Sociology · May / June 2020 · Paper 22 · Question 1

0495

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The question as text

Whether gender equality in the family exists is a matter of debate. Many factors affect this, for example social characteristics such as ethnicity and social class. Also important are the type and size of the family as well as the roles family members play. 1

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1(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘gender equality’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. women’s rights. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. when men and women have equal roles, status and rights.
1(b)[4]
Describe two trends in divorce in modern industrial societies. Candidates will describe two trends in divorce in MISs. A trend is any pattern that can be seen when it comes to divorce. Statistics may be used but are not essential. Possible answers:
age – those who marry young are more likely to divorce;
class – middle class people are less likely to divorce than working class people;
society – the divorce rate is high in MIS’s as compared to other types of society;
patterns – currently the divorce rate has flattened off suggesting it is no longer rising;
gender – women are more likely to file for divorce than men;
religion – those with strong religious beliefs are less likely to divorce than those who are non-religious;
era -in the UK the divorce rate is three times higher today than in 1969;
country – the UK has the highest divorce rate in Europe – in 2010 120 000 divorces took place;
gender – women in the UK are two and a half times more likely to be granted a divorce compared to men;
other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).
1(c)[6]
Explain how ethnicity can affect family life. Candidates can use ethnicity in many different ways – as long as this is linked to family life it is fine to credit. They may well draw on local, cultural examples. Typical areas of discussion may be family roles, family types, family size etc. Possible answers:
ethnic minority families typically adapt to the country they are living in whilst still holding onto cultural practices from their country of origin (dual identity);
Afro-Caribbean families may have high rates of single parents and are typically matrifocal;
South Asian families are often extended in form, have low divorce rates and few instances of single parenthood;
arranged marriages are practised by some ethnic groups as the norm e.g. some South Asian families;
for some ethnic groups the law determines aspects of family life e.g. Chinese families may be influenced by China’s ‘one child’ policy;
South Asian families are often patriarchal in nature with the males (father and brothers) often having more power and influence than the females;
South Asian families often abide by traditional segregated conjugal roles – male breadwinner and female housewife/mother;
cultural defence – some families may socialise children into their cultural norms and values rather than the host nations;
dual heritage/mixed race families – hybridity may be seen here when it comes to roles and experiences in the family;
for some ethnic groups marital practices such as polygamy are normal;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of how ethnicity can affect family life and may talk about e.g. ‘different ethnic groups having different sized families’. Responses may be short and un/under developed. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2-3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4–6 marks] A clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding of how ethnicity can affect family life. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected e.g. ‘Primary socialisation often means that ethnic groups follow the traditions of the previous generations. In some South Asian families, for example, the extended family form is still typical and this is usually patriarchal in structure, with the male as breadwinner’. This would be followed by explanation of factors leading to this. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one factor in a well-developed way or cover several factors in less detail.
1(d)[8]
Explain why the average family size has decreased in modern industrial societies. Candidates should show an understanding of the various reasons to explain why average family size has decreased in MIS’s. Possible answers:
secularisation has meant that there has been a growth in divorce and single parenthood – this makes family size smaller;
singlehood is now socially acceptable and increasingly popular, this decreases family size;
women are typically today having less children due to factors such as contraception and their focus on careers – this leads to smaller families;
advancements in medicine and health-care means that children rarely die in infancy today in MIS’s therefore families have less need to have lots of children;
the family is less likely to look after elderly relatives, relying on other institutions to do so instead, meaning larger families are no longer so functionally necessary;
there has been a big decline in the extended family, it often being replaced by nuclear families – these are much smaller;
geographical and social mobility has meant that the family has become dispersed – it is easier to function effectively like this as a smaller unit;
feminism has encouraged women to take control of their own lives and this has affected family size as more women work, choose to remain childless or to remain single;
dual-worker families are increasingly the norm in MIS’s and these do not fit with the notion of large families – resulting in typically smaller family sizes;
child-centredness has led to expensive child-rearing where children are consumers, no longer bringing money into the family, so parents choose to have less children;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of why average family size has decreased in MIS’s. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped, e.g. ‘women go out to work rather than have babies’ stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2-3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding of why average family size has decreased in MIS’s. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. e.g. ‘Families are increasingly smaller in MIS’s because extended families no longer fit the needs of a geographically dispersed society. They have therefore been replaced by nuclear families.’ etc . At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7–8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of why average family size has decreased in MIS’s and will be well developed and explained. e.g. ‘Families today are typically smaller because of the expectation by women for equality in all areas of social life. Feminists have promoted careers, singlehood, little reliance on men and lesbianism and all of these factors have resulted in smaller average family sizes. With families now typically being dual-career there is less time available for childcare, large families do not fit this type of family.’ They can then expand on the explanation of this and other factors as necessary. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well focused on the question and there will be a range of reasons presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
1(e)[15]
To what extent are family roles changing in modern industrial societies? Candidates should show an awareness of the various ways that family roles are changing in MIS’s. They are likely to look at husbands’ and wives’ roles in their response but the role of children may also be considered. It is likely that candidates will engage with the feminist debate here. Possible answers: FOR
loss of family functions means that roles once taken by the family e.g. taking care of the children, are now performed by the state;
sandwich/pivot generation – roles of parents now often involve supporting children into adulthood – the boomerang family;
changing legislation affects family roles e.g. equality acts, children’s acts, maternity/paternity leave etc;
increased levels of divorce in society means that both men and women are having to change their roles to fit the new family structure they find themselves in – single parent, singlehood, blended families etc;
secularisation has meant there is less pressure for people to get married and to have children in wedlock – this leads to greater family diversity and therefore different family roles;
in child-centred MIS’s, the role of the child has changed to be the focus of many families, highly protected and with a lot of power over decisions and day-to-day family life;
traditional conjugal roles are typically being replaced by joint conjugal roles, largely due to feminism and the greater power and status women have in both society and the family;
the maternal role has changed to the rise in working women and childless women;
the paternal role has changed to reflect the decline in the hegemonic male and the rise in new men and househusbands;
grand-parents may be playing an increasingly important role in organising family life – through childcare, financial and emotional support;
other reasonable response. AGAINST
grand-parents always played a large role in family life, through extended family structures so this hasn’t changed;
children are still lower in status and power than adult family members and subject to adult authority, this hasn’t changed;
whilst there is a lot of evidence to show that families today are more symmetrical it is still typically the woman who performs the majority of the household tasks;
the maternal role has changed but stereotypes have not and for most women, having children often leads to a career break or to part-time work meaning that they become the primary care giver in the family;
the paternal role may not have changed much at all in the family – it is still typically the father who is in charge of household finances and important decisions (Edgell, Pahl) as well as being the breadwinner;
with an increase in boomerang families there has been a continuation in MIS’s of the traditional parent-child relationship;
there is often a dual or triple burden placed upon women in family life, meaning she is responsible for both paid work, domestic work and emotional work;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the extent to which family roles are changing. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one-sided. e.g. ‘women and men both go out to work now so they both have to do the housework’. Lower in the band (1-2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3-4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points or provide a weak definition of key terms, e.g. family roles means the parts played by different members of the family e.g. the housewife role. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the extent to which family roles are changing. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two-sided responses are unlikely e.g. ‘Women are sometimes the ones who are the breadwinners in the family today whilst the men stay at home as househusbands’ etc. Lower in the band, the response will be rather narrow in the points covered and there will be little development. Higher in the band, more points will be covered and there will be limited development of some points. Alternatively, a list-like answer with little development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9–12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the extent to which family roles are changing. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well developed, focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. Candidates may say that e.g. ‘Despite more equality in society leading to changing roles within the family, women still do most of the housework, emotional work and childcare whilst men are still seen to be the ones who make the important financial decisions in the home. This hasn’t changed’. Or ‘Men and women are equal now in society thanks to the feminist movement and so this has also been transferred to the family where conjugal roles are now shared. This has reduced status and power divisions in the family and has resulted in developments such as the househusband and the new man becoming more normal male family roles’. There will be a two-sided response but this may be unbalanced. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of well developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the extent to which family roles are changing. There will be a strong grasp of the argument as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and balanced. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion. Candidates should show consideration of points for and against the idea of family roles changing, citing some of the examples given.

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