3.3 Families

Functions of families

Content	Additional information
Differing views of the functions of families. Parsons functionalist perspective on primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities.	Students should be able to: identify, describe and explain the functions of families (sexual, reproductive, economic and educational) describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on the functions of families (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).

Content

Additional information

Differing views of the functions of families.
Parsons functionalist perspective on primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities.

Students should be able to:

identify, describe and explain the functions of families (sexual, reproductive, economic and educational)
describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on the functions of families (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).

Content	Additional information
How family forms differ in the UK and within a global context. The work of the Rapoports on family diversity.	Students should be able to identify, describe and explain various family forms (nuclear, extended, reconstituted, lone parent, single sex).

Content	Additional information
Different views of conjugal role relationships. The feminist perspective of Oakley on the idea of the conventional family.	Students should be able to: identify, describe and explain joint and segregated conjugal roles describe and explain the domestic division of labour in both traditional and contemporary families demonstrate their understanding of issues that impact on conjugal role relationships within the contemporary family including decision making, money management, dual career families, child rearing and leisure activities describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on conjugal role relationships (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).

Content

Additional information

Students should be able to:

identify, describe and explain joint and segregated conjugal roles
describe and explain the domestic division of labour in both traditional and contemporary families
demonstrate their understanding of issues that impact on conjugal role relationships within the contemporary family including decision making, money management, dual career families, child rearing and leisure activities
describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on conjugal role relationships (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).

Content	Additional information
Changing relationships within families. How relationships within families have changed over time. The theory of the symmetrical family and the principle of stratified diffusion developed from the functionalist perspective of Willmott and Young.	Students should be able to: identify, describe and explain how relationships within families have changed over time (pre-industrial, industrial and contemporary/modern) identify, describe and explain contemporary family related issues, the quality of parenting, the relationships between teenagers and adults, care of the disabled/elderly and arranged marriage describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on changing relationships within families (functionalist, feminist and Marxist) describe the key ideas of Willmott and Young.

Content

Additional information

Changing relationships within families.
How relationships within families have changed over time.
The theory of the symmetrical family and the principle of stratified diffusion developed from the functionalist perspective of Willmott and Young.

Students should be able to:

identify, describe and explain how relationships within families have changed over time (pre-industrial, industrial and contemporary/modern)
identify, describe and explain contemporary family related issues, the quality of parenting, the relationships between teenagers and adults, care of the disabled/elderly and arranged marriage
describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on changing relationships within families (functionalist, feminist and Marxist)
describe the key ideas of Willmott and Young.

Content	Additional information
Different criticisms of families (isolation and unrealistic idealisation, loss of traditional functions, lack of contact with wider kinship networks, the status and role of women within families, marital breakdown, dysfunctional families). The work of Zaretsky on developments in families from a Marxist perspective and Delphy and Leonard’s feminist critique of families.	Students should be able to: identify, describe and explain different criticisms of families describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on these issues (functionalist, feminist and Marxist) describe the key ideas of Zaretsky on families describe the key ideas of Delphy and Leonard on families.

Content

Additional information

Different criticisms of families (isolation and unrealistic idealisation, loss of traditional functions, lack of contact with wider kinship networks, the status and role of women within families, marital breakdown, dysfunctional families).
The work of Zaretsky on developments in families from a Marxist perspective and Delphy and Leonard’s feminist critique of families.

Students should be able to:

identify, describe and explain different criticisms of families
describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on these issues (functionalist, feminist and Marxist)
describe the key ideas of Zaretsky on families
describe the key ideas of Delphy and Leonard on families.

Content	Additional information
Changes in the pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945 and the consequences of divorce for family members and structures.	Students should be able to: identify, describe and explain the pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945 using relevant statistical data explain reasons for the rise in divorce since 1945 including: changes in the law, changes in social attitudes and values, secularisation, changes in the status of women in society describe the consequences of divorce for family members (husband and wife, children and extended family) and the increase in the numbers of lone parent families describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on these issues (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).

Content

Additional information

Changes in the pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945 and the consequences of divorce for family members and structures.

Students should be able to:

identify, describe and explain the pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945 using relevant statistical data
explain reasons for the rise in divorce since 1945 including: changes in the law, changes in social attitudes and values, secularisation, changes in the status of women in society
describe the consequences of divorce for family members (husband and wife, children and extended family) and the increase in the numbers of lone parent families
describe, compare and contrast a variety of sociological perspectives on these issues (functionalist, feminist and Marxist).