...Examine Marxist views of the role of the family. (24 marks) Marxist sociologists believe that the family is shaped by the requirements of capitalism and serves to support and maintain this unjust and exploitative system. They believe that the family exists to reproduce labour power, to consume the products of capitalism and to provide emotional support for workers to help them cope with the harsh reality and to accept their inequalities. Engels, a Marxist sociologist, believes that family was only needed when private property emerged and that monogamous families were a means of passing on private property to heirs as they provided proof of paternity. Zaretsky, another Marxist sociologist, supported Engels’ theory but also believed that family helps workers to live with their oppression by giving them a measure of control over their own lives. Functionalism is similar to Marxism as they are both macro-theories which means they look at society as a whole rather than at specifically one aspect. They are also both structural theories which means that they view the family as part of a system and that people are products of this system. However, functionalism differs to Marxism as functionalists believe that the family works harmoniously and that value consensus exists within society whereas Marxists believe that conflicting views are normal. Functionalists also believe that the family benefits everyone in society whilst Marxists believe the family only benefits the bourgeoisie...
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...SCLY1 (Old Specification) Past Exam Questions Although June 2016 will be a new specification and exam structure much of the material you have learnt in families and households applies to the new exam. Below are examples of questions taken from the old exam papers that you should practice writing plans for as they are still relevant. However there are a few key differences: * The question you will answer will be worth 20 marks not 24 marks. * You will have 30 minutes to write a 20 mark answer. * The essays will consist 4 paragraphs and a conclusion containing new information. How to use this document: * Use the extract from the mark scheme and examiners’ advice to create essay plans of the questions. * You may not have heard of all of the concepts in the mark scheme but there should be at least some that are familiar to you. * The examiner’s advice usually outlines bad, moderate and good answers to the question so pick out the ways in which you can achieve top band and incorporate this into your plan. June 2015 Examine the impact of government policies and laws on family life. [24 marks] From the mark scheme: Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: patriarchy; familism; surveillance; ideological control; gender regimes; marital breakdown; family structure; family diversity; welfare dependency; underclass; reserve army of labour Policies/laws on abortion; divorce; contraception; reproductive technology; marriage; adoption; pensions; benefits; taxes;...
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...Functionalist Approach- 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 individual. Marxism- A sociological approach that draws on the ideas of Karl Marx and applies them to modern society. Marx's theories about society, economics and politics, which are collectively known as Marxism, argue that all society progresses through the dialectic of class struggle. He was heavily critical of the current socio-economic form of society, capitalism, which he called the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie," believing it to be run by the wealthy middle and upper classes purely for their own benefit, and predicted that it would inevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its self-destruction and replacement by a new system, socialism. Under socialism, he argued that society would be governed by the working class in what he called the "dictatorship of the proletariat." He believed that socialism would eventually be replaced by a stateless, classless society called pure communism. Feminist Approach- a sociological approach which examines the ways gender operates in society against the interests of women. Feminism is the term that describes the feminist movement in society. It is also used to describe an approach within sociology. Liberal feminism aims for individuals to use their own abilities and the democratic process to help women...
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...Examine the Marxist view of the family Marxists believe that the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist’s society. They see the family as performing essential functions, but negative functions. These functions benefit the minority in power (bourgeoisie) and the economy. The functions disadvantage the working class society (proletant). Marxists believe that the family is a unit of consumption. Family members go out to work to earn money. With their wages/salary they purchase goods such as food, clothing and electrical goods, from capitalist manufacturers. The bourgeoisie make a profit from this. Zaretsky (1976) backed this theory up by saying that when a man returns home form work he is the ‘king of his castle’. This helps him to accept his low work status by allowing him to believe he has a high status at home. However, whilst men think that they are the ruler of the home, Morgan (1996) argues that the source of power with in the family is food. Whilst the man may bring home the money, the mother’s typical role is to shop for food, unpack it, decide on a meal and cook it. This shows that the mother is ruling the household as she is determining what the family eats and when they eat. Marxists also believe that the family socialise children to accept capitalism and levels of hierarchy through the use of authority of parents and obedience of children. This will teach children that in working life, someone will always be higher up in the hierarchy than you. ...
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...society is organised and how people experience life, it is based on global issues that can affect the living beings. Sociology helps us to understand the structure and the dynamics of society and the connections between how people behave and individual life changes. It helps examine ways in which the forms of social structure, groups, communities, organisations and other social interactions with how they affect attitude, opportunities and actions. In sociology there are six principal perspectives they are Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism, Postmodernism, Collectivism and New Right. Functionalism In 1951, Talcott Parsons introduced the Functionalist view which studies the social structure fully of how it functions and how each social structure is crucial in the interests of society. Functionalism believes that humans and society have basic needs, institutions. Governments may be responsible to meet the required needs also Functionalist may consider that the different kinds of sources may limit the individual’s behaviour within the chosen society, which may mean that society will behave appropriately based on their behaviour while having the same values. However the Functionalists view does recognise that there may be errors or inequalities within the society but bearing in mind this could be functional for society. There has been criticism against Functionalism as some may ignore conflict and diversity within individuals in the society. Talcott Parson’s sees...
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...FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS Examine the different functions performed by the family for individuals and society? The family is a unit of people living together tied down by biological or legal bonds. Functionalists take the family to be an important part on the way society works and therefore emphasise the importance of the function of the family. Functions are the jobs and roles of a particular object. Functionalists and Marxists are social systems, also known as structural thinkers. Structural theories define individuals as being completely shaped by our society and the way it works and is organised. Functionalism visualises society as socialising individuals into the shared norms and values, which dictate the way they will behave. Marxism and a majority of feminist groups are also classed as structural thinkers. Both functionalists and Marxists take a macro approach and make generalisations towards the role the nuclear family plays in society as a whole. However functionalists take a positive view of the role of the nuclear family whereas traditional Marxists and feminists have criticised the view. George Peter Murdock was a functionalist sociologist. From his study of 250 diverse societies he concluded that the family actually performs 4 basic functions, which are essential for social life. The first were sexual and reproductive which are important, as they are the means of producing members of society. Without these two major functions society itself would seize to exist...
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...Examine the ways in which feminist sociologists have contributed to our understanding of family roles and relationships Feminists as a whole take a critical view of the family and they argue that family life oppresses women. They mainly focus on issues such as the unequal division of labour and domestic violence against women. Feminists believe that gender inequality is neither natural nor inevitable but something that society created. Feminists belief in the symmetrical family, which promotes the roles of husbands and wives being, not identical, but similar. Feminism does not cover all the beliefs of the different types of feminists and each approaches family life in a different way and provides varied solutions for each problem or issue. There are many feminists who argue that, despite women having jobs and working, there is little or insufficient evidence of a “new man” who helps out and does an equal share of domestic labour. Women seem to have simply acquired the burden of both paid work and unpaid housework, which is known as the dual burden. So the family still remains to be patriarchal; men are benefiting from their wives or partners unpaid housework. Further support comes from Elsa Ferri and Kate Smith (1996) who provide evidence of the dual burden. They found that the employment increase of women outside of home has had little impact on the domestic division of labour between the sexes. Liberal feminism is an individualistic form of the feminist theory, which...
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...different ways. Parsons describes the division of labour in the traditional nuclear family in terms of an expressive role and an instrumental role. However, this traditional arrangement may have changed as families have changed, and many feminists use the term ‘dual burden’ to describe the woman’s role in the family today. Item 2B Government policies and laws include tax and benefit policies as well as legislation such as relating to divorce and marriage. Sociologists have different views on the impact of these policies and laws on families. For example, feminists argue that social policies assume that the ideal family is a patriarchal nuclear family, and that government policies and laws therefore favour this sort of family. On the other hand, the New Right argue that the benefit system undermines traditional nuclear families by actively encouraging lone parents. 0 6 Explain what is meant by the ‘dual burden’ (Item 2A). (2 marks) 0 7 Explain the difference between the expressive role and the instrumental role (Item 2A). (4 marks) 0 8 Suggest three ways in which the differences between children and adults are becoming less clear in society today. (6 marks) 0 9 Examine the reasons for, and the effects of, changes in family size over the past 100 years or so. (24 marks) 1 0 Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the impact of government policies and laws on family life. Item 2A Over the past 40 years or so, there has been a decline in the...
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...Families and Households past Questions Short Questions Explain what is meant by primary socialisation ( 2 marks) Explain what is meant by the expressive role( 2 Marks) Explain what is meant by serial monogamy(2 Marks) Explain what is meant by net migration(2 marks) Suggest two ways in which family life could have a harmful effect upon women(4 Marks) Explain the difference between a family and a household(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why lone parent families are likely to be head by a female(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why there has been an increase in one person households(4 Marks) Explain the difference between the birth rate and the fertility rate(4 marks) Suggest two reasons why women might delay having children(4 Marks) Suggest two ways in which the position of children could be said to have improved over the last 100 years(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why there has been an increase in cohabitation(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why someone might migrate to the united kingdom apart from employment.(4 Marks) Explain what is meant by the social construction of childhood(2 marks) Suggest two ways in which government policies may shape the experiences of childhood today(4 Marks) Suggest three reasons for the decrease in the death rate since 1900(6 Marks) Identify three ways in which childhood may not be a positive experience for some children(6 Marks) Identify three ways in which greater ethnic diversity has contributed to...
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...our society. The idea that men were superior to and different from women was so deeply integrated into much thinking that most people never thought to question it. Throughout the history of ideas, female inferiority has been seen as the natural order of things. This is where feminism comes into place... feminism is the view which examines the world from the viewpoint of women, hence this 'traditional' view that men dominate women is challenged by feminists, as feminism believes that women are disadvantaged relative to men and that female interests are ignored or devalued by society. Feminism is therefore the movement which essentially campaigns for equality for women in society; examples of feminist groups which have campaigned for equal rights are the suffragettes and suffragists who protested for the right to vote for women in the 20th century. As Paula Trelchler herself put it... feminism is the radical notion that women are people. Liberal feminist Gavron suggested that women are trapped by the traditional roles within the family and that they should have more choice with regards to marriage and family life. Oakly further argued that the mother housewife role has been responsible for the subordination of women in the workforce. Female professional workers are three times less likely to be married than their fellow male workers. Oakly criticized Young and Wilmott, who in their 1972 study suggested that men were doing more in the home, however, in her book 'the sociology of...
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...from the Item and elsewhere, assess the functionalist contribution to our understanding of the family.(24 marks) Functionalism is a structural theory as it examines social institutions e.g. economy , education etc. It sees these institutions as a way of moulding and shaping the individual. Functionalism is also a consensus theory and tends to encourage sharing norms and values and promotes agreement rather than conflict , value consensus. Functionalists adopt and organic analogy. This is the idea of seeing society as a living system (human body) , e.g. the skin of our body is like our norms and values. Material from the item says that Murdock (1949) suggests the four main family functions are reproducing the next generation , then going onto to socialise the next generation they have reproduced into the shared culture , value consensus. The third family function Murdock suggests is the economic function , this function involves providing food , shelter and clothes in order for individuals to benefit. The final family function Murdock suggests is the sexual function , this involves adults' sexual needs being satisfied in a way that doesn’t disturb social order. However information from elsewhere has shown that Murdock assumes only the nuclear family can perform these functions. Parsons argued that as modern industrial societies have evolved and changed , the modern nuclear family has lost may of its former functions. Parsons argued that in modern societies , more and more specialised...
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...pure crime parts you need to know: Functionalist theories of crime and deviance Durkheim – Social control, social regulation including suicide Merton-Strain theory, blocked aspirations Cohen – Status frustration Cloward and Ohlin – Deviant subcultures New Right/Right Realism James Wilson – Strict law enforcement needed Wilson and Kelling – Broken windows, zero tolerance Murray – Cultural deprivation, single parents and ineffective, the underclass Erdos – Families without fathers Subcultural theories Cohen – Delinquent subcultures Cloward and Ohlin – Delinquency and opportunity, criminal, conflict and retreatist subcultures Willis – pupil subcultures (learning to labour) Patrick – Gang culture (Glasgow gangs) Humphreys – Gay subcultures and covert participant observation Miller – Focal concerns, lower working class male subculture Matza – Delnquency and drift, techniques of neutralisation, subterranean values Marxist theories of crime and deviance Gordon – Criminogenic...
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...Assignment Contributors to the field of Marxist U1A2 Assignment Contributors to the field of Marxist Karl Marx (Marxism) - For Marx, production is essential for the advancement of society. Associated with the creation of goods there will be, eventually, a few individuals that will control the majority of the resources and their means of production. Louis Althusser – He was a French Marxist philosopher who had a strong following as a serious and intellectual interpreter of Marxism. (I thought it was interesting to put in a critique of Marxism therefore to see the critique of his theories.) Theorist | Theory Summary | Critique of Theory | Louis Althusser - | He was a French Marxist Philosopher his work is in the structuralism tradition. Althusserian Marxism is anti-economist and anti-humanist. His work is a move away from preoccupation with economic determination. Also Althusser also rejected the idea of a Marxist humanism. He wasn’t so much a contributor as he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. | His workings didn’t focus on the individual worker it more examines the overall structure of society. Marxism looked at how the human productive power will be exploited in order to maximize profits for the rich. He presumed that humans are actually shaped by societal structures instead of the rich dominating the poor. | Friedrich Engels - | He was a German-English social scientist and a co-founder of the Marxist alongside Karl Marx. They believed one such...
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...All families are unique. A few decades ago, the most common type of family was the mother and father living with their unmarried children. Today, families are vastly different including more single-parent households than ever before, stepfamilies, and adopted families, and grandparents raising their grandchildren, as well as young married couples having to move back in with their parents because they do not have the money to afford their own living arrangements yet. Whatever type of family you have there are different perspectives in which to view it. While the perspectives differ greatly from one another, the family still remains one of the most important social institutions along with health-care, religion, education, mass media, politics, and economy. Family is defined as, 'a basic social unit consisting of parent and their children, considered as a group, whether living together or not.' While every family is unique, there are similarities and differences within each family, no matter what perspective you are using. Each theory shows a different type of assumptions and defines a certain way of understanding a social institution, from all four unique perspectives. Functionalists believe that society is based on a value consensus, into which society socialise its members. They regard society as a system made up of different parts or sub-systems that depend on each other. Functionalists often compare society to a human body – without one organ, the body wouldn’t function, without...
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...Examine the ways in which laws and social policies affect family life. (24 marks, 14 AO1, 10 AO2) A social policy is a law implemented by the government to benefit society. These social policies have attempted to promote the nuclear family, such as those introduced by New Labour (although they are more accepting of family diversity than conservatives) and the Conservative government. The Child Support Act supports the conventional family by making the father provide for his children, even when he is absent - thus reinforcing the natural role of the breadwinner. Changes to taxes in 1988 also tried to reinforce the conventional families by not allowing cohabiting couples to claim more tax than married couples, and prevented them from claiming mortgage relief as two people, meaning married people are better off with their taxes. Maternity and paternity leave also reinforce the conventional nuclear family type, as maternity leave is far longer than paternity leave; this assumes that the mother is the primary caretaker of the child (this is not the case in Sweden, where both parents are treated as equal caretakers and income earners). Both New Right and New Labour are in favour of the nuclear family because they view it as the best way for a child to be adequately socialised. The New Right view the division of labour as natural and based on biology; when these roles are fulfilled the family will become self-reliant and not have to rely on the state for support. New Labour also...
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