...understanding of families and households. Functionalism is a macro approach to society. It is based on a consensus that society as whole is run by and for the benefit of all its members. Early Functionalists such as Durkheim believed that society is made up of many institutions which work together to function. Regarding families, Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is best for society. Functionalists look at what the functions the family performs and they therefore say that the nuclear family is best for society. For example functionalists believe that traditional domestic roles (for the male to play an instrumental role as the breadwinner and the female to do the dual-burden) are necessary to ensure that children are socialised correctly with both male and female role models. Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is perfect for bringing up a geographically mobile workforce which allows families to move about for work easily, for example Functionalists believe during the industrial revolution nuclear families became more common as it was easier for families to move to an urban area in search of work than if it was for example an extended family. Conflict theories such as Marxism and Feminism challenge the Functionalism and the consensus of society by taking a more critical view. Social historians such as Laslett and Anderson also criticize the functionalist view of a ‘Functional Fit’ in the family. The main supporters of Functionalism in the family are Murdock...
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...Outline and assess the Marxist view of the role of education in society. Marxists view society as based on conflict. They believe that the role of all institutions in society can be understood in terms of how they relate to the economic system. They therefore see the education system as an institution which reproduces the class system and provides the economy with a suitable workforce. The labour force needs professional and managerial workers, as well as skilled and unskilled manual workers. According to Marxists, the role of the education system is to provide workers for every part of the economy. Support for this Marxist view comes from Bowls and Gintis who highlight a strong correspondence between what is learnt in schools and what is required in workers for the Capitalist system. For example, they found that in school the pupils who succeed the most are obedient and unquestioning, rather than independent and inquisitive. Bowles and Gintis believe that these qualities are valued in workers as they will accept the authority of their employers, and not question their orders. This idea is backed up by a study they conducted ‘schooling in capitalist America’. The hidden curriculum is said to teach motivation to pupils by trying to encourage achieving good grades. This is then used when the pupils leave school as they are motivated to work hard to attain a wage. It also teaches people to accept the heirachy. It does this by teaching the pupils about authority and power...
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...‘Outline and assess the view of the New Egalitarian arguments about social mobility’ (40 marks) Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals, families, households, or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to others' social location within a given society. The New Egalitarians are a group of sociologists and politicians who believe that social-class divisions are in decline and that policies to socially include deprived groups are working. Their critics consist mainly of the Traditionalists, Marxists and Neo Marxists. In this essay I aim to show how persuasive the New Egalitarian argument is. New Egalitarian sociologists such as Giddens and Diamond (2005) argue that social class is no longer an important source of inequality or identity in the contemporary UK. They suggest that the UK is a meritocratic society in that equality of opportunity is now the norm, i.e. all members of society are objectively and equally judged on their talent and ability. However, the Traditionalist view opposes this; they argue class divisions and conflict are still the key characteristics of British society today. They believe that Labour politicians have abandoned their commitment to equality and social justice for those exploited by the organisation of capitalism. They believe Labour politicians have betrayed its working-class roots because it has done nothing to redistribute wealth and income from rich to poor...
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...Outline and Assess functionalist explanations for ethnic inequality Functionalists hold the view that ethnic inequality is a dysfunctional for society, and that ethnic minorities need to become more similar to the white majority. This is known as Assimilation theory, which is staunchly criticised by the Marxists who believe racism exists to justify the inequalities that are so wide spread by the Bourgeoisie via Capitalism. Weberianism concurs with Marxists (so they diverge from the Functionalists) to an extent, but they introduce status into the explanation. Postmodernists take a approach antagonistic to all of the afore mentioned approaches, and that is to argue that blanket terms such as ethnicity are no longer relevant in the modern era, where our identities are defined by consumerism and globalisation. Functionalists outline the Assimilation Theory, suggested by Patterson. Patterson believes that the influx of immigrants into Britain in the 1950s disturbed what was a homogenous society with social stability and a high degree of social integration, leading to a value consensus. The norms and values brought in with the immigrants led to a Cultural Clash, where each different ethnicity were seen to be against the norm. This created many stereotypes e.g. boisterous West Indians. Prejudice also came about, buoyed by xenophobia, competing for jobs between ethnicities and a lack of similarity (Assimilation) with foreigners. Patterson continues by arguing this has caused self-segregation...
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...Outline and asses marxist theories on social inequalities. Marxism is a political, social, and economic philosophy derived from the work of the 19th-century historians Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It views human history as a struggle between social classes and asserts that capitalism is inherently exploitative. According to Marxism, social inequality is an unfair situation, in which some individuals or groups have more money, influence and power etc over others, usually referring to the bourgeoisie, who use this advantage to oppress the proletariats. Marxists would argue that social inequality is caused by false class consciousness, and that eventually would lead to a revaluation. Marxism is a conflict theory, focusing on inequalities and divisions within society. According to Karl Marx, all stratified societies have two major classes, the bourgeoisie (rich) and the proletariats (poor). The rich owns the means of production, such as land capital, machinery etc, while the poor does not, this gives the ruling class the power to exploit the lower class, through the use of the superstructure, e.g. the legal and political system to justify their actions and maintain social order, due to the fact that the ruling class have more influence compared to the working class. According to Karl Marx, the rich exploits the working class who have to sell their labour to survive, thus creating huge inequalities, furthermore, due to the fact that many working class people rely on this...
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...Evaluate the usefulness of sociological explanations of ethnic inequalities.(30) Evaluate the view that society is institutionally racist (30) Adapt according to question given Introduction Ethnic inequalities are still significant in the UK – give a few examples. Suggest some explanations e.g Racism, Institutional racism, social class of ethnic minorities (Marxism), welfare dependency (New Right). This essay will identify and assess these explanations. AO1 Define types of Racism e.g Barker and new racism, institutional racism – McPhearson report on murder of stephen lawrence – racism in met police. Jenkins suggests recruitment to jobs is more word of mouth and disadvantages ethnic minorities. Modood 1994 28% of african caribbean people surveyed said they felt they had been refused a job on grounds of race. AO2 There are many government acts such as Race relations acts which should prevent discrimination AO2 However because racism is implicit (hidden) now it can be difficult to prove in court. AO1 Marxists such as Westergaard and Resler argue that race is a distraction from the real issue which is social class. It is capitalism which disadvantages certain groups and ethnic minorities are more likely to be in lower classes. AO2 However this ignores the existence of racism in society e.g in education where black boys have the highest exclusion rates in school. AO1 Another marxist explanation by Castles and Kosack is that ethnic divisions in society ensure that there is...
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...Outline and assess feminist explanations of social inequality Feminists stress the importance of woman being treated as equal to men in society and work to ensure that males and females are entitled to the same rights. Most believe that women are disadvantaged in society due to their gender and that this disadvantage is socially constructed; there are numerous types of feminists which take different approaches in explaining key concepts such as status, power the labour market and other disadvantages some individuals face within society. Most feminist explanations of inequality focus on discrimination surrounding gender, however Oakley provides an explanation for age inequality; she argues that inequalities experiences by children are inextricably linked to those of women and the patriarchal nature of society. Children are controlled by adults in relation to the age they can start work, their education, where they play and use of their time. Gannon (1999) goes on to argue that some are controlled by abuse and neglect and that older women are materially deprived compared to men as a result of time out of employment and the gender pay gap. However Wyness (2006) opposes this view and argues that children are controlled by both women and men in society. Liberal feminists desire equal opportunities for men and women which they argue can be achieved through legislation and changing attitudes. They argue that gender roles are socially constructed through the family, education...
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...Outline and assess sociological explanations of gender inequality in contemporary UK (40) Intro: * There are many sociological explanations of gender inequality, for example, functionalist views contrast hugely with Marxists. * For hundreds of years, women have been seen as unequal, however in the late 19th and 20th century up until today, there has been a huge increase in the belief of gender inequality and numerous feminist movements to try and conquer gender inequality. Functionalists: * Different, not unequal * Men and women serve different social roles in society, fam & workplace. * Parsons: women = expressive. Men = instrumental (breadwinner). Differences are innate and prescribed at birth. Warm bath 4 husband * Murdock: One of roles of fam = to socialise children into gender roles to fit instrumental & expressive roles for society * Human Capital Theory: many women choose to prioritise role as homemaker, fitting with expressive instincts, therefore choosing their own position * Marxist feminists would argue that gender differences = used to exploit women through capitalism at work and in home. * Ansley: Women used to benefit economy, absorbing frustration & anger of husbands who are also exploited at work. ‘Women are the takers of shit’. * Benston: focused on economic aspects of gender inequality. Women = a reserve army of labour. Contribution of domestic labour to capitalism. Marxists: * More critical...
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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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...head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line. 2) Using one example, briefly explain how Marxists suggest that the next generation may be socialised into capitalist values. (2 Marks) They think those families in relations to capitalism and how it will benefit capitalism because they will have a lot more works that will work for them and that means there will be more money for the ruling class. 3) Outline three criticisms made of the New Right view of the family. (6 Marks) The family is in decline because there is an increase in: Lone parents Fatherless families Gay and Lesbian couples. Because of this the family is no longer performing its function properly, it is failing to give children proper socialisation and this leads the kids to have bad grades and it causes them to behave badly and commit crimes and it makes lone parents dependent on the welfare. (Welfare Dependency). 4) Outline and explain two function that functionalist’s sociologists see the family performing. (10 Marks) Functionalists believe that families must have a function or a purpose and they must to something useful that will benefit the family members and the society. One of the functions that George Murdock thinks that is vital for the family is being reproductive and having babies this will increase the population and that will mean that they’re will be more people that will be working and that benefits society a lot, the main reason for family is for the reproduction...
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...Outline and assess the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. This essay will outline and asses the view that the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. According to Bourdieu, the major of the education system is cultural reproduction. This does involve society as a whole, as Durkheim argued, but, instead, the reproduction of the culture of the ‘dominant classes’. These groups have the power the power to ‘impose meanings and to impose them as legitimate’. They are able to define there own culture as ‘worthy of being sought and possessed’, and to establish is as the basis for knowledge in the educational system. The high value placed on dominant culture in society as a whole simply stems from the ability of the powerful to impose their definition of reality in other. The possession of dominant culture is referred to as cultural capital by Bourdieu. This is because via the education it can be translated into wealth and power. Children of dominant classes acquire skills and knowledge from pre-school which puts them in an advantage because they have the key to understanding what is being transmitted in the classroom. Bourdieu claims that, since the education system presupposes the possession of cultural capital, which few students in fact possess, there is a great deal of inefficiency in teaching. This is because working students simply do not understand what their teachers are trying to...
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...Outline and Assess Sociological Explanations of Age Inequality (40 Marks) Most theoretical explanations of age inequality focus on the inequalities faced by the youth and the elderly. Functionalists look at different roles taken on during ageing and have a positive outlook of the stages of ageing as it is believed to benefit society. In contrast, Marxists focus on an underlying class struggle and believe that age is a social construct made to uphold capitalism. However, the Weberian outlook is more complex as it has an interactionist approach and delves deeper into different experiences of age. Similarly, Postmodernists stress the importance of recognising that identities have become fluid and experiences are not fixed so age inequalities have become blurred. However, many of these explanations can be criticised and it is important to note that some of them do not directly refer to age inequality but can be applied to it. The functionalist approach is that society benefits from the way it treats people according to their age. Parsons, believes that people learn their role in society according to their age. He sees a child in their teen years as someone who is going through the transition of becoming an adult, whereas old age is considered as a time of dependency, created by pensions and a drop in status as the elderly become cut off from mainstream society. Eisenstaedt agrees with this as he also argued that differential age groups enable individuals to learn and acquire...
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...Outline and assess the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. This essay will outline and asses the view that the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. According to Bourdieu, the major of the education system is cultural reproduction. This does involve society as a whole, as Durkheim argued, but, instead, the reproduction of the culture of the ‘dominant classes’. These groups have the power the power to ‘impose meanings and to impose them as legitimate’. They are able to define there own culture as ‘worthy of being sought and possessed’, and to establish is as the basis for knowledge in the educational system. The high value placed on dominant culture in society as a whole simply stems from the ability of the powerful to impose their definition of reality in other. The possession of dominant culture is referred to as cultural capital by Bourdieu. This is because via the education it can be translated into wealth and power. Children of dominant classes acquire skills and knowledge from pre-school which puts them in an advantage because they have the key to understanding what is being transmitted in the classroom. Bourdieu claims that, since the education system presupposes the possession of cultural capital, which few students in fact possess, there is a great deal of inefficiency in teaching. This is because working students simply do not understand what their teachers are trying to...
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...“Outline and assess the view that the role of education is to meet the needs of the economy” There are a few theories that agree with the idea that the purpose and role of education is to gain qualifications and the ideal job suited for the particular person, which aids the needs of the economy. Functionalists, new rights and social democrats support this idea of education and the economy, especially the positive side of the capitalist system. However social democrats are aware of the negative side of seeing education aiding the economy, alongside Marxists and the liberal theories. They are all highly critical of the capitalist system. As for postmodernism, it goes against all these theories and refuses to give a grand theory of education aiding the economy. Functionalists believe that education plays an important role in helping the economy. Durkheim believes that it is crucial for society to have social order and social solidarity; to successfully have this there is the value consensus that aids society with unwritten rules that everyone follows, such as not to steal or not to murder. Education has the goal of teaching that we need to act as one and to be homogeneous by having essential similarities and in doing this becoming successful in understanding the teaching of wrong and right within society. Durkheim also believes that school prepares for division of labour, as schools teach the students the skills that are needed for the work force. With regards to the specialised...
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...Outline and assess postmodernist explanation of age inequality (40 marks) Age explanations have changed over the years and various sociological theories have different explanation on age inequality. In this essay I’m going to analyse various explanation on age inequality by weberians, Marxist, functionalists and postmodernist. Postmodernist are the only theory which is applicable to today’s world. Postmodernists believe that age inequalities have been blurred due to various explanations. Jane Pilcher states that modernity and industrialisation are responsible for the low status of both young and old within society, as they have both been excluded from the workplace. The boundaries are becoming now blurred however, people are not acting in the way that they are expected to. Stages in the life course can no longer be clearly identified. Medical advances have lead to Ivf leads to older pregnancies, cosmetic surgery allows people to look younger for longer period of time, and children dress almost identical to adults. Various of phrases have even be developed to describe the blurring of age groups such as mutton dressed as lamb to describe the older ages dressing more younger. People now have choice in how age will affect their life. Pilcher however acknowledges that age inequality does still exist although she states that it is becoming less rigid. This belief can be supported by another postmodernist such as Featherstone and Hepworth as they go on to suggests that the...
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