Families 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering key sociological concepts, theories, research studies, and UK social policies for AQA A Level Sociology: Families and Households.

Universal Family (Murdock)

George Murdock's (1949) concept based on studying over $250$ societies, arguing that the nuclear family is universal and performs four essential functions: stable satisfaction of the sex drive, reproduction of the next generation, socialisation of the young, and economic support.

Functional Fit Theory

Talcott Parsons' (1955) theory that family structures change to meet the needs of society; pre-industrial society favored extended families for farming and care, while industrial society requires nuclear families to support a geographically and socially mobile workforce.

Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

One of Parsons' two irreducible functions of the modern nuclear family, where the family provides emotional support and acts as a release from work pressures (also known as the 'warm bath theory').

The Underclass (Murray)

Charles Murray's (1989) term for a group created by welfare dependency with no desire to work, who rely on benefits and are blamed for poor socialisation of boys, increased crime, anti-social behaviour, and educational underachievement.

Neo-Conventional Family

Robert Chester's (1985) concept describing a family that is nuclear in structure but features modern characteristics, such as dual-earner households where both spouses engage in paid work.

Illusion of a Haven

Eli Zaretsky's (1976) Marxist concept stating that the family appears to offer a place of comfort away from capitalism, but in reality only serves to distract workers from their oppression.

Reserve Army of Labour

A Marxist feminist concept describing how women are brought into the paid workforce during economic booms and discarded back into domestic roles during downturns depending on capitalist needs.

Emotional Labour

A term coined by Arlie Hochschild (1983) describing the invisible work primarily carried out by women in managing family emotions and mental health.

Dual Burden

Ann Oakley's (1974) concept describing how women who enter paid employment still perform the majority of unpaid domestic labour and housework.

Social Policy

Laws and government actions that aim to improve or influence the lives of individuals, including state measures related to education, welfare, housing, employment, and the family.

Beveridge Report (1942)

The UK government report that founded the modern welfare state to tackle the '5 giants': want, ignorance, squalor, disease, and idleness.

Surveillance and Control (Donzelot)

Jacques Donzelot's (1977) argument that the state uses social policy and professional institutions to monitor and control families rather than genuinely support them.

Culture of Dependency

A concept cited by David Marsland and Charles Murray arguing that excessive welfare state support weakens moral responsibility and encourages long-term reliance on government benefits.

Sure Start (1998)

A Social Democratic early intervention policy providing parental support in deprived areas, which improved outcomes for disadvantaged children before being cut in 2010 and replaced by smaller-scale Family Hubs in 2022.

Troubled Families Programme (2011)

A targeted UK government intervention designed to support families facing multiple complex problems, criticised by some sociologists as a mechanism for policing working-class families.

Individualisation

Ulrich Beck's concept explaining how modern societies empower individuals to construct and redefine their personal lives and family arrangements outside of traditional social norms.

Pure Relationships

Anthony Giddens' concept describing intimate relationships entered into solely for emotional satisfaction and personal fulfillment rather than out of duty, tradition, or social obligation.

Fertility Rate

The average number of children born per woman in a population, which currently stands at less than $1.6$ in the UK (below the replacement level of $2.1$).

Birth Rate

The number of live births per $1\,000$ people in a population per year.

Risk Society

Ulrich Beck's (1992) concept linking decisions to risk management, leading individuals to become more cautious and strategic about major life choices, such as when or whether to have children.

Personal Life Perspective

A sociological perspective associated with Carol Smart (2007) arguing that family and parenthood are defined by individual choice and emotional connections rather than rigid traditional norms, including bonds with non-kin and pets.