Sociology

• METHODS


  Way sociologists work
• Methods used for research


  Questionnaire: a set of questions with a choice of answers

  Interview: a meeting of people face to face, especially for consultation

  Case study: a process or record of research into the development of a particular person, group or situation over a period of time
• Quantative data


  Data that is in numbers e.g. around 50% of marriages end in divorce
• Qualitative data


  Data that is in the form of words e.g. one on one interviews
• Closed question


  An interview question, not much to discuss, quick and easy
• Open question


  An interview question, requires discussion, more complicated
• Pilot study


  A trial run in survey research
• Discrete data


  Data with space between possible data values. Graphs are represented by dots.
• Continuous data


  Data that can take on any value. There is no space between data values for a given domain. Graphs are represented by solid lines.
• Sample


  A subset of the population
• Primary data


  Information collected for the specific purpose at hand
• Secondary data


  Information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose
• Practical issues affecting research


  Time, money, logistics, etc
• Ethical issues in research


  1. Right to informed consent

  2. Right to privacy

  3. Right to confidentiality

  4. Right to protection

  5. Right to debriefing

  6. Right to withdrawal
• FAMILY


  A group of people related by blood or law
• Nuclear family


  A family consisting of parents and children
• Extended family


  Parents, their children, and other relatives such as grandparents, aunts and uncles
• Blended family


  When two adults with children from different relationships cohabit to form a new family
• Lone parents family


  A family with only a mother or a father, as the consequence of death, divorce, or individual choice
• Same sex family


  Families headed by a couple of the same sex
• Beanpole family


  A family whose members come from many generations, but have fewer children in each generation
• Marriage


  A legal relationship, usually involving economic cooperation, sexual activity and childbearing
• Divorce


  The legal ending of a marriage
• Conjugal roles


  Roles within with a marriage
• Segregated conjugal roles


  Husband and wife perform different tasks and have a number separate interests and activities. Man = breadwinner, women = housewife
• Joint conjugal roles


  Where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together
• Changes in family


  Women now take on the breadwinner role when it used to be solely men. People are living longer, meaning families have more grandparents. Divorce is becoming much more normalised. People aren't getting married at all.
• Functionalist views of the family


  1. Physical care

  2. Emotional support

  3. A place in society/identity

  4. Reproduction

  5. Economical support

  6. Social control

  7. Socialisation

  8. Regulation of sex
• Marxist views on the family


  Society is split into two parts: upper (bourgeoisie), and lower (proletariat). Views summarised:

  1. Families set you up to be a consumer of bourgeoisie products

  2. Whatever a family owns, they pass it down to the next generation of their family

  3. Families ser you up to be a good worker, and offer you support when you have had a bad day, and to get back up on your feet
• Feminist views on the family


  Feminism argues that we live in a patriarchal society (a male- dominated society) where family continues gender inequalities. According to feminists, the traditional family structure oppresses and exploits women.
• Criticisms of Marxism


  Ignores family diversity in society and the fact that many women now work full time
• Criticisms of the feminist perspective

  Feminists put too much emphasis on the negative side of the family
• Criticisms of functionalism


  Functionalists ignore conflict in families
• NAMED STUDIES FOR FAMILY
• Talcott Parsons (functionalist)


  Divides socialisation up into primary and secondary, primary taking place in the family, and secondary being learning values through school, media and other agents of socialisation. Argued that men were the instrumental leader (one who is goal-oriented and largely concerned with accomplishing set tasks) while women were the expressive leader (one who focuses on building relationships) and that both were necessary. Came up with the ideas of the warm bath, family giving support for those who needed it, and SOAP (stabilisation of adult personalities)
• Willmott and Young (functionalist)


  W and Y say that there have been 4 stages of the family:

  Stage 1 - pre industrial family - family is the unit of production, Stage 2 - industrial family - family members become employed outside of the home,

  Stage 3 - SYMMETRICAL FAMILY - similar roles within the family for husband and wife,

  Stage 4 - principles of stratified diffusion - whatever the top of the stratification system does now, the bottom will eventually do, too. Lifestyles, patterns of consumption, attitudes and expectations of higher classes will filter down to those lower social classes (e.g. baby names or outfits).
• Ann Oakley (feminist)


  Believed that women can experience these things:

  Dual burden (paidwork, housework)

  Triple shift (childcare on top of dual burden)
• Delphy and Leonard (feminist)


  Believe that mean benefit from all the work that women do around the house and that men are the top of the family
• Rapoports


  5 types of diversity

  1. Organisational

  2. Cultural

  3. Social class

  4. Life course

  5. Cohort
• Eli Zaretksy (marxist)


  The family worked in the interests of capitalism. Today there is an illusion that the family is a private space, separate from economics and capitalism. Family is unable to be nurtured and supported under capitalism.