Families and Households | AQA A-Level Sociology (7192)
Families and Households
- 154 questions
- 11 subtopics
- Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, two of eight
- Paper 2
Families and Households is one of the optional topics on Paper 2, and the largest of them.
It covers the competing theories of the family, the changing patterns of marriage, divorce and diversity, roles and power inside the household, childhood, and the demographic trends behind it all.
Sample questions from Families and Households
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Functionalist views of the family
What is the sexual function of the family according to Murdock?
Show the answer
The family regulates sexual behaviour by providing a socially approved outlet for sexual expression between married partners. -
Marxist and feminist views of the family
What did Zaretsky argue about the family's role under capitalism?
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The family provides an illusion of a private refuge from the harsh realities of capitalism while actually serving capitalist interests by reproducing labour power and consuming commodities. -
The New Right, postmodernism and family policy
How do benefits function as state policies affecting families?
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Welfare benefits such as child benefit, housing benefit, and income support provide financial assistance to families, though they may also influence family formation decisions. -
Marriage, cohabitation and divorce
How have legal changes contributed to rising divorce rates?
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Laws making divorce easier, cheaper, and more accessible have enabled more people to end unhappy marriages. -
Family diversity and the personal life perspective
What is the sociology of personal life associated with Smart?
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An approach that focuses on the meanings individuals give to relationships and how they construct their own sense of family, rather than focusing on household structures. -
Conjugal roles and domestic labour
What are the three components of the triple shift identified by Duncombe and Marsden?
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Paid work, domestic labour, and emotional work. -
Power relationships and domestic violence
How does domestic violence relate to power relationships within families?
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Domestic violence is an extreme expression of power and control, predominantly perpetrated by men against women. -
The social construction of childhood
How did age-specific legislation contribute to the emergence of modern childhood?
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Laws setting minimum ages for activities like drinking, voting, and sexual consent created clear boundaries between childhood and adulthood.
The 11 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Functionalist views of the family | Murdock's four functions, Parsons on primary socialisation and functional fit, and the nuclear family in industrial society. | 12 |
| Marxist and feminist views of the family | The family as a unit of consumption and a reproducer of labour power, and the radical, Marxist, liberal and difference feminist positions. | 12 |
| The New Right, postmodernism and family policy | The New Right ideal, Murray's underclass, postmodern diversity, and how tax, benefits, housing and law shape families. | 12 |
| Marriage, cohabitation and divorce | Why marriage rates have fallen and divorce risen, and what cohabitation is used for. | 25 |
| Family diversity and the personal life perspective | The Rapoports' five types of diversity, reconstituted and beanpole families, and Smart, Beck and Giddens on personal life. | 18 |
| Conjugal roles and domestic labour | The symmetrical family thesis and Oakley's reply, the dual burden, the triple shift, and emotion work. | 13 |
| Power relationships and domestic violence | Decision-making, money management, and how radical feminists explain domestic violence. | 8 |
| The social construction of childhood | Ariès, the march of progress and conflict views, age patriarchy, and the new sociology of childhood. | 13 |
| Birth rates and death rates | What has happened to each since 1900, and the reasons behind the changes, including infant mortality. | 17 |
| Family size and the ageing population | Falling family size, the dependency ratio, and the effects of ageing on health care, pensions and families. | 8 |
| Migration and globalisation | Push and pull factors, net migration, transnational families and chain migration. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,116 questions with their answers.