Families and Households

Achieved status

A position in society which affects the way others view you that is earned at least partly through your own efforts e.g. a job.

Adultist

Viewing the world from an adult perspective, without considering children and their views.

Age patriarchy

Is the concept that adults control and oppress children due to their superiority based on age. This may lead to tension and angst.

Ageing population

A situation in which an increasing proportion of the population in a given country is middle aged or older.

Ascribed status

A position in society which affects the way others view you that is given by birth e.g. being male or female.

Assimilation

This is when migrants are encouraged to change their language, values and customs to adopt those of the host country.

Beanpole family

A family in which links between generations i.e. between grandparents, parents and grandchildren are strong but links with uncles, aunties and cousins are weak.

Birth Rate

The number of live births per thousand of the population per year.

Black feminism

A version of feminism that argues that racial and ethnic differences between women are important.

Bourgeoisie

The ruling class in capitalism who owns property such as capital, businesses and shares.

Breadwinner

The person in the household who does the most paid work.

Canalisation

The channelling of children into toys and behaviour deemed appropriate for their sex.

Capital

Assets, which can be used to produce more resources.

Capitalist society/Capitalism

A society in which people are employed for wages and businesses are set up with the aim of making profit.

Cereal packet family

The image of family often presented in marketing as a conventional heterosexual family with one or more children. With a breadwinner male role and a female housewife.

Child- Centred

A situation where the interests of the child are put before the interests of the adults.

Chosen families

Groups of people who are treated like and seen as family members when they are not related by blood or marriage. Friends can be chosen families.

Civil Partnership

A legal partnership of two people whether homosexual or heterosexual with similar rights and responsibilities.

Class ( social class)

Groups within society distinguished by their economic position and who are therefore unequal.

Cohabitation

Living together in an intimate relationship without being married.

Collective conscience

Where individuals share the same norms and values and think in the same way, with a shared morality.

Confluent love

Love that is dependent on partners benefitting from the relationship rather than on unconditional love

Connectedness theory

This theory suggests that a person's history and personal life influences choices in relationships and individuals may feel held back by their heritage and family obligations.

Conjugal roles

The roles of husband and wife within a marriage ( may also be applied to those cohabiting)

Consensus

Sharing the same norms and values and agreeing to adhere to them.

Creative singlehood

When a person chooses to be without a partner as it suits their lifestyle at that time.

Cross culture

Is when we compare two cultures looking at similarities and differences.

Culture

In social science culture is everything in society that is socially learnt rather than passed on through genetics or biology.

Death rate

The number of people dying per thousand of the population per year.

Denziens

Wealthy foreign nationals who bring money into the UK economy.

Dependency culture

When individuals become happy to claim benefits and live off the state rather than work.

Dependency ratio

The number of non-economically active age groups (babies/elderly) relative to the size of the population of working age.

Deviance

Behaviour that does not conform to the norms and values of society. Deviance is a social construction- created by social groups.

Difference feminism

Feminism which emphasises that the position of women in society varies and women cannot be seen as a single united group.

Dinkers

Dual income no kids.

Division of labour

The way in which jobs are divided up between two or more people e.g. who does which task in the household.

Diversity

Variety in social life.

Divorce

The legal ending of a marriage

Divorce extended family

A family that is related by divorce rather than marriage.

Divorce rate

The number of people divorced per thousand married people in a population per year.

Domestic abuse

Actions which are damaging to current or former partners in an intimate relationship; this can include physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse.

Domestic labour

Work done within the home such as housework and childcare, it may be unpaid but it creates value just as paid work does.

Domestic Violence

Actions involving the use of force or the threat of force against a current or former partner in an intimate relationship which are harmful to the other partner. This does not have to take place within the home, it can happen anywhere.

Donor conceived children

Children that have been produced through sperm donation. This is usually anonymous and requires medical intervention.

Dual-earner families

Families in which both partners are in paid employment.

Dysfunctional families

Families which do not function well for family members or in fulfilling social roles e.g. they socialize the children inadequately.

Economic asset

Something that can make money and wealth for you. In terms of the family this may be children as used to be able to provide financially for the family.

Economic base

In Marxist theory the foundation of society consisting of the economic system.

Economic function

The role the family plays in providing food, shelter and the ability to consume products for its members.

Educational function

The role of the family providing a stable environment in which children can be socialised into the culture of their society.

Emotion work

The time and effort involved in thinking about and acting to produce emotional well-being in others.

Emigration

The movement of people out of a country or region.

Empty shell marriage

A marriage where the partners continue to live together but the emotional attachment and sexual relationship have come to an end.

Ethnic group

A group within a population regarded by themselves or others as culturally distinctive, they usually see themselves as having a common geographic origin.

Essentialism

The belief that all women have the same essence and the same experience so can be studied in one way.

Expressive role

This is the caring and nurturing role associated with women.

Extended family

The family wider than the nuclear family; as well as parents and children it includes aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Familistic gender regimes

Sets of government policies that support nuclear families with the husband as the breadwinner and the women as the housewife.

Family diversity

The growth of variety in the structure and nature of family types.

Feminism

Theory of society which claims that women are disadvantaged and exploited by men and men dominate and run society based on their interests.

Fertility Rate

The number of live births per thousand women aged 15-44 per year.

Fictive Kin

Categorising friends as family members with close bond and titles. E.g. classing your mothers friend as your auntie

Fluid migration

Moving in and out of countries with no fixed country of residence.

Functionalism

A sociological perspective which believes that social institutions serve some positive purpose.

Functions

Jobs performed by an institution for society.

Functional Fit

The adaptation of subsystems such as the family to meet the needs of society. E.g. after industrialisation.

Gay and lesbian households

Households based around male partners or female partners in an intimate, sexual relationship.

Gender regimes

Sets policies which make assumptions about the roles of men and women in family life.

Gender Roles

The socially expected behaviour of males and females in a particular society.

Geographical mobility

The movements of people into differ regions or countries.

Globalisation

Interconnectedness between countries, the sharing of produce, information, services, entertainment and culture.

Helots

Migrants classed as slaves, they are a reserve army of labour, poorly paid and may include illegal immigrants.

Household

A group people who share the same accommodation.

Identity

The way people are seen by themselves and others in society

Ideological state apparatus

Parts of society which encourage people to accept the values favoured by ruling class which helps maintain capitalist society.

Ideology

A distorted set of beliefs which favours the interests of a particular social group.

Immigration

The movement of people into a country or region.

Instrumental role

This is the breadwinner role associated with men.

Illegitimacy

Children born to unmarried parents.

Individualistic gender regimes

Sets of social policies that do not assume husbands and wives will follow traditional roles and which will accommodate the choices of the individual despite their gender.

Industrialisation

The process whereby manufacturing takes over from agriculture as the most important process for the economy.

Infant mortality rate

The number of children dying before their first birthday per thousand of live births per year.

Joint conjugal roles

Relationships between husbands and wives in which both do some paid work and both do housework and provide childcare. Partners also share leisure time.

Kibbutz

A small communal settlement in Israel

Kin

People linked by blood or marriage

Kipper

Kids in parents pockets

Late modernity

According to Giddens this is the most recent development of modernity.

Liberal feminism

A version of feminism which is relatively moderate and believes that the position of women in society can be improved through reform of policies and attitudes.

Life course

The development of change in people's lives over a period of time. It does not have clear and predictable stages.

Life cycle

The stages of life e.g. childhood, young adulthood and old age which are predictable and assumed to be experienced in the same way by different people.

Life expectancy

The average age to which a particular group of people is likely to live.

Living apart together

People who are in committed relationships that are living in separate accommodation .

Lone parent family

Family consisting of one parent living with one or more of their children.

Malestream

To feminists something which is mainstream and dominated by men or biased in their favour.

March of progress

Things have improved over time

Marital breakdown

The ending of a marriage whether through divorce, separation or the development of an empty shell marriage.

Masculinity

The behaviour and social roles expected of men in a particular culture.

Matrifocal family

A family headed by the mother where she is not a co-resident with a male partner

Middle class

People who have white- collar jobs that require some qualifications and are generally better paid than the working class.

Migration

People leaving or entering a country or area to live for a significant amount of time.