Key words (FaH)

Family

A social institution consisting of a group of people linked by kinship ties - the adult members of which assume responsibility for caring for children

Extended family

Refers to people who surround themselves with parents and children such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins

Modified extended family

A family who live apart but keep in contact through the phone and social media

A horizontal extended family

Members of the same generation such as aunties and uncles

A vertical extended family

Three or more generations (grandparents, parents and children) living in the same household or nearby

Nuclear family

Defined as two heterosexual parents and their children who are linked by blood, adoption or law

Household

A group of people who live at the same address but may not have kinship ties

Cohabitation

A couple who live together, share resources, domestic labour and other responsibilities without getting married

Reconstituted family

A family created where one or both partners were previously married - also known as step or blended family

Single parent family

A family where there is one adult and their dependent children - also known as lone parent family

Matrifocal lone parent family

A family headed solely by a female

Patrifocal lone parent family

A family headed solely by a male

Same sex family

A family headed by lesbian or gay couples, with or without children

Single person household

An individual who lives alone

Elective singlehood

An individual who chooses to live alone

Beanpole family

A multi generational family but few people in each generation due to increased life expectancy and a decline in the birth rate

Sandwich generation

A generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties responsible both for bringing up their own children and for the care of their ageing parents

Boomerang children

Adults who return to the family home after originally moving away

Living apart together (LAT)

Relationships whereby individuals are in a long term committed relationship but do not share a single household

Functional fit theory

Family structure changes to meet the needs of society

Pre industrial family

Extended families which are a unit of production, with an ascribed status - they usually live in the family and work with agriculture

Post industrial family

Isolated nuclear family which is a unit of consumption and they’re geographically mobile

Sexual division of labour

Symmetrical family

Expressive role

Instrumental role

Golden age of family

Majority nuclear families

Determinism

An outcome caused by an external force

Ideological State Apparatus

Tool used to influence the way the working class think - through socialising into accepting ruling class ideology

Dual burden

Women completing domestic chores and paid work

Triple shift

Women doing paid work, domestic work and emotional work

Demography

The study of the population and population change - such as number of births, deaths, marriages and illnesses

Projection

Where a current trend is anticipated to continue in the same direction in following years

Rates

Generally refers to numbers per 1000, while percentages refer to numbers per 100

Migration

The number of people entering (immigration) or leaving (emigration) a country

Death rate

The number of deaths per 1000 of a population in a given year

Birth rate

The number of live births per 1000 of a population in a given year

Total fertility rate

The average number of children women will have during their child bearing years

Dependency ratio

The relationship between the size of the working population and the size of the non-working population

Marriage

A social union or legal contract between individuals that create kinship

Monogamy

One husband and one wife

Cohabitation

A couple who live together but are not married

Marriage rate

The number of marriages per 100 men and women aged 16 or over

Serial monogamy

A series of marriages/relationships

Polygamy

Marriage to more than one partner at the same time

Divorce

The legal ending of a marriage

Separation

When couples live apart from one another after the breakdown of a marriage

Empty Shell Marriage

The spouses live together and remain legally married but their relationship has broken down, and their marriage exists in name only

Annulment

The legal declaration by a court that a marriage was never valid and should be treated as if it never happened

Irretrievable breakdown

The marriage has completely broken down and cannot be recovered

Family diversity

The differences between families in terms of structure, organisations etc

Conjugal roles

Used to describe the roles of husband and wife in a household

Domestic division of labour

The division of roles, responsibilities and work tasks within a household

Segregated conjugal roles

Where the couple have seperate roles within the family in terms of domestic labour and activities

Joint conjugal roles

Where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare, as well as spending their leisure time together

Symmetrical family

A nuclear family where roles and responsibilities are shared more equally between partners

March of progresss

Improvements in family that have occured