Sociology · May / June 2016 · Paper 23 · Question 1

2251

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The question as text

Around the world there are many different forms of marriage, one of which is polygamy. Marriage today is not necessarily forever and many will end in divorce. Many people will also choose to never get married.

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1(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘polygamy’? [2]
Being married to more than one person at the same time;
for example, a man with several wives or a woman with several husbands. One mark for partial definition, e.g. having more than one wife. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. a man or a woman is married to more than one person at the same time.
1(b)[4]
Describe two cultural variations in marriage, apart from polygamy. [4]
Candidates will be expected to describe two cultural variations in marriage. If polygamy is mentioned then this should not be credited. The question is not asking about variation in family types, these should not be credited. Possible variations:
Monogamy – being married to one person at a time;
Serial monogamy – when someone has more than one marriage partner during their life but only one at any given time;
Polygyny – when a man has more than one wife at a time;
Polyandry – when a woman has more than one husband at the same time;
Same sex marriages – in some countries homosexual marriages are not legal;
Civil partnerships – a formal union of same sex partners, seen as the equivalent of marriage with the same rights as heterosexual married couples;
Arranged marriages – marriage partners are chosen by older family members rather than people choosing their own marriage partner;
Forced marriage – a marriage where one or both partners do not consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used;
Remarriage – a growing proportion of all marriages in modern industrial societies are remarriages as one or both partners have already been married at least once;
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 divorce has been made easier in many countries in modern industrial societies. [6]
Candidates need to show an understanding of how divorce has been made easier. These could refer to legal, moral or attitudinal changes. Possible answers:
Feminists argue that women are realising the disadvantages of marriage and are now less willing to stay in a marriage that is unsatisfying for them;
Feminists also point out that with many women now working, they are much more likely to be able to support themselves after divorce making it more viable;
It is now much easier legally to be granted a divorce i.e. in the UK the 1971 Divorce Reform Act meant that proof of a ‘matrimonial offence’ was no longer needed to divorce;
People can now organise their own divorce very cheaply and easily, known as the ‘quickie’ or ‘DIY’ divorce;
Changes in morals – a feeling that morally divorce is no longer seen as wrong as people put their own needs first and not feeling tied by their marriage vows;
Decline in religion – secularisation – means more weddings are now civil than religious and vows are no longer taken so seriously;
Decline in community values – people are now more geographically mobile/migration and so there is no longer that informal social control and sense of shame about being divorced;
The cost of divorce is no longer prohibitive, meaning people from all social classes are able to divorce;
Role models – other agencies of socialisation i.e. the family/peers/media may show divorce as ‘normal’ and not stigmatised, this making it easier for the individual;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of divorce and how it has been made easier and may talk about e.g. ‘couples fall out of love’ 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) A clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding of divorce and how it has been made easier. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected e.g. ‘Secularisation means that religious marriage vows are no longer taken as seriously, making it morally easier to divorce.’ This would be followed by an 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 cohabitation is increasing in modern industrial societies. [8]
Candidates should show awareness of the various social factors which may lead to increasing levels of cohabitation in modern industrial societies.
Because people live longer they are in relationships for longer and may therefore grow apart or out of love, meaning cohabitation is preferred over marriage by many;
People have higher expectations of marriage today and therefore many choose not to enter into it, cohabiting together instead – choosing it as an alternative long term relationship;
Due to changing norms and values in society that mean cohabitation is seen as ‘normal’;
Due to the increase in the divorce rate;
People today are less willing to accept an empty shell marriage but still want to be in a long-term committed relationship so will look for a new partner and cohabit;
Some people prefer a series for short term relationships without commitment that cohabitation can facilitate;
Lots of people use cohabitation as ‘trial’ marriage in order to ‘test’ the relationship by living together before marriage;
Feminism and working women – no need to get married for financial reasons or security as they are economically independent so can choose to live with a partner;
Triple shift/dual burden – women are less inclined to accept this within a marriage so will look to cohabitation for a more equal relationship;
Rise of homosexual relationships means cohabitation becomes a viable alternative to marriage;
Secularisation – decline of religious values means that for many people marriage is no longer seen to be a necessity for many people;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of why cohabitation is increasing. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped, e.g. ‘people can just live together’ 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) Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding of why cohabitation is increasing. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. e.g. ‘Cohabitation lets people test out their partner to see if they want to get married to them later’. 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) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of why cohabitation is increasing. e.g. ‘Marriage is less valued today and so people often reject it in favour of cohabitation. Women, for example, expect equality within their relationship and so will perhaps avoid marriage as it is still seen by many to be patriarchal. They may live together, as a homosexual or heterosexual couple, in order to find a happier relationship’. 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 households replacing the family? [15]
Candidates should show awareness of the idea that what we understand by the term ‘family’ is changing and, in a sense, declining. Households are arguably, therefore, replacing the family. Possible answers: For
There is today a growing number of one person households, sometimes made up of widows/widowers;
One person households may also be made up of people who choose to live alone – this is a growing category. Middle class women who have chosen to focus on their career are one such group;
People are typically marrying or moving in together later and so this means that more people are living on their own at least for a period of time in their life;
Growth in singlehood and childlessness;
Men who are separated and divorced;
Communes – a group of people who choose to live together sharing living space and usually some property;
Families are seen by many to be less permanent and stable than they were in the past and therefore people may rely more on their friends;
Groups of people sharing a house has become more common, particularly amongst young people – friends may play a greater part in emotional, practical and social support;
Shared households may exist for economic reasons i.e. renting a house together or taking out a joint mortgage, both of which are becoming more popular today;
Growing number of young people going to University in many societies means that households are a necessity for these groups during this stage in their life;
Many family functions can now be performed by other social institutions so families may be less necessary than before and households therefore more appropriate;
Other reasonable response. Against
Family still remains important in ways that friends cannot i.e. in the inheritance of property and the care of older people;
Marriage may be on the decline but people are still living in family units i.e. through cohabitation and civil partnerships;
The growth in the remarriage rate and the increase in reconstituted families shows that family life is still seen to be important
Family has taken on new forms today but this doesn’t mean it’s less important, just that it has changed i.e. single parent families;
Family unit is still the most important source of primary socialisation;
The extended family has not disappeared it has merely changed i.e. the modified extended family (use of media to maintain relationships);
In some cultures and/or social classes family is as strong as ever and is highly valued;
A lot of friendship/household based relationships i.e. sharing a house tend to be a temporary phase particularly associated with being young, rather than permanent;
Functionalist beliefs about the essential functions performed by the family;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–4) Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of whether households are replacing the family. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one-sided e.g. Divorce means there are less families now. Friends like to live together in the same house. 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. a household is where people not related live in the same house, in the question. Band 2 (5–8) In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of whether households are replacing the family. 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. Not everyone has children anymore and lots of people live alone. A lot of people don’t want to get married anymore and so choose to live on their own instead. People often turn to their friends for support and love rather than their family 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) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of whether households are replacing the family. 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 the form of the family changing and becoming less nuclear and less marriage based, households are still often a temporary phase in a person’s life rather than a permanent feature. 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) Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the extent to which households are replacing the family. 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 households replacing the family, citing some of the examples given. Section B: Education

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