AQA A-Level Sociology: Families and Households

Overview

• Paper 2 Exam: Families and Households as an optional topic
  • 3 Questions: Two 10 markers, One 20 marker (Total 40 marks)
  • Other half of the paper includes another option like Media or Beliefs
• Topics Covered: Sociological perspectives, division of labor, marriage and divorce, family diversity, social policy, childhood, family demographics, migration

Sociological Perspectives & Theories

• Functionalism

  • Murdoch: Family is characterized by common residence, cooperation, reproduction
    • Nuclear family universal: Man, woman, children
    • Four functions: Sex (Satisfaction of sex drive), Education (Transmitting norms/values), Economic (Meeting needs), Reproduction
  • Critiques: Functions met outside family (e.g., NHS, welfare state)
  • Parson's Views:
    • Functional Fit Theory: Family adapts to society's needs
    • Functions: Primary socialization, Stabilization of adult personalities
    • Warm Bath theory: Emotional support for working men
    • Expressive vs Instrumental roles: Women's nurturing vs. Men's financial/support roles

• New Right

  • Advocates nuclear family, traditional values
  • Breakdown of nuclear family leads to societal issues
  • Critiques: Single mothers blamed, media reinforces negative stereotypes

• Feminism

  • Family benefits men more than women, reinforces patriarchy
  • Canalization & Verbal appellation: Gender role socialization
  • Types of feminists:
    • Liberal: Campaign against sex discrimination
    • Marxist: Oppression due to capitalism
    • Radical: Patriarchy as root of women's oppression
    • Difference: Cannot generalize women's experiences

• Marxism

  • Family maintains capitalist society through ideological state apparatus
  • Marriage ensures ruling class power through inheritance
  • Zaretsky: Family cushions capitalism, supports consumption

• Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism

  • Family monitored by the state
  • Rejects structural view, focuses on individual choices

Division of Labor

• Types of Roles:
  • Segregated: Separate roles for men and women
  • Joint: Shared domestic tasks, leisure time together
• Wilmont and Young: shift toward joint roles
• Critiques: Women still do more domestic work, emotion work (Triple shift)

Marriage and Divorce

• Changes in Patterns:
  • Higher expectations, secularization, cohabitation, changing role of women
  • Changing laws have impacted divorce rates
• Theoretical Perspectives:
  • New Right: Nuclear family best for society
  • Feminists: Marriage benefits men, is patriarchal

Family Diversity

• Emergence of diverse family forms
• Giddens: Individualization, confluent love
• Beck: Negotiated families

Social Policy

• Impact on Family: Policies affecting family life directly or indirectly
• Examples: Divorce reform, contraception, same-sex marriage
• Functionalist vs. Feminist Views: Policies reinforce traditional roles vs. promote gender equality

Childhood

• Social Construction: Varies across time and culture
• Aries: Childhood an invention of modern society
• Postman: Disappearance of childhood due to TV, media
• Critiques: Still child-centered, but issues like toxic childhoods remain

Family Demographics

• Population changes, fertility, birth/death rates, life expectancy
• Aging population and its implications

Migration

• Types: Immigration, Emigration
• Factors Affecting Migration: Globalization, policies, push/pull factors
• Cultural Diversity in Migration: Asian, African-Caribbean, mixed-race families

These notes summarize key points from a lecture on AQA A-level Sociology focusing on the topic of families and households, covering various sociological perspectives, changes in family structures, and demographics. The notes are designed to capture important concepts for exam preparation.