Download Sociology Revision2

Sociology Revision
Family Question
Item A
Functionalist sociologists have argued that with the transition
from pre-industrial society to industrial society, the family ha
undergone a change in its structure. For example, Parsons has
argued that while in pre-industrial society the family is
extended in structure and performs a wide variety of
functions, in industrial society the nuclear family becomes the
dominant family structure.
Some sociologists also argue that the modern family is much
more equal than in the past. For example, Willmott and Young
claim that in today’s ‘symmetrical’ nuclear family, husband’s
and wives’ conjugal roles have become much more similar
than in the patriarchal family of the Victorian era. However,
feminists have criticised this view of the modern family.
Item B
The last three decades of the twentieth century showed two very striking trends
1, a decline in the number of first marriages, that is marriages where neither
partner had been married before
2, a rise in the number of divorces.
Compared with the figures for the early 1970s, the statistics for the late 1990s
showed about half as many marriages and twice as many divorces. Although
Great Britain had the highest divorce rate in Europe, the same trends were
evident elsewhere, especially in the more economically developed and less
religious countries of Northern Europe.
There has also been a slow decline in the number of religious marriage
ceremonies and a corresponding rise in the number of civil marriages in
registry offices. However, while most first marriages take place in church,
among those couples where one or both partners have been married before,
only one in about five of marriages ceremonies took place in church
Family Question
• (a)Explain what is meant by the patriarchal family.
(2)
• (b) Suggest two criticisms which feminist
sociologists might make of the view that husbands
and wives are now equal (4)
• (c ) Suggest three functions that the extended
family may perform.
• (d) Identify and briefly describe two factors which
may have produced greater equality between the
roles of husbands and wives. (8)
(a)
• A family found in a society which is
patriarchal.
•
•
•
•
0/2
Just recycles the question.
You need to define patriarchal
Eg male dominated society
(b)
• 1. There is still domestic violence by men
towards women
• 2. Men and women have different functions
• 2/4
• Second point gets no marks because the
meaning is unclear and not particularly linked
to feminism.
• Could have said although women go out to
work they are still expected to do the
housework and childcare.
( c)
1. It can provide a babysitting service, where
grandparents look after the young children while
their parents are at work.
2. It can arrange marriages between families
3. It can provide support eg when migrating to a new
area in search of work having extended family
contacts there can help them find somewhere to live
6/6
All three functions are correct.
Other should include Andersons point about taking
in orphaned children in the Industrial period, in
pre – industrial society family was also a unit of
production.
(d)
• 1 women now go out to work more than in the
past. This means that they can have more
financial say in the family eg) in decisions
about what to spend money on since now they
are contributing financially ie they are
breadwinners as well as homemakers.
• 2. Availability of female contraception has led to
greater equality between the sexes.
(d)
• 6/8
• Only gets 2/4 for the second point because
she makes a good point but doesn’t explain
or describe it properly.
• Better to say the pill has taken away men’s
power to decide when and how many
children their wife will have
(e) Examine the reasons for
changes in the position of
children in the last 200 years.
(20)
How to do well
• The sample answer is not focused and rifts from one era to the other.
• Give your answer focus and apply material to the set question from the
start.
• Sample looks at infant morality, education, welfare state, family size
and labour laws. You cold also look at the effect of media, children as
consumers, children’s rights, class, gender, ethnic and cross cultural
differences in childhood
• Sample answer is short on sociological concepts. Should have included
social construction of childhood, child centred family/ society and age
patriarchy.
• Main focus of question is knowledge and understanding but there
should still be evaluation. EG is the position of children better today
than it was? Is childhood disappearing?
Using material from Item B and
elsewhere, assess sociological
explanations of the changes in the
rates of marriage and divorce.
(20)
How to do well
• Make sure your points are explained fully- why are women more
independent financially?
• Make sure your points all relate to the question clearly. – what is the
relevance of single parent families being an emerging type?
• Make food use of the item . Eg could have used the trends in religious
and civil ceremonies. Could suggest reasons for the patterns.
Secularisation.
• Assess = evaluation, strengths and weaknesses. Cold contrast feminist
views with functionalist. Sociological explanations =different
perspectives
• Deal with both parts of the question.
• Sample answer ends abruptly
• Write a conclusion that sums up the main explanations and says
something about their usefulness. You could use the sample’s
penultimate paragraph further as a conclusion by arguing about the
loss of functions, growing individualism, and greater independence for
women have led to what Giddens calls ‘coupling and uncoupling’
rather than marriage and the family.