families

• Birth Rate


  The number of live births per 1000 of the population per year.
• Civil Partnership

  A relationship between two people of the same sex who register as civil partners and thereby have their relationship legally recognized.
• Cohabitation


  Living with a partner outside marriage or civil partnership.
• Conjugal Roles

  The domestic roles of married or cohabiting partners - can be joint or segregated
• Cultural Diversity


  Culturally based differences between people in a society in terms of religion, ethnicity, social class and so on.
• Death Rate

  The number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year.
• Demography


  The systematic study of human populations, including their size, age and gender structures, birth and death rates and life expectancy.
• Division of Domestic Labour

  The division of tasks such as housework, childcare and DIY between men and women within the home.
• Divorce Rate

  The number of divorces per 1000 of married people per year.
• Dual-career Families

  Families in which both adult partners work in paid employement.
• Extended Family

  A group of relatives extending beyond the nuclear family. The classic extended family contains three generations who either live under the same roof or nearby. This type of extension is known as vertical extension. In modified extended families, members live apart geographically but maintain regular contact and provide support.
• Feminism

  A sociological approach which examines the ways gender operates within social structures such as families or education systems.
• Fertility rate


  The average number of children born to women of childbearing age (usually 15-44) in a particular society.
• Functionalism


  A sociological approach which examines society's structures (such as the family, the education system and religion) in terms of the functions they perform for the continuation of society and for individuals.
• Same sex family

  A family in which a same-sex couple live together with their child or children.
• Gender


  Relates to socially constructed or cultural (rather than biological) differences between men and women, which are associated with masculinity and femininity.
• Geographical Mobility

  Moving house from one area to live an another area, region or country.
• Household

  A household comprises either one person who lives alone or a group of people who live at the same address and who share facilities such as a living room.
• Infant Mortality

  The death of infants in the first year of life.
• Infant Mortality Rate


  The number of infant deaths (aged under one year) per 1000 live births per year.
• Joint Conjugal Roles


  This term describes domestic roles of married or cohabiting partners, which are divided or shared in an equal way.
• Kinship

  Relationships between people traditionally based on ties of blood, marriage or adoption. In postmodern societies this may be by choice.
• Life Expectancy


  The average number of years a person is expected to live for
• Lone-Parent Family


  A family consisting of one single parent and a child or children who live together.
• Breadwinner

  The adult who works in paid employment and earns the bulk of the household income. Traditionally this has been a male
• Marxism


  A sociological approach which argues the family supports capitalism
• Monogamy

  The practice of being married to only one person at a time.
• Migration

  The movement of people either nationally, from one region of a country to another, or internationally from one country to another.
• New Man

  A caring, sharing man who rejects sexist attitudes and shares domestic tasks and childcare
• Nuclear Family


  A family containing heterosexual couple and their child or children.
• Patriarchy


  Male power and dominance over women.
• Secularisation


  The process whereby the influence of religion in a society declines.
• Segregated Conjugal Roles


  This term describes domestic roles of married or cohabiting partners which are separated out or divided in an unequal way.
• Serial Monogamy


  The practice of divorcing, remarrying, divorcing, remarrying and so on.
• Spouse


  A husband or wife.
• Reconstituted family


  A family in which one or both partners have a child or children from a previous relationship living with them. Sometimes referred to as a step family or blended family
• Symmetrical Family


  A family form in which spouses carry out different tasks but each makes a similar contribution within the home.
• Welfare State Provisions


  Benefits and servics provided through government departments to ensure that people's wellbeing is taken care of.
• Adolescence


  The period of time in an individual's life between childhood and adulthood
• Arranged marriage


  A marriage in which the family or relatives of the prospective spouses take the leading role in finding a suitable partner for them. However the prospective spouses have the right to choose whether to accept the arrangement