GCSE Sociology Revision
Family:
Types of Family:
family - a group of two or more people linked by birth, marriage, adoption or cohabitation based on a long-
term relationship
household - a group of people who live together in the same dwelling
nuclear family - a family group consisting of parents and their children
extended family - parents, their children and other distant relatives
reconstituted family - when two adults with children from previous relationships remarry, or cohabit, to
form a new family
beanpole family - a family who has few living members, coming from many generations
empty nest family - a stage in the life cycle of a family when children have reached adulthood and have left
the parental
home
Nuclear Families:
Father Roles:
instrumental role
breadwinner - the provider, goes to work
Mother Roles:
expressive role
housekeeper - the carer, stays at home
Strengths:
strong conjugal bond
creates stability for children’s’ socialisation
clearly defined gender roles
no confusion
‘geographical mobility’
easier to move as a family, eg. for work
Recent Changes: Neo-Conventional:
more mothers work
dual breadwinners
less couples marry
more cohabiting
more reconstituted families
(step families)
Perspectives on Families:
Functionalists:
Functionalists focus on the positive functions of the family.
They believe family is necessary for the smooth running of society and the personal development of
individuals.
Also, they find the nuclear family is the ideal family type.
Parsons:
Functional Fit Theory - nuclear families have ‘evolved’ over time to fit society
eg. in the 1800s living with extended families was the norm, everyone was responsible for everyone, for
example producing food and caring for the sick
this changed as a new isolated nuclear family was formed from industrial society
Primary Socialisation - families vital to teach children norms and values
with specific roles - expressive and instrument
‘Warm Bath’ Theory - stabilisation of adult personality
family relieves stresses of modern life
this emotional support leads to social stability
Murdock:
Four Essential Functions (SREE or REES) - found family universal in 200 different societies
sexual - creates powerful bonds in couples, their stable relationships maintain a stable society
reproduction - creating the next generation of workers, ensuring continuation of society
education - the process of primary socialisation teaches children norms and values
, economic - adult members produce food, shelter and money for every member to share, maintaining the
economy
criticisms are that these disadvantage women in the household and that it is feasible that other agencies could
perform the above functions
overall criticism is that society is not a perfect ‘well-oiled machine’, families vary and there is conflict
and abuse in today’s society - thus this is outdated, unrealistic and sexist
Marxists:
They argue that the function of the family is to keep society running by supporting capitalism.
Firstly, by being ‘consumer units’, buying products that fuel capitalism.
Secondly, primary socialisation reinforces class inequalities, strengthening capitalism.
They provide unpaid labour in the process of socialisation and emotional support in Parson’s ‘warm
bath’ theory.
a criticism is that feminists believe that social class is less important than male-dominance - Jessie
Bernard
Feminists:
Liberal feminists look at increasing equality between men and women and campaign for change.
Marxist feminists believe the nuclear family functions to benefit capitalism, and therefore the wealthy who
are mainly men. This is presumed as many women take time out of work to have children and so cannot
compete with men for promotions.
Radical feminists have the view that the nuclear family mainly functions to benefit men due to
stereotypical gender role socialisation.
In general feminists believe in gender equality and that men have more advantages due to the nuclear
family, and gender stereotypes.
Alternatives to the Family:
Some people prefer to:
live alone, or with friends
move away, eg. for higher education
live in sheltered accommodation, eg. in care homes
About 1 in 3 households today contain one person, compared to 1 in 20 in 1901.
commune - a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilites
cohabitation - partners who live together without getting married
kibbutz - a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture
today there are 270 kibbutz groups ranging in size from 80 to 2000 people
house-sharing - where someone, often students, buys a house and invites others to share it with them in
order to contribute
to bills
between 2009 and 2014 the number of house-sharers aged 45-54 went up by 300%
Reasons for Family Diversity:
Legal Changes:
Divorce Reform Act (1969) - couples can easily escape unhappy marriages as neither must give
reasons or prove a fault.
‘irretrievable breakdown’
Equal Pay Act (1970) - women and men doing the same work get the same pay.
Marriage Act (2014) - same-sex marriage allowed.
Changes in Social Attitudes:
Now, less social stigma towards different ways of life, eg. marrying later in life, not having children,
living alone, cohabiting, and same-sex relationships.
This means there is less pressure for people to ‘fit in’ to dominant norms with the New Right
Perspective.
Changing Gender Roles:
Now, less social stigma towards different ways of life, eg. marrying later in life, not having children,
living alone, cohabiting, and same-sex relationships.
This means there is less pressure for people to ‘fit in’ to dominant norms with the New Right
Perspective.
Gender and Gender Roles:
sex - biological gender - defined by your physical attributes that determine if you are male or female
gender - the sociological idea - how it is culturally determined
Family:
Types of Family:
family - a group of two or more people linked by birth, marriage, adoption or cohabitation based on a long-
term relationship
household - a group of people who live together in the same dwelling
nuclear family - a family group consisting of parents and their children
extended family - parents, their children and other distant relatives
reconstituted family - when two adults with children from previous relationships remarry, or cohabit, to
form a new family
beanpole family - a family who has few living members, coming from many generations
empty nest family - a stage in the life cycle of a family when children have reached adulthood and have left
the parental
home
Nuclear Families:
Father Roles:
instrumental role
breadwinner - the provider, goes to work
Mother Roles:
expressive role
housekeeper - the carer, stays at home
Strengths:
strong conjugal bond
creates stability for children’s’ socialisation
clearly defined gender roles
no confusion
‘geographical mobility’
easier to move as a family, eg. for work
Recent Changes: Neo-Conventional:
more mothers work
dual breadwinners
less couples marry
more cohabiting
more reconstituted families
(step families)
Perspectives on Families:
Functionalists:
Functionalists focus on the positive functions of the family.
They believe family is necessary for the smooth running of society and the personal development of
individuals.
Also, they find the nuclear family is the ideal family type.
Parsons:
Functional Fit Theory - nuclear families have ‘evolved’ over time to fit society
eg. in the 1800s living with extended families was the norm, everyone was responsible for everyone, for
example producing food and caring for the sick
this changed as a new isolated nuclear family was formed from industrial society
Primary Socialisation - families vital to teach children norms and values
with specific roles - expressive and instrument
‘Warm Bath’ Theory - stabilisation of adult personality
family relieves stresses of modern life
this emotional support leads to social stability
Murdock:
Four Essential Functions (SREE or REES) - found family universal in 200 different societies
sexual - creates powerful bonds in couples, their stable relationships maintain a stable society
reproduction - creating the next generation of workers, ensuring continuation of society
education - the process of primary socialisation teaches children norms and values
, economic - adult members produce food, shelter and money for every member to share, maintaining the
economy
criticisms are that these disadvantage women in the household and that it is feasible that other agencies could
perform the above functions
overall criticism is that society is not a perfect ‘well-oiled machine’, families vary and there is conflict
and abuse in today’s society - thus this is outdated, unrealistic and sexist
Marxists:
They argue that the function of the family is to keep society running by supporting capitalism.
Firstly, by being ‘consumer units’, buying products that fuel capitalism.
Secondly, primary socialisation reinforces class inequalities, strengthening capitalism.
They provide unpaid labour in the process of socialisation and emotional support in Parson’s ‘warm
bath’ theory.
a criticism is that feminists believe that social class is less important than male-dominance - Jessie
Bernard
Feminists:
Liberal feminists look at increasing equality between men and women and campaign for change.
Marxist feminists believe the nuclear family functions to benefit capitalism, and therefore the wealthy who
are mainly men. This is presumed as many women take time out of work to have children and so cannot
compete with men for promotions.
Radical feminists have the view that the nuclear family mainly functions to benefit men due to
stereotypical gender role socialisation.
In general feminists believe in gender equality and that men have more advantages due to the nuclear
family, and gender stereotypes.
Alternatives to the Family:
Some people prefer to:
live alone, or with friends
move away, eg. for higher education
live in sheltered accommodation, eg. in care homes
About 1 in 3 households today contain one person, compared to 1 in 20 in 1901.
commune - a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilites
cohabitation - partners who live together without getting married
kibbutz - a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture
today there are 270 kibbutz groups ranging in size from 80 to 2000 people
house-sharing - where someone, often students, buys a house and invites others to share it with them in
order to contribute
to bills
between 2009 and 2014 the number of house-sharers aged 45-54 went up by 300%
Reasons for Family Diversity:
Legal Changes:
Divorce Reform Act (1969) - couples can easily escape unhappy marriages as neither must give
reasons or prove a fault.
‘irretrievable breakdown’
Equal Pay Act (1970) - women and men doing the same work get the same pay.
Marriage Act (2014) - same-sex marriage allowed.
Changes in Social Attitudes:
Now, less social stigma towards different ways of life, eg. marrying later in life, not having children,
living alone, cohabiting, and same-sex relationships.
This means there is less pressure for people to ‘fit in’ to dominant norms with the New Right
Perspective.
Changing Gender Roles:
Now, less social stigma towards different ways of life, eg. marrying later in life, not having children,
living alone, cohabiting, and same-sex relationships.
This means there is less pressure for people to ‘fit in’ to dominant norms with the New Right
Perspective.
Gender and Gender Roles:
sex - biological gender - defined by your physical attributes that determine if you are male or female
gender - the sociological idea - how it is culturally determined
