Sociology · May / June 2022 · Paper 21 · Question 1
0495
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Family relationships have changed due to factors such as feminism, industrialisation and secularisation. However, for many sociologists such as Marxists, the family remains an important 1 institution that performs functions for individuals and society. Families differ depending on whether people are married and what type of marriage they have. Serial monogamy, for example, is very different to polyandry.
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1(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘serial monogamy’? One mark for a partial definition, e.g. being married more than once. Two marks for a clear definition, e.g. when someone has more than one marriage partner during their lifetime but only one at any one given time.
1(b)[4]
Describe two examples of patriarchy in the family. Possible answers:
segregated conjugal roles – men and women playing different roles in the family which gives men more power and status then women e.g. the female housewife role;domestic abuse – where men assert their power and authority over women through violence, coercion or control;male breadwinner role – if the man is responsible for earning the money to support the family then his position is seen to be more powerful and higher status than the woman’s;gender socialisation – families socialise males and females differently and this encourages the continuation of patriarchy as it is seen as ‘normal’ e.g. Oakley ‘canalisation’;household roles – symmetry may be a myth because typically women play the ‘drudgery’ roles of housework, cooking, cleaning etc. whereas men take on the more active and fun roles of DIY, gardening and playing with the children;lone parent families – typically headed by women who have to bring up and provide for the children. Fathers may play a smaller role in the life of the children but the burden falls upon the woman;dual burden/triple shift – even when women do paid work they are still expected to take the most responsibility in the home meaning that the burden upon women is far more than that placed upon men;any 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 family life has been affected by secularisation. Possible answers:
decline in the marriage rate – family life may be more likely to occur within a cohabiting or civil partnership relationship today;rise in divorce – this can lead to financial hardship stress and a negative impact on children and parents alongside some form of shared parenting;greater freedom and choice – interactionists would argue that the lessening influence of religion upon family life means that individuals have more freedom to choose the type of family (if at all), roles and lifestyles they want;lone parent families – these may be more commonplace due to secularisation as they are seen as less of a stigma – this may affect economic capital;non-traditional family forms – secularisation has meant that the religious influence on family life has lessened, leading to the rise of non- traditional families such as same-sex;the New Right – they link secularisation with a general moral decline that has led to a growth in fatherless families whereby socialisation is criminogenic or inadequate;feminism – less religious influence, means that many women are freed from the burden and expectation of having to be heterosexual and enter into a traditional family structure, often with segregated conjugal roles. Instead they may spend less time with the family and more time focused on their careers;decline in the birth rate – having children is seen now as a choice and many equate this to a decline in religious values, particularly about marriage and reproduction. This has led to more childless women, singlehood and DINK families;any 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 the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. 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] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. 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 point in a well-developed way or cover several points in less detail.1(d)[8]
Explain why Marxists believe the family benefits capitalism. Possible answers:
socialisation – the family is where members are socialised into accepting the capitalist system and values, brainwashing the proletariat into believing that the system is a fair and meritocratic one;next generation of workers – these are brought up within the family and so work to provide profit for the bourgeoisie so making the family functional;strikes – having a family makes it very difficult for workers to go on strike as they would not be able to support their families – this is functional for capitalism;family as a unit of consumption – families buy and consume (and the media encourages them to do so) and in so doing supports the capitalist system;frustration and anger – wives soak up their husband’s frustration and anger from the workplace where they feel alienated and oppressed in so doing they do not direct their feelings towards the capitalist system;women’s roles – they are expected to be the carers and nurturers in the family and they do this for the elderly and the sick family members this means capitalism has little responsibility for healthcare;any 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 the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points 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. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. 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 and will be well-developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.1(e)[15]
To what extent are families still traditional? Possible answers: Arguments for:
the ideology of the cereal packet family encourages marriage and nuclear families as the norm;most individuals still want marriage and children and marriage rates remain high;despite divorce rates rising, rates of remarriage are also high, showing that traditional families are still valued;in religious societies family life is both valued and expected and ensures families remain traditional;in extended (and modified extended) families, the older generation can be looked to for advice and guidance as well as practical support;children are still subject to the authority of their parents which is traditional;in many families gender roles remain quite traditional, whether this be segregated or non-symmetrical roles or through the dual burden/triple shift;in families with children, it is still largely the woman who takes responsibility for the childcare and emotional work and who may give up paid work for this or work part time whilst the male fulfills the breadwinner role;any other reasonable response. Arguments against:Willmott and Young’s study has shown how family life is becoming more symmetrical in terms of domestic tasks and roles in the public sphere e.g. househusbands, joint conjugal roles = not traditional;a large amount of people will never marry and/or will never have children – declining birth rate, singlehood, DINK families etc. = not traditional;extended families have declined in favour of a more privatised nuclear family that relies on other institutions and friends for support = not traditional;same sex families are increasingly common and are now often legitimated by law = not traditional;friendship groups are thought by some sociologists to be replacing the traditional family structure and so challenging traditional families, e.g. shared households, friends getting joint mortgages etc.;family diversity today means that there is no longer a ‘typical’ family and so traditional rules and expectations are being challenged and changed;children have increasing rights in society and family life may now be child-centred with children having a lot more power in the family than previously = not traditional;any 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 debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. 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 and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. 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 or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some 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 debate. 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. There will be a two-sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments 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 have a range of points on each side. 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.
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