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