Sociology Key Terms, Family And Households

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Agepatriarchy

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The domination of fathers, or adults generally,over children.

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BeanpoleFamily

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Term used to describe the modern day familywhere people have fewer children, butare at the same time living longer, family trees are becoming longer andthinner - sometimes extending to four generations

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BirthRate

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The number of live births per 1,000 of thepopulation per year

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Cereal-packetfamily

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The romantic image of the traditional two-parentfamily featured on the back of corn flake packets in the 1960s

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Child centeredness

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A family in which much activity and emotional energy is focused on the children, rather than adult desires.

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Childhood

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A socially defined age status

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Classicextended family

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An extended family sharing the same household or living close by

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Cohabitation A situationwhere a couple live together as man and wife without being legally married

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A situation where a couple live together as man and wife without being legally married

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Commercialisationof Childhood

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Where children are targeted as a key consumer group bybig business

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ConjugalRoles

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The roles played between husband and wife withina marriage with particular reference to the domestic division of labour

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CivilPartnership Act 2004

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Gave same-sex couples rights andresponsibilities identical to civil marriage

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'Dark-side'of the family

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Term used to challenge the romantic view of thefamily by perspectives such as feminists. They highlight the extent of conflictand violence in families

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Death(Mortality) Rate

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The number of deaths per thousand of thepopulation per year

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Demography

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The study of population including birth, death, fertility and infant mortality, immigration / emigration and age structures

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Dependencyratio

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The relationship between the size of the working population and the non-working or dependent population

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Divorce

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The legal termination of a marriage

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DivorceRate

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number of divorces in any one year per 1000married couples in the population

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DivorceReform Act, 1971

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Introduced the concept of 'no-fault' divorce (‘Irretrievablebreakdown’). There was a significant growth in divorce after this Act becameeffective in 1971

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DivorceReform Act, 1984

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The amount oftime before application for divorce can be made was reduced from 3 to 1 year.

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Domestic labour

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Work performed in the home e.g. childcare,cooking and cleaning.

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DualBurden

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When a person has paid work but is alsoresponsible for domestic labour

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Empty-shellmarriage

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Term given to marriage where love and romance have long-gone and couples stay together either because divorce is not an option (say for religious reasons) or for financial reasons or for the sake of the children.

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Expressive Role

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The caring, nurturing ‘homemaker’ role of the family

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Extended Family

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Is one where the nuclear family has been added to, or extended, either vertically (e.g. grandparents) or horizontally (e.g. aunts, uncles, cousins) or both.

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Family

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Two or more generations of people tied together through blood, marriage or adoption.

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Family diversity

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A term used to describe the differing forms of family organisation typical of modern Britain. It is associated with the post-modernist idea of choice.

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Fertilityrate

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The average number of children women will have during their fertile years (age 15 to 44)

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Functionalfit

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Parsons’ theory suggestingthat the family changed from extended to nuclear to fit the needs of the newindustrial society that benefited from smaller more mobile families.

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GenderDivision of Labour

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Husbands and wives have different roles/tasks

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Household

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A group of people not necessarily related who share accommodation (or meals, chores, bills etc), or one person living alone

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Joint Conjugal Roles

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Husband and wife shareroles, tasks and/or leisure

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InfantMortality Rate

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The number of infants who die before their 1stbirthday per 1000 live births per year

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Instrumentalrole

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The breadwinner role in the family

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LAT’s-Living apart together

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Couples who are in significant relationships but not married or cohabiting.

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Lone parent families

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Families consisting of a dependent child or children living with one parent, usually the mother (90% of lone parent families are female headed)

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March of progress theory

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Collective name for social theorists, usually of the functionalist perspective, who see the family evolving and adapting in a progressive way to fit the changing needs of wider society

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Marriage

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A legal contract between two people of opposing sexes offering rights and obligations under law

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MarriageRate

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Is the number of marriages occurring among the population of a given area per year, per 1,000 total population

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Matrifocalfamily

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Family with a mother as the head of the household

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Net Migration

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The difference between the numbers emigrating and those immigrating

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Modified extended family

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An extended family living far apart, but keeping in touch by phone, letters, email or frequent visits

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Monogamy

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One husband and one wife

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NeoConventional Family

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According to Chester this family has partners who both work and may not be married. However, it is more symmetrical and happier.

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Nuclear family

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A family consisting of parents and their children

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Patriarchy

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A society in which males are the rulers andleaders and exercise power, both at the level of society as a whole and withinindividual households.

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PrimarySocialisation

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The first / early stage of the process ofpassing down society’s culture to the young

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Privatised family

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A nuclear family whose lifestyle and leisure centres on the home rather than the extended family or wider community.

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Reconstituted Family

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A step-family in which one or both partners have children from a previous relationship.

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Secondary socialisation

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Carried out by other institutions outside of the family, and continues through the rest of our lives

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Secularisation

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The decline of religion. The process in which religious thinking, practices and institutions lose their importance or influence

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Segregated Gender Roles

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Husband is breadwinner. Wife is homemaker. Leisure is spent separately.

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Serial Monogamy

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Having several marriage partners/long term relationships over the course of one’s life, one at a time

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Social Construction

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Created by society and/or by social attitudes

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Social control

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The various methods used to make people confom to the social norms

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Socialisation

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The process whereby individuals learn the culture of their society

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Stabilisation of the adult personality

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According to Parsons the family plays a key role in supporting its members emotionally.

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Status

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All members of a society are given a social position by their culture. These positions are known as statuses. Some positions are ascribed (i.e. fixed at birth), others are achieved through effort.

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Symmetrical Family

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Term coined by Willmott and Young that indicates that roles are shared more or less equally within the family. Husbands participate in domestic labour as well as being breadwinners and wives go out to work as well as being home makers. Leisure time spent together.

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Triple Shift

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This is paid work, housework and the emotion work.