Demographic trends since 1990

This means population and the patterns that can be seen in terms of life, death, marriage, childbirth, age, gendre and migration.

Sociology of childhood

There is a lot of confusion about the concept of childhood because for many sociologists it is not a fixed concept but is one that changes over time and according to social and historical context. For some sociologists childhood is a social construct which means that it is not biological or natural but is infact created by society for example 'the disneyfication'of childhood makes childhood into a product and a commodity and an ideal. Also when you look at other cultures there is such a variety of different ideas about childhood that it makes you understand that possible childhood is a social construct because if it was just a biological thing then it would all be the same regardless of place or time.
There are alot of different approaches to the sociology of childhood and some focus upon the idea that children are weak and vulnerable and need to be protected (also known as the 'welfare approach or conventional approach and this is related to functionalism) and there is also the idea that children can be manipulative, controling and bad and this is called the control approach and is about the more negative aspects of childhood such as how they manipulate their parents and get what they want. Finally postman is 1983 declared that that childhood has disappeared and that the media has brought children in the adult world at the cost of their innocence. He has been criticised for this idea because childhood is a long way from disappearing and according to Lee, childhood has in fact become a lot more complex and ambiguous because children are both independant and dependant in the choices that they make and in the things that they do.

Decision making and power in households

The concept of power is central to a sociological analysis of the family and power is the ability of a social actor to carry out their will despite resistance, it is the ability to get what you want even though others may not want it.

The family is a key place where power is exercised and and exerted and sociologist will see inequalities within the families the family differently based upon their theoretical perspective on how power is distributed.

The functionalist will take a very traditional approach to the family and they will suggest that there is a natural division of labour based upon biological differences. Talcott Parsons believed that women are suited better for caring because of their expressive roles as carers and they naturally care for children and also emotional support for the family.

Marxist feminist; They believe that men are the main cause of the inequalities and by reproducing the workforce and the inequalities within it within the family. The family then acts like a filter by which the anger of oppression felt by men in the workplace comes out within the family and this creates inequalities in the distribution.

Radical feminists; they believe that the family and the female role is created by men for the benefit of men to enable them to go to work without the burden of childcare or domestic work which is completed by their parents, ie the women.

Stepford Wive's

Stepford Wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by Ira Levin. The story concerns Joanna Eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic Connecticut neighborhood may be robots created by their husbands. The novel has been viewed by some as a satire on stereotypical American housewives, as well as a study on feminism.
Two films of the same name have been adapted from the novel; the first starred Katharine Ross and was released in 1975, while a remake starring Nicole Kidman appeared in 2004. Edgar J. Scherick produced the 1975 version, all three sequels, and was posthumously credited as producer in the 2004 remake.
The term "Stepford wife", which is often used in popular culture, stemmed from the novel, and is usually a reference to a submissive and docile housewife.

The New and Improved Good Wife's Guide

Plan dinner for yourself and family. Even if the food has a "Mc" in front or a "King" behind, it still counts as a dinner you planned. Making reservations is also considered planning as is asking your husband to pick something up on the way home from work.

Take a nap if possible, after all, you deserve it. Feeding, cleaning, dressing and running after children all day is hard work. Plus, if you are rested, you are less likely to take off to Vegas like you've threatened to do on more than one stressful occasion.

Also to make yourself "fresh-looking", have the hubby watch the kids for you so you can take a nice relaxing bath and maybe have time to shave. He'll love that.

Do whatever makes you happy. If you enjoy dancing around the house in your underwear then do it. And do it for yourself not for your spouse because being "gay" for his benefit is just plain gay.

If you're lucky enough to have a "play room" then you can only hope that the majority of the toys will remain in there. If not, have the kids clean them up at the end of the day before bedtime. There's no point in putting them away while they are still playing. Randomly throwing toys into said playroom counts as cleaning up, as does piling laundry in the corner of a room. If you don't get the opportunity to clean up clutter, it's a sure fire sign that you had something better to do.

As long as there is nothing living or breathing in the inch high dust that covers the TV, cabinets or shelves, it can wait. And if your washer, dryer or dishwasher are running when your husband comes home, well it's a sign that you've obviously been busy that day.

Building a fire is fun if you have a fireplace. And if you do, try not to "accidentally" knock your husband into it when he picks a fight even though that might bring you "immense personal satisfaction."

Children get dirty. If there is even a spec of mud in the backyard, they will find it. As long as their hands are clean before they eat and as long as they aren't smearing dirt on your new carpet or couch then they're clean enough for the time being. If their loud voices drive you crazy, send them outside where they can drive the neighbors crazy. And to fix any hair issues, make them wear a hat. Also, if they want to jump all over their father the minute he walks in the door, let them. After all, they've most likely been jumping all over you all day.

Be happy to see your husband, assuming he's on time and in a good mood. Be even happier if he brought home a paycheck.

Give him a hug when he walks in the door, if he doesn't smell of another woman's perfume, give him a kiss too. If you missed him, tell him. If you actually want to know how his day went, ask him. And if you love him, remind him.

Make a list of all of the things you need or want to tell your husband when he comes home. In the midst of football, ballet, tuba and soccer practice you'll most likely forget. And this way you can hit every topic over dinner. Giving pop quizzes afterwards always helps to drive your points across, although it might make him mad and then he "might" have a fireplace accident.

If you had a stressful day, you retain the right to complain about it. As your husband he has the obligation to listen and vice versa.

If he goes out after work and stays out late, you also have the right to be upset. And you retain the right to turn off your cell phone the next time you're out with the girls.

If you can make one room tranquil and peaceful then do it. You need somewhere to escape and regroup yourself. This is why men have sheds and garages.

If he wants to go out for a few drinks after work then compromise. You should be able to go out one night also, it's only fair.

If you've both had a rough day then having drinks prepared is not a bad idea, especially if there is alcohol included.

Arranging your husband's pillow is a nice gesture, just try not to "arrange" it over his face. Of course if you're speaking in low, pleasant tones while you're doing it, it could still be considered a nice gesture.

If something doesn't seem right to you, ask questions. Just because your husband is a man doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants. Remember, where there is a King of the castle, there is also a Queen......

A good wife always knows her place, on top of her throne where she shall be worshipped by all.

The good wife's guide

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will give you immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if neccesary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first-remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late, or goes out to dinner, or other place of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: try to make your home a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Consider this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom.

Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always excerise his will with fairness and truthfulness. you have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

Domestic labour and gender roles in the family

Traditionally domestic or home space has been the place were women are meant to fulfil their expressive roles. These are all about fulfilling the roles of a carer by providiwng for all of the needs of the family emotionally and in terms of food and basic needs. Talcott Parsons the functionalist believed it was natural and an extension of female biology to be maternal and caring within the family. This gave females a sense of meaning and purpose abnd also meant they fulfilled their gender roles as 'mummies'.

The sociologists Wilmott and young in 1973 looked at the idea that roles within the home were becoming more equal and were not as distinct in the past. This led to the idea of the 'symetrical' family also known as the 50/50 family which believes that men and women are now sharing domestic roles more fully. This has led to the idea that there is greater equality within the family and that we are moving towards shared conjungal rather than seperate ones. However many feminists have questioned this idea and they believed that the burden of domestic chores still firmly at the feet of the woman (Ann Oakley).

Domestic labour and gender roles in the family

The family and post modernism

Post modernism is the belief that there is no absolute or total truth that can be known in the world today, only the truths that we find ourselves to explain the meanings of our own lives. As a result of this post modernist sociologists suggest that the collapse in ultimate truth and meaning in our lives means that we cannot say that one type of family is better than another because ther is no absolute truth anymore. There fore we are free to choose the lifestyle that we want and this is the only way that we can find meaning in our meaningless lives because society is so fragmented and broken up claims of what is 'normal' and 'natural' are no longer relevent. According to post modernist sociologist it is difficult to even say what makes up a 'family' today.

People are having fewer children and having them later in life.

A clear change in British family life is the decrease in the average number of children people have.

1. People are having fewer children. The average number of children per family was 2.4 in 1971 compared to 1.63 in 2001 (the lowest ever recorded).


2. Women are having children later. The average age of women at the birth of their first child was 24 in 1971 compared to 27 in 2001.


3. More people are not having children at all, 9% of women born in 1945 were childless at the age of 45 compared to 15% of women born in 1955.

Social changes have influenced these trends. Contraception is more readily available and women's roles are changing. Children are expensive and time consuming, and couples may choose to spend their time and money in other ways. The conflict beween wanting a successful working life and being a mum has made many women put off having kids until later.

The UK has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe

1. There's been a steady rise in the divorce rate in most modern industrial societies.


2. The divorce rate is defined as the number of people per 1000 of the population who are divorced. In 2000, Britain's divorce rate was 2.6 compared to the European average of 1.9.


3. Actual divorces in the UK rose from 25,000 in 1961 to 146,000 in 1997.


4. For every two marriages in Britain in 1991, there was one divorce.


5. The proportion of population who were divorced at any one time was 1% in 1971 and 9% in 2000.


6. The average length of a marriage before it ends in divorce has remained about the same - 12 years in 1963, 11 years in 2000.


7. Although the divorce rare is increasing, divorced people are marrying again. In 2001, 40% of all marriages were re marriages.

There are several social, cultural and political factors.

1. Divorce has become easier to obtain.


2. Divorce is more socially acceptable.


3. Women may have higher expectations of marriage, and better employment opportunities may make them less financially dependent on theor husbands.


4. Marriages are increasingly focused on individual emotional fulfilment.


5. The New right believe that marriage is less supported by the state these days.

Just because divorce rates were lower in the past in doesn't mean they were happier. A marriage can break down but the couple stil stays married and living together. This is called empty shell marriage.

Fewer people marry and more people live together instead.

In 2001 the lowest number of marriages took place in the UK since records began.

An increase in the number of adults living with a partner (cohabiting). In 2001-2 quater of all non married adults aged 16-59 were cohabiting.

Social trends statistics show that living with a partner doesn't mean you won't get married- it's often just a delay tying the knot. A third of people who cohabited with a partner went on to marry them.

The majority of people in the UK do marry but the proportion who are married at any one time has fallen.

Reasons why these trends have developed are that men tend to die before women. Elderly widows make up a lot of single person households. There are more old people these days, so this helps explain why there are so many single person households. New right theorists believe that the decline in marriage means a decline in traditional family values. However, evidence suggests cohabiting families actually have similar norms and values to married ones. Postmodern theorists say the role of intimate relationships has changed - the emphasis is less on having kids and more on self-expression and emotional fulfilment. Giddens (1992) says that people are getting more likely to have a series of cohabitations rather than a lifelong marriage, this is known as serial monogomy.

Class, Ethnicity and sexuality

Eversley and Bonnerjea (1982) found middle class areas in the UK have higher than average proportion of nuclear families. Inner city working class areas are more likely to have a higher proportion of lone parent households.

Lesbian and gay families have been hidden from the statistics. The official definition of a couple has only included same sex copules since 1998.

The study of ethnic minorities by Modood et al (1997) found that whites and afro- carribeans were most likely to be divorced. Indians, Pakistanis, Banglaedeshis and African Asians were most likely to be married. Carribean households were most likely to be single parent families.

South Asian families are traditionally extended families, but there are more nuclear family households than in the past. Extended kinship links stay strong and often reach back to India, Pakistani or Bangladesh.

Theres diversity within each ethnic group though.

Social trends indicate more variety of families and households

There's now no such thing as 'the British family' as there are several family structures that exist.
In 2002 there were 24.4 million households in the UK which had gone up sice 1971. The average size of household is getting smaller and the number of households made up of 5 or more has fallen from 14% in 1971 to 7% in 2002. The percentage of households which are nuclear famillies has fallen from 33% in the 1971 to 25% in 2002. Two of the biggest increases have been in single person households and lone parent family households. This explains why the average size of households has got smaller. There has also been an increase in the proportion of families which are reconstituted (also known as step families). There are more step families now that there is more divorce. In 2001-2, 8% of all households were reconstituted families.

There's been an increase in the diversity of families in the UK. There are more different kinds of family. Nuclear families are still the most common type of family, even though the proportion of nuclear families is going down. In 2002, 78% of children lived in nuclear families.

Diversity of the family

Marriage rates are falling in the UK. They differ in relation to ethnicity and class is the UK. The likely hood is that most of us will marry at some stage in our lifestyle.
Cohabitation has become increasingly common in England and Wales. Also having children outside of a marriage has become increasingly common in England and Wales. The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe: however, it is still far lower than in the USA. There has also been a long term trend for increasing divorce rates in England and Wales, although this trend seems to be less certain than before, with recent figures displaying a falling divorce rate. Reasons suggest for this trend include the high value placed on marriage, conflict between spouses in the privatized nuclear family, attitudes and legislation.

Pink - Family portrait

Momma please stop cryin, I can't stand the sound Your pain is painful and its tearin' me down I hear glasses breakin as I sit up in my bed I told dad you didn't mean those nasty things you said

You fight about money, bout me and my brother And this I come home to, this is my shelter It ain't easy growin up in World War III Never knowin what love could be, you'll see I don't want love to destroy me like it has done my family

Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better, Mommy I'll do anything Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't leave

Daddy please stop yellin, I can't stand the sound

Make mama stop cryin, cuz I need you around My mama she loves you, no matter what she says its true I know that she hurts you, but remember I love you, too

I ran away today, ran from the noise, ran away Don't wanna go back to that place, but don't have no choice, no way It ain't easy growin up in World War III Never knowin what love could be, well I've seen I don't want love to destroy me like it did my family

Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better, Mommy I'll do anything Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't leave

In our family portrait, we look pretty happy Let's play pretend, let's act like it comes naturally I don't wanna have to split the holidays I don't want two addresses I don't want a step-brother anyways And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name

In our family portrait we look pretty happy We look pretty normal, let's go back to that In our family portrait we look pretty happy Let's play pretend, act like it goes naturally

In our family portrait we look pretty happy (Can we work it out? Can we be a family?) We look pretty normal, let's go back to that (I promise I'll be better, Mommy I'll do anything) In our family portrait we look pretty happy (Can we work it out? Can we be a family?) Let's play pretend act and like it comes so naturally (I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't leave)
In our family portrait we look pretty happy (Can we work it out? Can we be a family?) We look pretty normal, let's go back to that (I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don'tleave)

Daddy don't leave Daddy don't leave Daddy don't leave Turn around please Remember that the night you left you took my shining star? Daddy don't leave Daddy don't leave Daddy don't leave Don't leave us here alone

Mom will be nicer I'll be so much better, I'll tell my brother Oh, I won't spill the milk at dinner I'll be so much better, I'll do everything right I'll be your little girl forever I'll go to sleep at night

Marxist views on social policy

Karl Marx suggested that there is an inequality between capitalists and the working class.
Marxists focus on the inequalities that exist in society between the bourgeoisieor capitalists (owners of factories and businesses) and the proletariat or working class (everyone else).
The relationship between these two groups is not equal as the working class are forced to sell their labour to the capitalists in return for money. The capitalists make a profit as they pay the workers less than the value of what they produce. For some Marxists social policies such as free education, health care, and welfare state are the result of class struggle. For other Marxists social policies are just 'smokescreens' to make life appear better.

Feminist views on social policy

Feminists support benefits for single parents because most single parents are women. They argue that most women do not want to be single parents but may have been left abusive or empty shell marriages and should be supported by the state. The feminists argue that if benefits for single parents are ruduced then the children will suffer. Feminists are also in favour of divorce laws because they enable women to free themselves from patriarchal control, and would welcome the recent civil partnership law which enables gay couples to gain similar legal rights to hetrosexuals.

Femenists also argue that many social policies are sexist and stereotypical. One example is maternity leave which although on one level is far more generous for women than paternity leave is for men. This includes the assumption that women will want to stay at home and look after their child whilst men will want to go back to work. Child benefit is also normally paid to the women, which assumes they are the primary carer.

New right views on social policy

New right takes a negative view on many social policies as they see them as undermining the traditional nuclear family. The are particularly critical of welfare benefits that are given to single parent families because they believe that it is encouraging young women to get pregnant because they know the state will look after them and their child. They think that single parent families should be discouraged and the nuclear family encouraged. One way to this is to reduce or eliminate the benefits given to single parents whilst making the nuclear family and marriage more financially attractive. They are critical of divorce and think that it is a quick way out instead of fighting for their marriage.

Social policies in other countries

All countries have different laws that affect the family. The laws are always changing to fit in with different circumstances and ambitions of the leaders of the countries. Some will be seen as sensible and worthwhile whilst others will be seen as indefensible.
For example in the 1930's in Nazi Germany the government decided that only the 'racially pure' should be able to have children. Many of those who were not seen as fit to breed, such as the mentally and physically handicapped, were compulsorily sterilised. Also in Romania in the 1980's the government tried to increase the birth rate by restricting contraception and abortion. They also made marriage more financially attractive and restricted divorce. In China they have a one child policy and couples that comply get higher tax allowances and other benefits.

(Information taken from book)

Social policies in the UK and around the world

Social policy refers to laws made by the government. Policies that affect the family include laws made about marriage, divorce, children, welfare, domestic violence and child abuse. They may also influence the structure and roles within the family.
Social policies that affect marriage in the UK include being able to marry only one person at a time and only someone of the opposite sex, although civil partnerships now exist. Social policies also affect divorce these include whether or not divorce is legal, the length you have to stay married before a divorce is possible and who gains custody of any children.
Policies that affect children include children having to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16, not being able to work part time until they are 13 and full time when they are 16. There is also a whole range of laws to do with smoking, drinking, sexual behaviour and even going to the cinema. Social policies affect many different things in the UK and around the world it also affects welfare which include child benefit that all primary carers of children recieve, benefits available to single parents and unemployment, housing benefits and pensions.
Social policies also affect domestic violence and child abuse which protect all members of the family against violence, and give the police and courts the power to intervene within the family and remove violent members and place children into care.

Families

Household: This is a group of people who share a living space together who are not necessarily tied by blood or kin.

Nuclear: Aka the 'cereal package' family is seen to be a socially accepted morm. This will consist of a mother a father and children all living together.

Extended: A family consisting of parents, children living with aunts, uncles and even grandparents.

Re- constituted: This is step families. This is when parents re-marry another partner and the child are brought into the new family.

Lone: Families in which there is just one parent either the mother or father living at home looking after the children.

The family in contempory society

The Family

The family is like a small version or 'microcosm of society' and it is here that we first learn the values and the norms of the culture we are part of through socialisation and it is how we are integrated on the whole.

Symbolic Interactionist

This approach would look at the idea of family in terms of how each 'social interaction' defined their role within the social setting called the family. Sociologists argue that reality is socially constructed and that we make our own reality within social groups. Peter Berger and Hansfried Kellner were among the first sociologists to apply an interpretive approach to the family. Berger and Kellner see marriage as a crucial relationship for the construction of reality.They have come from two different famillies with different definitions of the world.

Feminist

The feminist movement is dedicated to bringing out the greater equality for women primarily in the choices they made about their bodies and lives. This had massive implications on sociology and the way that society was looked at and investigated because for far too long sociology had only looked at men and male experiences.

The feminist approach will look at the family as a place of oppression and suppression and it is where women are put down andf it is that they learn to obey male authority and accept male power called 'patriarchy'. This will mean that the inequalities within the family first and all that society does is to strenghten these inequalities as the women goe through their life journey.

Marxist

The marxist approach is like the functionalist is a structuralist approach and therfore will start with the structure of society before looking at the individual. A marxist would suggest the idea that the family is the centre of class struggle and oppression and it is here that women and children are constantly put down and taught to be submissive.
The marxist writer Zaretsky argued that the family helped the capatalist economy by making workers feel less frustrated about their oppression and exploitation.

The Marxist writer Engels said that ' the family performs and economic function by making sure that when someone dies their inheritence is passed on and kept within the family. In other words when a rich person dies their children get the money. (Bourgeoisie; these are elites, the wealthy upper and middle classed, the proletariat are the working classes, the masses the majorityof people).

New right

New right views are linked to the conservatives based on hetrosexual marriage between two parents. Families are the 'building blocks' of society (see pic) , they are essential to the stability of society. Seperate roles are performed by men and women and are determined by biology. All other arrangements are deviant and a threat to society.

Economic and Reproduction in the family

In many societies the family is the unit of production and this contributes to the wider society. The family is also the main centre for child reproduction and without reproduction society would cease to exist.
The family is largely responsible for primary socialisation and this is how we learn about what society expects of us.

Functionalism and the family

Functionalists believe that the family is a positive situation. They hold the view that meet as well with the needs of an advanced industrial society. Functionalists highlight the ideal family type in a modern society as a nuclear family. (A nuclear family consists of parents and children living together in a home. The nuclear family is also known as the cereal package family and is seen as a socially accepted norm.) The view of the nuclear family comprises of a breadwinner husband and a dependant wife and husband. The nuclear family is seen as traditional and positive view.

George Murdock believed that the family was a universal feature of society and he believed that there were certain functions that the family always fulfilled. These are; sexual in most societies there is control of sexual behaviour within the family and this stabilises the social system.

Talcott parsons believed that this is where childrens personalities are moulded and shaped and families are little personality factories.