AICE Sociology Chapter 3: The Family

  1. Why has the number of marriages and the marriage rate declined in industrialized societies?

    1. People are marrying later in life so fewer marriages each year and some people are choosing not to marry at all

  2. The time from birth of the first child to birth of the last child is called what?

    1. Time for family completion 

  3. How has ‘secularisation’ impacted beliefs around marriage?

    1. Less pressure to marry less importance on the idea

  4. Define the term ‘Serial Monogamy’ (from green key terms box)

    1. When an individuals has multiple marital or sexual partners over their lifetime, but only one at a time

  5. Define the term ‘Cohabitation’ (from green key terms box)

    1. When two people live together and function as a married couple even though they are not

  6. According to Smart and Stevens (2000) why has cohabitation increased?

    1. Changing attitudes towards marriage (doubt institution or partner)

    2. Test run before marriage

    3. Partner is unwilling to marry, believe it's easier to end if things don’t work out not being married

    4. Philosophical , feminism

  7. Why would a married couple continue living together if they no longer love each other?

    1. They may not be able to afford living independently or fear of stigma 

  8. Because the age of people getting a divorce is getting older, what can we infer? 

    1. Age of marriage is also getting older 

  9. Why have there been increasing numbers of divorces?

    1. It has become cheaper and easier

    2. Attitudes have become more accepting of divorce

    3. Increasing life expectancy means the marriage has to last longer, and the couple may grow apart. 

  10. What is the difference between ‘Romantic Love’ and ‘Confluent Love’?

    1. Romantic love is unconditional, if one partner ‘falls out of love’ it's over. Confluent love is based on an exchange from one partner to another, if the exchange is not met the relationship is over

  11. How is a single person household different from a single parent household?

    1. In a single person household there are no children. They live on their own by choice or after the end of a relationship

  12. What are the three scenarios for a couple household?

    1. Couples who have not yet had kids

    2. Couples whose children have moved out (empty nest)

    3. Couple who cannot or chose not to have children

  13. What does ‘Living Apart Together’ mean?

    1. Couples who are married or in a long term relationship but do not live together 

  14. Step-families are also sometimes called what?

    1. Reconstituted families

  15. How were single parent families viewed in the past?

    1. Negatively 

  16. What is the difference between vertically extended families and horizontally extended families?

    1. Vertically extended families involve three or more generations. Horizontally extended families are branches within a generation such as aunts, uncles and cousins.

  17. Female focused vertically extended families are called what?

    1. Matrifocal families

  18. Male focused vertically extended families are called what?

    1. Patrifocal families  

  19. What are families of choice?

    1. People choosing to form relationships. First widely documented in the LGBTQ community. 

  20. When looking at family diversity what does ‘Organizational Diversity’ mean?

    1. The different ways in which roles and responsibilities are distributed within families.

  21. These parents are more likely to have working class origins, have lower incomes, and live in poverty compared to two-parent families of the same class.

    1. Single parent families

  22. What is a beanpole family?

    1. Inter-generational, vertically extended family structure with weak intra-generational links. Results from low birth rate and increasing life expectancy.

  23. (Middle class or working class) More likely to have gender inequality in domestic labor, more likely to be dominated by the male of the family, family roles and relationships are suited to the needs of the man.

    1. Working class

  24. Relationship in which family roles are shared equally within the home (green term box)

    1. Symmetrical family

  25. What is the difference between joint conjugal roles and segregated conjugal roles? (green term box)

    1. In joint conjugal roles adults in the family share in domestic duties. In segregated conjugal roles involves a clear separation between family roles typically following gender norms of men working outside the home and women taking care of the home

  26. (Middle or working class) Able to be more involved in child's education, have a wide range  of resources to invest in child's development, may give child a sense of entitlement.

    1. Middle 

  27. What is ‘cultural and ethnic diversity’ in regards to families?

    1. Differences within and between cultural or ethnic groups expresses in terms of attitudes and lifestyles regarding the family 

  28. As the influence of organized religion declines what is becoming more normalized/accepted in some ethnic groups/cultures?

    1. Cohabitation

    2. Divorce

    3. Remarrying after divorce

  29. Does ethnic identity influence attitudes towards women working after having children?

    1. Yes 

  30. What are three reasons for greater diversity in families?

    1. Social changes: access to divorce, increases the number  of reconstituted families

    2. Changing social attitudes: acceptance of divorce, single parents, lgbt

    3. Increased life expectancy, more active lifestyle, changes to the welfare system create changes within the family structure. Grandparents more involved

  31. What are some explanations for the increase in single person households?

    1. More older people living alone after death of their partner

    2. More middle aged people (usually men) living alone after a divorce

    3. More people who can afford to live alone are choosing to do so (women)

    4. More people moving out to go to college and not moving back home after 

  32. What is the only acceptable family structure according to the New Right perspective?

    1. Traditional nuclear family with traditional gender roles. Only heterosexual relationships that adhere to gender roles are acceptable, and there should be policies in place to encourage this family structure.

  33. How does the new right perspective view other family structures?

    1. All other family structures are unacceptable and dysfunctional and should be discouraged.

  34. According to the New Right perspective, socialization in a traditional nuclear family creates a moral core featuring what?

    1. Caring for family members

    2. Parents are responsible for their behavior and their child's behavior

    3. Unconditional economic co-operation

    4. Development of stable, successful, interpersonal relationships

  35. This perspective emphasizes personal choice based on what best suits the individual, therefore family structure is a choice based on individuals choices to form family structures.

    1. Postmodernists 

  36. Who said the postmodern family was “characterized by a family that ‘encompasses many different family forms’ including single parent, blended, surrogate and others”? 

    1. Elkins

  37. Is breaking away from the narrow traditional focus on family, recognising the many different ways people live their lives a strength or limitation of the postmodernist perspective?

    1. Strength

  38. The functionalist perspective emphasizes the role families play in maintaining social order. How is the role of the family changing?

    1. More functions are being taken on by the state

  39. The New Right perspective states that the state should implement policies that support the traditional nuclear family. However they criticize single parents' use of welfare and this family model in general. Why?

    1. Will not properly socialize kids will create a cycle of deviant criminals dependent on government support 

  40. What is a criticism of the Marxist perspective on the relationship between families and the state? (government)

    1. Development of welfare, universal healthcare and education have produced widespread long lasting benefits for the family

  41. Which branch of feminism has a positive view on the relationship between the state and the family pointing out policies that support gender equality?

    1. Liberal Feminism 

  42. Domestic violence is an example of family dysfunction. What is domestic violence?

    1. Verbal or physical abuse towards family members within a home 

  1. Feminist theory based on the idea of equal opportunity ensuring gender equality.

    1. Liberal feminism 

  2. What does the liberal feminist perspective say about conjugal roles in relationships?

    1. Men and women should be free to chose their roles and how their roles are performed 

  3. Feminist theory that labels women as ‘unpaid servants’. 

    1. Marxist feminist

  4. What do marxist feminist identify as the two causes of female economic exploitation? 

    1. Capitalism 

    2. Patriarchy 

  5. Feminist theory that labels ‘patriarchy’ as the cause of female oppression.

    1. Radical feminist 

  6. What does Firestorne (1970) say regarding pregnancy and sex discrimination?

    1. That pregnancy is where cultural gender differences stem from, and that if children could be born outside of women gender discrimination will decrease

  7. Friedan and Millett suggest that the patriarchal strictures and practices of the family are the source of female oppression. What is their solution to gender inequality? 

    1. Abandon patriarchal structures by creating matrifocal families with conjugal roles or lesbianism 

  8. What was the role of ‘mother’ in the traditional nuclear family?

    1. Work at home raising children

  9. What was the role of ‘father’ in the traditional nuclear family?

    1. Work outside the home provide financially 

  10. According to Gershunys’ research, who does more routine maintenance and who does more repairs? 

    1. Women-routine domestic care Men-repairs   

  11. According to Kans’ research, what reduces the levels of housework women perform? 

    1. Paid employment (increased by unemployment, retirement, or partners retirement) 

  12. According to Ramos’ research, when is domestic labor most likely to be evenly distributed?

    1. When the male is unemployed but his partner works 

  13. What evidence exists to support Sullivan's theory of a ‘quiet revolution’ resulting in conjugal roles based on gender equality?

    1. Men doing more housework

    2. Men spending more time on childcare 

    3. Family becoming more home centered  

  14. According to Willmotts’ research, what two factors determine the division of labor in a household?

    1. Time and preference  

  15. Define the term new man.

    1. A man who combines the provider role with a greater share of domestic labor, being a good father as well as masculine provider

  16. What is ‘stratified diffusion’ according to Wilmott and Young?

    1. As society passes through different stages of industrialization gender roles gradually meet in the middle. As conjugal roles in the upper class moved towards gender equality this trickled down to middle and lower class families.  

  17. Define the term instrumental role.

    1. Dealing with people in an objective unemotional way based on mutually beneficial relationships (male)

  18. Define the term expressive role.

    1. Dealing with people using love and emotion (female)

  19. Identify and define each of the three ‘family economies’ according to the Marxist perspective.

    1. Political economy-how the money is received, controlled, and managed. Typically by the man. Whose work has greater priority in a dual income household. Typically men.

    2. Moral economy- values and norms relating to the conjugal roles and responsibilities of different family members. Females can express some power here through how they organize family resources and behavior. 

    3. Emotional economy-interpersonal relationships ‘affective power’ the partner who cares less has more power . the more you love the more scared you are to lose your partner. 

  20. What are three reasons according to Kirkwood that victims do not report their domestic abuse?

    1. Low confidence/ belief they deserve it

    2. Economic or psychological dependence on abuser

    3. Fear of further consequences 

  21. Consensus perspectives such as functionalism identify three needs met by the family. What are they?

    1. Companionship, security, raising children

  22. While globalization has the positive effect of giving people more choices over their identity, what can be seen as a negative effect?

    1. There is uncertainty about who we are and how we are supposed to behave

  23. What does Becker define as ‘psychic income’?

    1. The psychological pleasure gained from a relationship involves a sense of personal commitment, love and affection.  

  24. Conflict perspectives see the family as

    1. Psychologically harmful

    2. Socially oppressive and exploitative of women 

    3. Having a dark side including domestic and child abuse 

  25. What percentage of female murder victims are killed by their male partner?

    1. 70%

  26. According to conflict perspectives, what two forms of abuse are part of the ‘dark side’ of families?

    1. Domestic abuse

    2. Child abuse

  1. Who said that every society has a concept of childhood, and because each society views childhood differently it is not a simple biological category?

    1. Archard

  2. According to Philippe Aries, when did ‘childhood’ as we understand it develop? 

    1. When we switched from pre-industrial to industrial 

  3. The development of what system led to children spending less time working with adults and more time with peers?

    1. Development of the education system

  4. Malinowski's research on pre-industrial societies found that they differed in their treatment of children in three key ways from industrialized societies:

    1. Children were given more rights and responsibilities 

    2. Adult-child relationships were closer, less strict, and more supportive

    3. Children were encouraged to explore their sexuality, less guilt attached to sex play

  5. Postman has argued that the internet and technology in general has exposed children to what kinds of images?

    1.  Adult content:sex, violence, and news 

  6. The postmodern view says that children are not only consumers of products, they also what?

    1. Shape consumer products, develop childhood cultures 

  7. Define the term ‘dependency ratio’

    1. Relationship between the economically inactive section of a population and those who are economically active

  8. What is the relationship between the aging population and the dependency ratio?

    1. As there are more older people in a population not working more of the economic burden falls on the younger population

  9. The generation responsible for caring for their parents and dependent children at the same time are called what? Who is most likely to take on care of their own parents, as well as their partners' parents?

    1. Pivot generation or sandwich generation. Women  

  10. According to Smallwood and Wilson, what do grandparents provide to the family?

    1. Childcare 

  11. What has led to more people having to care for their parents at the same time as their children?

    1. Increased life expectancy 

  12. In which type of societies are elders more likely to be seen as wise leaders in the community? Are there exceptions to this?

    1. Traditional

    2. Yes in nomadic societies elders who cannot travel are seen as a burden

  13. In which type of society are elders more likely to be seen as less useful and weak?

    1. Western 

  14. The key to social status for elders in control over valued _____ and ______.

    1. Social resources and economic resources

  15. What facets of social identity can impact the status of elderly people in industrialized societies?

    1. Economic status, gender, ethnicity 

  16. Whoes study identified ‘nurtured children’ who come from wealthy families and are provided with care and ‘nurturing children’ who come from poor families and have to provide care to others?

    1. Hecht 

  17. What is cultural capital and what economic classes are able to give this to their children?

    1. Non-economic resources such as knowledge, skills, and motivation to be successful in education. (middle and upper)

  18. Children from what class (upper,middle,working) are most likely to leave school early to start working? 

    1. Working

  19. In Will et al. (1976) how did young mothers treat ‘Beth’ vs ‘Adam’?

    1. Beth was given a doll more smiles called her sweet, adam a train less smiles

  20. Are parents more likely to strictly regulate male or female children's behaviors outside of the home?

    1. Female 

  21. Who argued that children are ‘gender detectives’ trying to figure out what makes ‘boys and girls different’?

    1. Martin and Ruble

  22. How do peers reinforce gender identities?

    1. Shared activities based on gender and social sanctions

  23. In which societies has childhood been extended? What is a factor the book identifies as contributing to this?

    1. Industrial 

    2. Compulsory education

  24. What two ethnic identities in the UK were identified as having children contribute economically to the family often by working in the family business?

    1. Chinese and italian 

  25. What are some of the changes in childbearing that have changed the concept of motherhood in the UK?

    1. Decline in birth rates

    2. Decline in family size

    3. Increase in average age of mother when she has her first child

    4. Births outside of marriage account for half of births 

  26. What has led to families and society in general becoming more child centered, with greater expectations placed on women to be ‘good mothers’ dedicating a lot of time and energy to their children?

    1. Smaller number of children 

  27. Why are motherhood and fatherhood social constructs?

    1. Not all societies have the same norms and values for these roles

  28. How can preschool or daycare be beneficial to young children?

    1. Early secondary socialization

  29. The traditional role of fathers in regards to their children was disciplinarian. What prevented men who wanted to have stronger relationships with their children from doing the nurturing they wanted to?

    1. Fears of being stigmatized for doing ‘women's work’ 

  30. What are some reasons the position of men in modern societies has changed?

    1. Decline in manufacturing has caused more unemployment for men

    2. Domestic violence is better understood and is condemned

    3. The importance of men in the family is questioned. Women can support families by themselves 

    4. Traditional masculinity is questioned suggesting it is responsible for abuses of power, war, and environmental damage 

  31. How are some modern men claiming they want to be different from their fathers?

    1. They want to be more involved than their fathers and have a better relationship with their children