GCSE Sociology Knowledge Organiser Family diversity

Families and Households Increase Reasons why

or
Key terms decrease
Sociological views of families
Secularisation

Nuclear
Breadwinner - The person in the family who earns the
money, usually the male. The family is a key social structure as it performs several essential functions for  Increase in divorce
Changing position of women
Cereal packet family - The 'ideal' nuclear family shown in individuals and society. Murdock argue it performs four vital functions:
the media and advertising. 1. Sexual Function: regulates sexual behaviour that is approved by society,

Reconstituted
Increase in divorce
Cohabitation - When two partners live together in a prevents breakdown and maintains stability
Changing attitudes
2. Reproductive function: creates the next generation to fill roles needed

Functionalist
relationship without being married.
3. Economic function: providing shelter, food & clothes, economic cooperation
 Greater individualism
Commune - Self-contained and self-supporting
4. Socialisation function: provides primary socialisation and learning of shared
communities where childcare, property etc. are shared.
norms and values
Conjugal roles - The domestic roles of married partners-
Parsons – the family performs two important functions today Increase in divorce

parent
who does what in the home.


Lone
1. Primary socialisation Changing position of women
Domestic division of labour - The division of tasks such 2. Stabilisation of adult personalities (warm bath theory) Changing attiudes
as housework and childcare in the family.
Double shift - When women are in full time employment  Functionalists ignore the dark side of the family and the impact of diversity
Changing laws (gay marriage is

Same sex
and be responsible for household tasks.
The family helps to maintain the class divide and benefits capitalism. This happens  legalised)
Expressive role - Traditionally a woman's role in the Changing atittudes
in three main ways:
family according to Parsons, where they look after the 1. Inheritance: money and wealth is passed down in richer families through
emotional needs of the family. inheritance and is not shared with the working classes Increase in life expectancy

Beanpole
Extended family - A family which contains members 2. Consumerism – families are targeted as consumers who buy products,  Decrease in the birth rate
Marxist

beyond the nuclear children use ‘pester power’, profits go to the ruling class
Family diversity - This means there are a range of 3. Socialisation – children learn to accept hierarchy and that someone is in
families in society today e.g. lone-parent, reconstituted, charge meaning they accept it in the workplace and don’t revolt

conventional
Changes in law (equal pay)
same-sex. Zaretsky – The family provides an ‘illusion’ that society is fair and this maintains
 Changing attitudes

Neo-
Household - One or more people who live at the same capitalism as it prevents a revolution Changing position of women
address but may not related e.g. university students.  Marxists ignore positive functions and that not all families benefit capitalism
Instrumental role - Traditionally the male's role within
the family to be the breadwinner and provide financially

Cohabitating
The family helps to maintain the gender divide and promotes patriarchy in society Changing attitudes

couple
for the family. (male dominance and power). This happens through:
Lone-parent family - A family of one parent and their 1. Men acting as the breadwinner in the family (they usually earn more) so have
 Changing position of women
Increase in divorce
dependent children Usually headed by the mother. more control and power
Feminist

Neo-conventional family - A typical nuclear family but 2. Women often have a double shift or triple shift and take on the majority of
unpaid housework

household
where both parents go to work. Increase in divorce


person
3. Domestic abuse from men in the family

One
Nuclear family - A family of one man and one woman Longer life expectancy
4. Gender socialisation in families teaching stereotypical roles for boys and girls Greater individualism
with their dependent children. Patriarchy - Male power
and dominance over women.  Feminists ignore that some women may enjoy/choose the housewife role and
Reconstituted family - A family of one man and one that positive changes have been made
woman with children from previous relationships.
Nuclear families are the ideal family type and are the best for members and society
Alternatives to families
Secularisation - A decline in religious belief and activity.
Stratified diffusion - How the roles adopted by those at because:
New Right

the top of the social hierarchy
(richer families) filters down to the rest of society.
Symmetrical family - Families which are equal on both
sides where partners have joint roles
• They promote traditional values such as marriage Living alone (increasing among younger and older
• Children grow up with two role models (for better socialisation) individuals)
• They are more likely to be financially stable and less likely to be reliant on Living in a commune (shared property, resources,
benefits (and become part of the underclass) childcare etc.
They see lone-parent and same-sex families as causing problems for society An example: Living in a kibbutz
 Key studies GCSE Sociology Knowledge Organiser Changing relationships
Rapoport and Rapoport (functionalist) Families and Households Families over time
Families are changing, there is increasing diversity Pre-industrial: Extended families, worked as a
Five different aspects of family diversity: organisational productive unit, families performed most functions
(eg internal divisions of domestic labour), cultural (beliefs Changing patterns of marriage Industrial: Nuclear families, male took on breadwinner
and values), class (eg how the family’s position in the role, government took over functions from families
social class system affects the availability of resources), Contemporary: Family diversity, diversity of roles,
life course (stage in the family life cycle) and cohort Trends Reasons Impacts smaller families
(historical period).
Parsons (functionalist) First time marriages Secularisation / changing attitudes Less married nuclear Gender roles
Family has two basic functions which are common to all are decreasing Changing position of women families Wilmott and Young: Families are more symmetrical with
families in all societies: primary socialisation of children Increasing cost of marriage More cohabitating couples shared contributions and equal roles.
and the stabilisation of adult personalities e.g to give and Remarriages are Secularisation / changing attitudes More reconstituted Reasons for symmetrical families: changing attitudes,
receive emotional support increasing Increase in divorce / changes to families commercialisation of housework.
Young and Willmott (functionalist) divorce laws Serial monogamy Stratified diffusion: roles filter from middle to working
Large scale social survey (over 2,000 respondents in Age of first time Changing position of women More couples cohabitate class (will become less equal)
Greater London and surrounding areas) marriage is Increasing cost of marriage before marriage
Families are more symmetrical with both husband and increasing Changing attitudes Are gender roles more equal?
wife make similar contributions to the running of the Increase in same-sex Changing attitudes Yes No
household eg shared chores and decisions. More marriages Changes in law Symmetrical Double shift/triple shift
common in working cladss families. families – joint The New Man is myth – women still
Stage 4 is the ‘managing director family’. This is work conjugal roles responsible (men cherry pick)
centred and the wife is responsible for home and Is marriage still important?
The New Man for housework/childcare
children – more common in middle class families Yes No
Women take Men still make the most important
Zaretsky (Marxist) Remarriages are increasing First time marriages are decreasing
part in decision decisions
Same sex marriages are increasing Cohabitation is more acceptable
The family also helps to maintain capitalism in society. making ¼ women are victims of domestic
Married persons tax allowance was Divorce is increasing (suggesting marriage
He thinks that the family helps to provide an ‘ illusion ’ abuse (evidence of patriarchy)
introduced (policies encourage marriage) isn’t valued)
that society is fair and provides a safe haven away from
exploitation at work. Women become responsible for People still aspire to be married Some couples choose a civil partnership Parents and children
personal relationships within the family. This cushions Relationships in the past: Parents had authority, strict
them from capitalism. discipline, children ‘seen and not heard’
Delphy and Leonard (Feminist) Changing patterns of divorce Relationships today: Parents show less discipline,
children have more freedom, families are more child-
Men benefit the most from the exploitation of women’s
42% of marriages end in divorce centered
labour. They believe that the family has a central role in Trends in The divorce rate has increased compared to 30 years ago Reasons for changes: women are having less children
maintaining patriarchy. Women are oppressed because divorce The divorce rate has declined slightly over the past 10 years but is still high (families are more child-centered), greater emphasis on
even when wives have paid employment outside the
children’s rights, families more likely to be dual worker
home they still have to carry out household tasks which Changes in law – Divorce reform act (1969) widened the grounds for
Toxic childhood: children poisoned by junk culture of
are not equally shared Reasons for divorce (to include irretrievable breakdown), waiting time for a divorce media and food, leading to poor behaviour and
Oakley (Feminist) increases in decreased from 3-1 years development
Segregated conjugal roles adopted by men and women divorce Changing attitudes – More acceptable to divorce
are part of the conventional family also known as the Changing position of women – greater financial independence
Extended families
‘cereal’ packet’ family. This contains married parents Functionalist – divorce can lead to fewer dysfunctional families and greater
In pre-industrial era, extended families were important
and at least one child, the father is the breadwinner and harmony. Divorce creates jobs to help the economy. Divorce shows people Extended families may be less important today due to:
the mother stays at home to look after the house and Sociological have higher expectations of marriage. seeing less of each other (living far away), may only see
Children. This type of family may actually exploit women views of Marxist – divorce is more common in working class families due to for special occasions
and support patriarchy. divorce stress/inequality caused by capitalism, Extended families may still be important today due to:
Criticisms of families: isolation, loss of functions, lack of Feminist – divorce can be positive to allow women to escape patriarchal Grandparents helping with childcare, better technology
contact, dysfunctions, patriarchy relationships. to keep in contact, still common in some cultures