a.) Laboratory experiments.


Strengths:

-You are able to control the variables e.g. make all of them constant except one.
-Controlling variable also helps to identify the nature of correlation: causative or coincidental.
-The results are easy to be quantified - represented in the form of numbers.
-Laboratory experiments are easier to replicate that field experiments.

Limitations:

-Difficult to apply such experiments to people as they may behave artificially, therefore results may be unreliable
-Experimental effect


b) Field experiments.


Strengths:

-This type of experiment allows to avoid artificial behaviour
-Easier to apply to people than laboratory experiment

Limitations:

-It is difficult to control the variables because such experiment is conducted in a usual social situation.
-The Hawthorne effect: if people are aware of being a part of experiment, they may act differently, therefore the results may be unreliable.
-Experimenter bias - the experimenter may have an unintended effect on those who are being studied and thus produce unreliable results.
-Ethical questions - should people be aware of being a subject of an experiment? Do they have to agree to do it?


c.) Comparative method.

Strengths:

-That method allows to investigate the causes of the particular events.
- Influence of variables can be estimated

Limitations:
Difficult to adjust the research to cultural differences e.g. difficult to compare things which may not be really alike.

nuclear family essay-question

e) Use material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that the nuclear family is no longer the norm.


2B item -A popular image of the family has been the 'cereal packet' nuclear family norm of a married couple and two children who are the couple's biological offspring. The husband is the main breadwinner and the wife is primarily concerned with housework and childcare.It could be argued that this nuclear family is no longer the norm. A number of changes have taken place, such as the rise in the number of same-sex couples and of lone parents. these have resulted in families becoming much more diverse.However Somerville (2000) argues that these changes are exaggerated. The apparent diversity of family life is based on a snapshot at any one time and, if a life cycle approach is taken, many people have a fairly conventional experience of the family.



Nuclear family is a traditional family that consists of a husband and a wife and one or more children, which can be either own or adopted. In such family husband is usually a breadwinner, while wife is responsible for the housework - the so-called 'cereal packet' family (Leach, 1967). Murdock (1949) argued that nuclear family is a 'universal social grouping' which can be found in all societies. However, as the article suggests 'a number of changes have taken place' and the family became more diverse in the recent years.

Firstly, with more and more people entering the higher education and becoming more independent from parental control, there has been a rise in cohabitation (non-married couples living together). Also, the social attitudes have changed and cohabitation is no longer sin as 'living in sin'.

Besides, changing in economic position of women and individualisation (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim) allowed women to divorce and raise their children in lone-parent families. As the statistics suggests, the majority of divorce petitions were brought by women - around 70% (Population Trends), as well as the majority of lone-parent families headed by women (over 90% in 2006).

Government and social policies have also had an effect on the family structure. With several laws and acts, such as the Divorce Reform Act of 1969, divorce was made much easier. Civil Partnership Act of 2005 has also allowed a new type of family - same-sex family- to develop.
Moreover, Young&Willmott suggested new stage of family - the symmetrical family, where the conjugal roles were increasingly similar. However, this was critisized by feminists, who argued that women are still responsible for cooking and cleaning.

Even though there is a lot of evidence for the decline in nuclear families, New Right perspectives suggests that this type of family is the only one which is acceptable for the society. Dennis and Erdos argued that lone-parent families fail to provide an adequate socialisation and young people may be brought up anti-social and irresponsible.
Furthermore, as the article suggest, the changes in family structure may have been exaggerated. O'Brien argues that living in nuclear family is the stage that most people go through in their lives. This may also be supported by evidence: the majority of British children in 2006 (around 76%) lived in such families.

Summarising what was said before, there was indeed an increase in family diversity, which creates a concern whether the nuclear family is still a 'norm'. But it is difficult to judge, as even with the increase in other family types, the nuclear family still remains the most common type of family, supported by both Functionalist and New Right perspectives.

sociology homework that should have been done by 14th of April ))

Family and Households Questions.

a) Explain what is meant by the expressive role?
b) Suggest two ways in which 'family life may have a harmful effect on women'
c) Suggests three reasons for the decrease in the death rate since the 1900
d) Examine the ways in which childhood can be said to be socially constructed.
e) Use material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that the nuclear family is no longer the norm.

2B item -
A popular image of the family has been the 'cereal packet' nuclear family norm of a married couple and two children who are the couple's biological offspring. The husband is the main breadwinner and the wife is primarily concerned with housework and childcare.

It could be argued that this nuclear family is no longer the norm. A number of changes have taken place, such as the rise in the number of same-sex couples and of lone parents. these have resulted in families becoming much more diverse.

However Somerville (2000) argues that these changes are exaggerated. The apparent diversity of family life is based on a snapshot at any one time and, if a life cycle approach is taken, many people have a fairly conventional experience of the family.



a) Explain what is meant by the expressive role?

Expressive role - role of the homemaker, caring for the family members, which is usually done by women.


b) Suggest two ways in which 'family life may have a harmful effect on women'.

Unequal gender roles (as men usually act as decision maker and are less responsible for the housework) and domestic violence (as women are more likely to be the victims).


c) Suggests three reasons for the decrease in the death rate since the 1900.

Decline in poverty, rise in the number of government policies aimed at improving the welfare of people, advance in medical treatment



d) Examine the ways in which childhood can be said to be socially constructed.

Childhood is said to be socially constructed due to several reasons.
First of all, the main argument for considering childhood as being the product of society is that the length of childhood and the way the children are treated vary from society to society. For example, Firth carried out a research on some societies where children were responsible for dangerous tasks. This is obviously not common for the modern Britain.

Another argument that supports this statement was proposed by Aries (1962), who argued that the development of the concept ‘childhood’ began only in the 16th century. He based his argument on the evidence of the letters, diaries and paintings, which suggested that children and adults were treated in a same way in the medieval Europe. However his research was criticized as being unreliable.

Moreover, Bukatko and Daehler provided the evidence that in the medieval Europe children were actually seen as different from adults in certain aspects, namely in the aspect of marriage: there were laws prohibiting the marriage for under 12s.

Also, another argument for the childhood being socially constructed is the two images of the childhood indentified by Rogers in 2001. The first one ‘the welfare view’ suggest that children need protection and the children welfare should be the primary consideration. Another one, ‘the control view’ sees children as unable to control themselves and needing regulation.

However, both of these views are argueable as some adults need to be treated in the same way. Lee (2001) identifies the change in the social construction of childhood where the distinction between childhood and adulthood becomes less obvious and suggests the evidence in the form of increasing divorce rates. Neil Postman (1983) goes even further in his argument by suggesting that childhood is disapperaing in the modern society under the influence of media.
This view may also be criticised as there are many laws protecting the childhood from violence as well as the ‘water shed’ which protects them from the ‘adult world’.

To conclude, there are numerous researches proving that the childhood is a social construction, while the biological form of childhood is supported by little evidence.

e) will update this one later.