perform separate roles.

What is sex/gender discrimination?

Unequal treatment based on gender.

What is sex/gender equality?

Men and women having equal rights and opportunities.

What is sexism?

Prejudice or discrimination based on gender.

What are formal agencies of social control?

Official organisations enforcing rules.

What are informal agencies of social control?

Unofficial methods of controlling behaviour.

What is social mobility?

Movement up or down the social class system.

What is social stratification?

Hierarchical layering of society based on class, status, or power.

What is dependency culture?

The idea that some groups rely on welfare benefits instead of work.