sociology

• FAMILY DIVERSITY ( RAPPAPORT & RAPPAPORT)

  Rappaport & Rappaport believed families were divided by their diversity, he classed them into these groups:
• Types of family diversity

  • Organisational diversity
  • Cultural diversity
  • Social class diversity
  • Life course diversity
  • Cohort/generational diversity
• MURDOCKS' 4 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY

  Murdock believed there were 4 functions which helped society and the nuclear family was the best family to carry out all 4 functions:
• Murdock's 4 functions of the family

  • Sexual
  • Educational
  • Economic
  • Reproductive
• HOW HAVE THE FUNCTIONS BEEN LOST?

  Society has become more relaxed to the point where Murdock's ideas could be classed as outdated
• FUNCTIONALISM

  Functionalists argue that everything in society has a function/role and the family is the heart of society so it has the biggest job
• TALCOTT PARSONS


  Believed the family has lost its functions and now only has 2:
• Parsons' 2 remaining functions of the family

  • Primary socialisation
  • Stabilise adult personalities
• FEMINISM 1


  A sociological perspective which describes society as patriarchal (male dominated) and believe there is still inequality as women have less opportunities
• Women earn 20% less than men, 70% of people earning minimum wage are women, 220 of 650 MPs are women, 9% of the top 100 companies have women as the chief executive
• Types of feminists

  • Radical feminists
  • Liberal feminists
• CANALISATION

  Feminists believe families socialise children into traditional gender roles. This is canalisation; parents channeling and conditioning children's interests to gender stereotypes.
• Examples of canalisation

  • When parents buy a mini kitchen for a girl
  • When parents pick pink for girls and blue for boys
  • Girl watching her mum cook whilst the boy helps the dad fix stuff
• CONJUGAL ROLES

  There are roles and duties within the household based off gender. There are 2 types:
• Types of conjugal roles

  • Segregated conjugal roles
  • Joint/integrated conjugal roles
• SYMMETRICAL FAMILY 1 (WILMOTT & YOUNG)

  The functionalists believed the symmetrical family was most common in society. Believed the roles were separate but equal (women spent same amount of time as men doing different work). Family is more home centered (spend more time together as a family). Stratified diffusion: changes in social attitude in order of social class (e.g: working class values are lower than higher class so families of higher class may be more assymetrical-spend less time together). Families are more symmetrical because: (1) the rise in feminism (2) interest in home life (3) financial independence
• SYMMETRICAL FAMILY 2 (ANN OAKLEY)


  Rejects the idea of a symmetrical family. Conducted a study and found housewives were 20-30 years old with at least 1 child under 5 years old. Men exaggerate how much housework they do and it is mostly a female's responsibility. Attitudes have changed but behaviour hasn't. Dual earner families have a female doing a double shift (patriarchy). A conventional family is basically a nuclear family.
• POWER 1

  Power is the ability to influence despite opposition (sociological definition). In a nuclear family, the male is perceived to have more power (patriarchy), this is portrayed as conjugal roles which are often channelled via canalisation. Power should be split equally in a family and often is in dual earner households.
• Reasons for not reporting domestic abuse

  • It is regarded as normal in cultures
  • Blackmail/manipulation
  • Shame
  • Fear of consequences
  • Police may disregard it
  • Powerlessness/vulnerability
• SOCIAL CLASS 1

  Social class refers to divisions between different groups based off status (power, influence and wealth).
• MARXISM 2

  Marxists don't like the nuclear family because they believe it serves the interest of capitalism by making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Zaretsky (a key researcher) believed: inheritance reproduces the social class, families are a unit of consumption (buy products which feed into capitalism), families socialise children to be workers. Socialism.
• Changes in parent-child relationships

  • More home centered
  • Less strict parenting (corporal punishment)
  • Children are heard and seen instead of seen not heard
  • Children go to school now (free up till age 18) instead of working in mills and factories
  • Technology
  • Society is more lenient (racism, awareness etc)
  • More opportunities (money)
• FERTILITY RATES 1

  Fertility rate: number of live births per 1000 women aged 15-44. Women born in the UK are having fewer children than they were-official statistic. Reasons for declining fertility rates:
• Reasons for declining fertility rates

  • Feminism - stay career focused and don't want to be part of female stereotype
  • Economic factors - children are expensive
  • Labour market - maternity leave
  • Birth control - abortion & ability to control when to have babies
• DIVORCE PATTERNS 1

  A divorce is the legal ending of a marriage. The number of divorces per year has risen since 1945. 1969 Divorce Reform Act - 'inevitable breakdown' of marriage becomes the accepted reason for divorce. Divorce has become more socially accepted due to:
• Reasons for increased social acceptance of divorce

  • Secularisation
  • Feminism
  • Money from government
• CONCEQUENCES OF DIVORCE 2

  Financial issues (court, housing, filing a divorce is expensive), Family life (custody often goes to mother, upsets children, arguments), New families (reconstitued, lose contact, larger family)
• LITERATURE REVEIW 1

  Sociologists investigate existing work (e.g: books/articles) before beginning any piece of research. Why? To become familiar with key concepts, to spot the gap which hasn't been dwelt on, identify research questions that have not yet been answered.
• ETHICAL GUIDELINES 1

  Ethical issues refers to situations where a person has to consider what the right thing to do is. To be an ethical researcher means that no harm comes to your participants. Solutions to ethical issues: debriefing and offering counselling, code names and blurred faces, tell them the details of the study and what they're in for.
• SAMPLING TYPES 1

  A sample is a smaller version of a larger group of participants, a good sample is representative (reflects characteristics of a whole population e.g: gender/age etc).
• QUESTIONNAIRES 1

  Postal questionnaires are sent via the post - cheap, easy, reach.
• Sampling Types

  • Questionnaires
  • Interviews
  • Observations
  • Study Types
• Literature Review


  Sociologists investigate existing work (e.g: books/articles) before beginning any piece of research
• Why do a Literature Review?

  • To become familiar with key concepts
  • To spot the gap which hasn't been dwelt on
  • Identify research questions that have not yet been answered
• Ethical Guidelines


  Ethical issues refers to situations where a person has to consider what the right thing to do is
• To be an ethical researcher means

  That no harm comes to your participants
• Solutions to Ethical Issues

  • Debriefing and offering counselling
  • Code names and blurred faces
  • Tell them the details of the study and what they're in for
• Sample

  A smaller version of a larger group of participants
• Good Sample

  Representative (reflects characteristics of a whole population e.g: gender/age etc)
• Questionnaire Types


  • Postal
  • Open Ended
  • Closed Ended