Sociology · May / June 2025 · Paper 21 · Question 1
0495
As printed in the paper
Show the answer and mark scheme
1(a)(i)[2]
Define the term cross-cultural. Award one mark for a partial definition, e.g. religious differences. Award two marks for a clear definition, e.g. differences in family type and structure based on cultural backgrounds, heritage, religion and/or ethnicities.
1(a)(ii)[2]
Define the term nuclear family. Award one mark for a partial definition, e.g. a married couple. Award two marks for a clear definition, e.g. an adult male and female, married or in a relationship and living together, with dependent children.
1(b)[2]
State two ways the family benefits men. Award one mark for each correct way (up to a maximum of two). Possible responses:
men do less domestic labour;men make key decisions;patriarchy – men have more power;men often have control over the household finances;men are breadwinners giving them higher status;men do not have the triple shift/dual burden;warm bath – men are looked after by their wives in the family;any other reasonable response.1(c)[6]
Explain three changing patterns in marriage. Award one mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of three). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of three). Possible responses:
more people now get married later in life – career women and feminism often mean that marriage comes later;more people never marry at all – being unmarried is no longer stigmatised and is no longer a necessity in modern industrial societies, people have freedom to choose;more people’s marriages end in divorce – higher expectations of marriage and a lack of obligation to stay in a loveless marriage;more people live together (cohabit) without ever getting married – changing attitudes and secularisation may account for this;increased rates of remarriages – following divorce, many people choose to marry again, often forming reconstituted families;increased number of civil/non-religious marriages – marriage is no longer necessarily linked with religion but rather is seen as a commitment between two people, thus civil ceremonies increase in popularity;growth of empty-shell marriages – due to the ageing population and/or the rising cost of living;any other reasonable response.1(d)[6]
Explain three roles grandparents may have in the family. Award one mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of three). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of three). Possible responses:
economic support role – grandparents often help their children and grandchildren out financially, creating trust funds, paying for college fees, paying for extra-curricular activities, loaning money etc.;childcare role – with economic pressures and the growing independence of women, a lot of mothers will have to juggle motherhood with paid employment. This means grandparents are often the ones to provide childcare;socialisation and social control role – as they often play a more regular role in the lives of their grandchildren today, so grandparents become crucial parts of the socialisation and social control process. They will teach norms and values, conformity, gender roles and expectations and often will have as much influence as the parents;cultural role – grandparents are often the ones to keep a culture alive, through talking about the past, keeping traditions going and valuing heritage;emotional support – grandparents are often the people parents (particularly mothers) turn to when they need advice e.g. on bringing up children, partner relationships, issues at work etc.;burden of elderly care – ageing grandparents can place an emotional strain on family members who have to care for them when they are sick, frail and unable to do what they once could. This can cause stresses and arguments amongst partners and siblings;financial burden – looking after older grandparents can place a financial strain on families whether they look after them themselves at home or choose care homes;active ageing – increased life expectancy means that grandparents can now play an active role in children’s lives, doing hobbies with them, playing sports, visits and day trips;any other reasonable response.1(e)[8]
Discuss the view that the triple shift is unfair for women. Use Table A to mark answers to this question. Possible responses:
feminism – family life is unequal in terms of tasks and responsibilities and therefore benefits men, it is patriarchal;paid work – many families are now dual-worker meaning women, as well as men, will have employment but women also have the domestic and emotional work on top of this – men do not;housework – research such as Oakley/The Time Use study shows that women do more housework than men, regardless of whether they have a job;Dunscombe and Marsden – women do emotional work alongside paid work and housework, men do not and this is unfair;dual burden – the triple shift is even more unfair than this, showing that inequalities are getting worse as more domestic responsibilities and expectations fall to women;domestic division of labour – this is not fairly split between men and women e.g. men may be doing more than before but often they pick and choose the tasks they will do, leaving women with the monotonous stressful chores;emotional work – women have to take on the mental burden of emotionally supporting parents, partner and children with their worries, health and stresses – men do not;decision making – women still make few decisions in the home as their ‘triple’ roles do not include this, this leaves them subordinate to men and lacking in power;gendered socialisation – Oakley – because girls and boys are still socialised differently at home this normalises the triple shift as something that women should do;pivot generation – a good example of the emotional work women must do as part of the triple shift – women must manage their parents as well as their children. They are dual carers and experience all of the associated stresses;power inequalities – despite doing more than men, women still have less power and influence over decision making;any other reasonable response.1(f)[14]
Evaluate the view that the family is now diverse. Use Table B to mark answers to this question. Possible responses for:
different types of families – many different types of families are available for individuals to choose from e.g. extended, single parent, nuclear etc. – this makes the family diverse;cross-cultural diversity – there is no evidence that we have a globally dominant family type therefore families are diverse e.g. smaller families in the West, larger families in more rural and traditional communities;patriarchal families in some religious communities, more equal relationships in more secular societies;
social class – this seems to affect differences in family type and family size e.g. poorer families tend to be more extended, relying on other family members for support whilst this isn‘t the case for higher classes;ethnicity – different ethnic groups can be associated with different kinds of families e.g. some ethnic groups favour arranged marriages, others love marriages, single parents in some groups, nuclear families as the norm in others;New Right – Charles Murray believes we are seeing the negative effects of family diversity in society through welfare dependency, lone parents, moral decline and the creation of dysfunctional families;Postmodernism – thinks family diversity is a good thing, allowing family members choices as they break free from traditional values and practices, meaning that more families are now wanting this flexibility and so are diverse;changing family roles – some families are becoming more child-centred, some have active grandparents contributing to family life, some have joint conjugal roles. This flexibility demonstrates the extent of family diversity today;any other reasonable response. Possible responses against:functionalism/New Right – the nuclear family is the ideal family form delivering the essential family functions and this is why it remains dominant throughout the world (Parsons/Murray);exaggerated postmodernism – how much choice do people really have when it comes to the family? Conventional family norms and roles still dominate in many communities and societies and if individuals do not conform then they will be stigmatised and ostracised;generational socialisation – many people find the choice of families available overwhelming and there is evidence to suggest that several people follow the example set by their family (parents and grandparents) and thus family diversity is actually quite limited;globally – diversity within the family is not seen on a worldwide scale, many societies and communities, particularly those based on tradition and/or religion, are not diverse at all and there are clear rules and expectations for family life – diversity is a Westernised concept;The West – it is here that family diversity is said to be greatest, however it is traditional family types that remain the most common e.g. an opposite sex couple in a nuclear family structure;cereal packet family – media representations continue to show the nuclear family with its clear gender roles as the norm and the ideal and thus this is what many aspire to – which contradicts the notion of family diversity;family diversity as a temporary stage – some sociologists believe that any diversity we may see in the family is not permanent and that ultimately most people end up in a traditional family unit that is the ‘best fit’ for their society;any other reasonable response.
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