Here’s a general plan of how I tend to revise each research method with my students, for A level sociology, focussing on social surveys revision.
The link above is to the section of the revision hand-out I use (working through it should take about an hour).
I use very similar looking material, and pretty much the same structure (with slight modifications) for all the other research methods.
As far as I’m concerned the important tasks are in bold, the rest is just fluff to get students’ attention/ deal with those who have short attention spans.
Q/A starter 1 – provide an example of the results of a social survey – what does it tell us and what are the limitations….? I quite like to introduce something new here.
PPT starter 2 – Recap the key terms and examples of social surveys – I quickly PPT over the basics of social surveys – just the definition and examples (the ones the students haven’t managed to remember themselves!)
Individual task – Basic true/ false grid (statements to do with social surveys). Sometimes I’ll make this into a Kahoot or a Socrative task
Student task – Strengths and limitations evaluation grids – students can basically use the answers from the true false grids – getting them to evaluate the strengths and limitations pushes them a bit further. For some topics, I’ll make this a cut and paste sentence sort.
Teacher feedback – I give selected examples of how, for example, random sampling might undermine the representativeness (usually a strength) of a survey.
Q/A – Applying social surveys to researching topics in education – students select on of 8-10 key research methods topics we look at and plan and develop their thoughts on how they might use surveys to research that topic
Student task – exam SAQ or essay practice – it is what it is, exam practice, which I may or may not mark! For some topics this will be a marking exercise.
It’s pretty dry, but then again it’s revision – enough fun and games already, let the exam fear commence…
Some examples of possible short answer question and answers for the education section of AS Sociology Paper 7191 (1)
Examples of ‘define’ questions (2 marks)
Question: Define the Term ‘meritocracy’ (2)
Answer: where an individual is rewarded on the basis of ability and effort – a fair system of reward
Question: Define the ‘the reproduction of class inequality’ (2)
Where social class based differences in income, education and wealth are carried on from one generation to the next
E.g. – Where working class children fail in education and go on to get working class jobs, and vice versa for middle class children.
Question: Define the term ‘neoliberalism’ (2)
Answer: A theory that believes in societies being run according to market principles. The idea that the government should be as small as possible and keep out of the affairs of private enterprise (businesses)
Examples of ‘using one example, explain what is meant by’
Question: Using one example identify and briefly explain what is meant by the term ‘Role Allocation’ (2)
Where individuals are sifted and sorted into appropriate jobs based on the qualifications they achieve – E.G. someone passes a law degree to get a job as a lawyer.
Question: Using one example identify and briefly explain what is meant by the term ‘correspondence principle’ (2)
Where what pupils learn at school prepares them for future exploitation at work – E.G. accepting authority of teachers at school then accepting the authority of managers at work,.
Question: Using one example identify and briefly explain one way in which neoliberal ideas have influenced education policy (2)
Answer: The idea that businesses should play more of a role in running the education system – E.G. The setting up of academies
Question 06: Applying material from item D, and your own knowledge, evaluate functionalist explanations of the role of the family in society (20)
This really does just appear to be a standard ‘evaluate functionalism’ essay – all you need to do is a basic intro to functionalism, then your four standard points – Murdoch, Parson’s functional fit theory, stabilisation of adult personalities and gender roles, then conclude.
The item (which I won’t reproduce here) is pretty standard – it just wants you to emphasise increasing family diversity and the fact that families may well be dysfunctional, so evaluating from mainly radical feminism, and Postmodernism and the personal life perspective…!
Not a bad half of a paper TBH.
A Level Sociology Families and Households Revision Bundle
How to answer the AQA’s A-level sociology paper 2. A guide to answering 10 mark outline and explain questions, 10 mark analyse questions and 20 mark essay questions.
Hints and tips for answering the AQA’s Sociology A Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2): families section only.
The AQA’s families and households specification is in bullet points, which I reproduced below.
The questions from the families and households section of paper 2 will be drawn from across the bullet points. Usually questions are drawn from a broad range and typically more than 60% of the bullet points below are covered within any one exam year:
the relationship of the family to the social structure and social change, with particular reference to the economy and to state policies
changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, childbearing and the life course, including the sociology of personal life, and the diversity of contemporary family and household structures
gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society
the nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society
demographic trends in the United Kingdom since 1900: birth rates, death rates, family size, life expectancy, ageing population, and migration and globalisation.
The 10 Mark ‘outline and explain’ (no item) question
Modified from the AQA’s advice on 10 mark questions sheet…
These ask about two elements from one or more bullet points within the specification topic (e.g. the nature of childhood in relation to demographic trends).
It will generally ask about the links or relationships between these two elements.
For example: ‘Outline and explain two ways in which the decline in birth rates has affected the position of children in society’ (10 marks)
Students don’t need to evaluate. Analysis is specified in the mark scheme for assessment objective 3.
Using PEEL (Point, Explanation, Evidence, Link) is useful for developing sufficient analysis.
Expressing each of the two ways in at least two separate paragraphs is useful tool.
Two examples of outline and explain families and households questions
Modified from the AQA’s advice on 10 mark questions sheet…
Outline and explain two ways in which women’s going into work has affected relationships (10)
Outline and explain two ways in which changes to gender roles have affected diversity of family structures (10)
10 Mark Analyse using the item questions
These have an item which is linked to the question. It encourages linking two elements from the same or different bullet points in the specification.
The first part of the item contains a number of points about the first of these elements.
These points provide possible hooks, designed to be developed into an explanation of the relationships between the two elements.
The second part of the item links these points back to the question.
Example of a 10 mark ‘analyse from the item’ question
Read item A then answer the question below
Item B Many commentators seem to agree that the ageing population is a problem for society – as it leads to an increasing strain on public services, and results in a greater burden being put on the younger generation to care for the elderly.
However, some claim that such problems have been exaggerated, and are based on stereotypical views about the elderly.
Applying material from Item B, analyse two consequences of the ageing population for British society (10 marks)
20 Mark Essay Questions
Allow yourself enough time – 1.5 minutes per mark = 30 minutes.
Read the Question and the item, what is it asking you to do?
Do a rough plan (5-10 mins) – initially this should be ‘arguments and evidence’ for and ‘against’ the views in the question, and a few thoughts on overall evaluations/ a conclusion. If you are being asked to look at two things, you’ll have to do this twice/
your conclusion should bring the two aspects of the essay together.
Write the essay (35 mins)– aim to make 3-5 points in total (depending on the essay, either 3 deep points, or 5 (or more) shallower points). Try to make one point at least stem from the item, ideally the first point.
evaluations – don’t repeat yourself, and don’t overdo this, but it’s useful t tag this in before a conclusion.
Conclusion (allow 2 mins minimum) – an easy way to do this is to refer to the item – do you agree with the view or not, or say which of the points you’ve made is the strongest/ weakest and on balance is the view in the question sensible or not?
General Structure
Introduction
Point (relate to question)
Explain
Expand
Criticise
(repeat 3-5 times)
Overall Evaluations
Conclusion (refer to item)
Some possible examples of 20 mark families and households essay questions…
Assess the view that the main aim of the of the family is to serve the needs of capitalism (20)
Assess the view that the family has become more child-centred (20)
Assess the reasons for changes in the birth rate and family size (20)
My main post on exam advice and how to answer short answer questions and essays is here.
For an overview of the content of these two sections please see the education, theory and methods pages.
This information is derived from 3 separate training course I’ve been on run by the AQA’s representatives, my interpretation of how you should answer these questions is not endorsed by the AQA. I have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible in this advice, and it’s the same advice I use with my own students.
AQA A Level Sociology Paper 1 – An Overview
Paper 1 is a 2 hour paper, out of a total of 80 marks.
It is a ‘write in’ paper – you get a gapped booklet, and you write your answers after each question.
There are a total of 6 questions and you must answer all of them.
You have 1.5 minutes per mark.
Exam Technique for Paper 1
Some of the exemplar questions on the next few slides are taken from the AQA’s A Level Sociology Specimen Paper 1, 2015.
4 and 6 Mark ‘Outline’ Questions
A four mark question will ask you to ‘Outline’ two ways in which/ reasons why/ criticisms of….
A six mark question will ask you to outline three ways/ reasons/ criticisms.
Think of these as ‘1+1’ question/ answers – you need to give a reason and explain how.
Example of a 4 mark question
‘Outline two material factors that may affect social class differences in educational achievement.’ (4)
Mark Scheme
Two marks for each of two appropriate factors clearly outlined
One mark for appropriate factors partially outlined.
Example of an answer which would get full marks:
Overcrowding at home (1 mark) means not having private space in which to study (+1 mark).
High family income (1 mark) means parents can pay for private tuition to help with schoolwork (+1 mark).
Example of a 6 mark question
‘Outline three reasons why government education policies aimed at raising educational achievement among disadvantaged groups may not always succeed’. (6)
Example of an answer which would get full marks:
It is difficult to implement policies (1 mark), for example if they involve intervening in pupils’ home life to change how parents socialise/motivate children (+1 mark).
Educational policies alone cannot overcome poverty as a cause of underachievement (1 mark). This requires far-reaching redistributive economic policies to tackle it (+1 mark).
Means tested educational policies such as free school meals may have low uptake by targeted groups (1 mark) because of the stigma attached to them (+1 mark).
10 Mark ‘Applying from the Item and Analyse’ Questions
A ten mark question (on papers 1 and 3) will ask you to analyse two reasons (applying material from a very short item).
You need to give a reason, develop it and analyse it, and then repeat for the next reason.
You should spend about 15 minutes on this question. Each reason MUST come from the item!
Example of a 10 Mark Question
Read item A then answer the question below
Item A
According to the Marxist sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, middle class parents possess more cultural capital, than working class children.
Bourdieu argues that the skills and knowledge middle class parents possess, such as themselves having benefited from education, and the fact that they are more comfortable dealing with middle class institutions such as schools, is passed down to their children, which explains why they do better in school.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which cultural capital might give some children an advantage in education (10)
Hooks in the item:
Skills – might be research skills)
Knowledge (might be linked to tastes)
Better education
More comfortable dealing with middle class institutions
Any of these hooks can form the basis of ‘one way’ for each ‘way’…
Make a point about cultural capital from the item
Explain how it gives children an advantage
Develop it once, ideally by using a research study, linking to other sub-topics within education
Develop it at least one more time, using perspectives if possible.
30 Mark Essays
Possible 30 Mark Essays on Education
Evaluate the contribution of Functionalism to our understanding of the role of education ins society (30).
Evaluate the view that differential achievement across social groups is mainly due to in-school factors (30).
Evaluate the view that educational policies since 1988 have both raised standards and improved equality of educational opportunity (30).
Writing 30 Mark Essays
Allow yourself enough time – 1.5 minutes per mark = 45 minutes.
Read the Question and the item, what is it asking you to do?
Do a rough plan (5-10 mins) – initially this should be ‘arguments and evidence’ for and ‘against’ the views in the question, and a few thoughts on overall evaluations/ a conclusion. If you are being asked to look at two things, you’ll have to do this twice/ your conclusion should bring the two aspects of the essay together.
Write the essay (35 mins)– aim to make 3-5 points in total (depending on the essay, either 3 deep points, or 5 (or more) shallower points). Try to make one point at least stem from the item, ideally the first point.
Overall evaluations – don’t repeat yourself, and don’t overdo this, but it’s useful t tag this in before a conclusion.
Conclusion (allow 2 mins minimum) – an easy way to do this is to refer to the item – do you agree with the view or not, or say which of the points you’ve made is the strongest/ weakest and on balance is the view in the question sensible or not?
General Structure for Any Sociology Essay
Introduction
Point (relate to question)
Explain
Expand
Criticise
(repeat 3-5 times)
Overall Evaluations
Conclusion (refer to item)
20 Mark Methods in Context Questions
A ‘methods in context’ (MIC) essay question will ask you to apply a method to a topic within education
The easiest way to explain how to write MIC essays by using an example…
Example of a Methods in Context Question
Read item B then answer the question below
Item B
Investigating unauthorised absences from school
There is a close correlation between frequent unauthorised absence from school and educational underachievement. Those pupils who are not doing well at school are more likely to truant. Similarly, those who truant regularly are likely to finish their school career with poor qualifications. Pupils may be absent without authorisation for many reasons, from caring responsibilities at home or dislike of school, to parents arranging family holidays in term time.
Sociologists may use self-completion written questionnaires to study unauthorised absences. These can be distributed easily to large numbers of pupils, parents or teachers. The findings of the questionnaires can also be used to establish patterns and trends in relation to unauthorised absences. However, self-completion questionnaires often have very low response rates, especially when they ask about sensitive issues.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using self-completion written questionnaires to investigate unauthorised absences from school (20 marks)
A ‘Safe’ Strategy for Answering Methods in Context (‘MIC’) Questions
Planning:
Spend about five minutes planning the essay first:
Highlight the ‘hooks’ in the question.
Jot down the theoretical, ethical and practical strengths/ limitations of the method.
Essay section 1:
Write a ‘safe’ three paragraphs on the method, covering the theoretical, practical and ethical strengths and limitations of the method.
As you do this, try to discuss the general strengths and limitations of the method relating to researching education in general (pupils, parents, teachers, in schools and classrooms, maybe in pupils’ homes).
Essay section 2:
Use the hooks in the item to discuss why this method might be a particular problem, or particularly useful for the topic you are.
Just doing this two or three times should be enough to lift you into the top mark band (17-20).
Essay section 3:
Write a brief conclusion – state whether this is a sensible method for researching this topic!
Paper 1: Theory and Methods Section
‘Outline and Explain’ something to do with theory and/ or methods (10) marks)
There won’t be an item for this question
Pick two reasons/ ways which are as different from each other as possible.
Try to develop each using different parts of the course – making links….
There will probably be two bits to the question – make sure you make the links.
There may only be one ‘little’ 10 mark question, but it could be on any aspect of theory and/ or methods:
Examples of possible theory and methods ten markers
Theory: ‘Outline and explain two criticisms of the Marxist view of society (10). Methods: Outline and explain two practical problems of using Participant Observation in social research’ (10).
Theory and Methods: Outline and explain two reasons why Postmodernists are generally critical of quantitative research methods (10).
Video Version of the above advice (for ‘visual’ learners)
Good luck – And don’t panic… Everyone’s in the same boat.
Each point of your answer to a short answer ‘outline question’ is best thought of as consisting of ‘1+1’ marks -make a point and explain it… as you can see below, each point has two sentences.
Remember it’s always better if you think up these for yourself rather than just reading and copying out the answers from here…
Outline two practical advantages to the researcher of using social surveys in social research (4)
Surveys are a quick and cheap means of gathering data from large numbers of people, across wide areas. They are an efficient method because computers can analyse pre-coded answers and quantify the data instantaneously.
You don’t need ‘people skills’ to use social surveys, thus anyone can use them to do research. This is because they can be written in advance, and put on-line or sent by post, and thus sociologist’s personal involvement with respondents can be kept to a minimum.
In either paper 1 or paper 3 of the A level sociology exam you might get this exact same question as a 10 mark question, in which case you’re expected to develop both points further, and possibly evaluate it. To see how you would do this, please click here for the 10 mark answer to A level sociology question.
Outline two theoretical problems sociologists might face when using social surveys to conduct research (4)
The imposition problem—closed questions limit what respondents can say. Interpretivists argue respondents have diverse motives and it is unlikely that researchers will think up every possible response, thus questionnaires will lack validity.
Self-completion surveys can also suffer from poor representativeness – those with low literacy skills are less likely to return them as they are unable to do so, thus resulting in a narrow, biased, self-selecting sample.
Outline two ways in which a researcher might improve the response rate of postal questionnaires (4)
You could include an incentive, which people could claim when they return them, such as entry into a prize draw. This means people would be motivated by the money to complete and return the questionnaire.
You could remind them via phone a few days after the have received the questionnaire. They may have ignored or forgotten the questionnaire, and people may be more likely to respond because of the personal contact from the researcher.
Outline two ways in which sociologists might ensure respondents do not misinterpret the questions they are being asked in postal surveys (4)
You could make sure questions are clearly worded in simple language to reduce misinterpretation. Here a pilot study with an interviewer present might be a useful way of assessing what wording is the easiest to understand.
You could make sure the survey is carried out as a structured interview, or if a postal survey, have a phone-line where people can ask questions – this way a researcher could explain the correct way to interpret any difficult questions.
Firstly, social surveys suffer from the imposition problem, closed questions limits what respondents can say Interpretivists argue respondents have diverse motives and it is unlikely that researchers will think up every possible relevant question and every possible, response, thus questionnaires will lack validity.
This is especially true for more complex topics such as religions belief – ticking the ‘Christian’ box can mean many different things to many different people, for example.
Interpretivists thus say that surveys are socially constructed—they don’t reflect reality, but the interests of researchers
However, this is easily rectified by including a section at the end of questionnaires in which respondents can write their explanations.
Secondly, self-completion surveys can also suffer from poor representativeness…
Postal questionnaires can suffer from a low response rate, and samples might be self-selecting— due to the illiterate or people who might be ashamed/ scared to return questionnaires on sensitive topics.
Also, you can’t check who has filled them in, so surveys may actually misrepresent the target population.
However, it is possible to rectify this with incentives and booster samples.
The above is a suggested response to a possible 10 mark ‘pure methods’ question which might come up on either paper 1 or 3 of the AQA’s A Level Sociology Papers. It follows the basic formula – make a point, develop it twice, and then evaluate it (which to my mind seems to work well for ‘pure methods’ 10 mark questions.
Theory and Methods A Level Sociology Revision Bundle
If you like this sort of thing, then you might like my Theory and Methods Revision Bundle – specifically designed to get students through the theory and methods sections of A level sociology papers 1 and 3.
Contents include:
74 pages of revision notes
15 mind maps on various topics within theory and methods
An overview of the AS Sociology paper 7191 (1), and a few quick hints and tips on how to answer each of the questions…
You will be given a total of 90 minutes to answer this paper and is out of a total of 60 marks (this means 1.5 minutes per mark). There are a total of 6 questions, 5 on ‘pure education’ and 1 on ‘methods in context’.
This is a ‘write in ‘ paper – you get a booklet with the questions, and lined gaps after each question – write your answers in the gaps. If you need to use extra paper, put the question number you are adding to in the appropriate place.
The general structure of the paper is as follows:
Q01 – Define the term (2 marks)
Q02 – Using one example, briefly explain something (2 marks)
Q03 – Outline three ways/ factors/ criticisms (6 marks)
Q04 – Outline and explain two ways/ reasons/ criticisms (10 marks)
Q05 – Applying material from Item A and elsewhere, evaluate something to do with education (20 marks)
Q06 – Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using any of the main six research methods to research any issue in education (20 marks)
General hints and tips
Question 1 – define the concept and give an example. Even though it says define, it’s good practice to do this and then back it up with an example to show you understand it. NB – this could be any concept within education – sometimes they’re obscure, sometimes they’re easier – if it looks unfamiliar, don’t worry about it and just move onto the next questions. (A colleague of mine cynically refers to this question as ‘did you revise this concept the night before the exam? Yes – 2 marks, No – 0 marks)
Question 2 – Is a ‘1+1’ question which is asking you to do two things – firstly, explain how something affects else, and secondly. give an example.
Question 3 – is 3 lots of ‘1+1’ – make sure you explain HOW each point has an effect, or is affected by something. For example, if the question asks you to outline three ways in which cultural deprivation affects educational achievement – state three forms of CD and then explain how, explicitly, this affects educational achievement…
Question 4 – It’s good practice to try and pick 2 very different answers – from different parts of the education module. Explain and develop using perspectives/ research evidence.
Question 5 – You should be familiar with the essay structure – Intro – then PEEC – Overall evaluations, then conclusion. 4 points all internally evaluated. If in doubt, chuck the perspectives at it.
Question 6 – write it like a methods essay (theoretical, practical, ethical) and then chuck in a few topic links where you can – IMO you’ve very little to gain from thinking about this too much – most students just can’t do what the examiners want to get them into the top mark bands, and even if they do, there’s a risk the (underpaid) examiners will mis-read a top band answer as a mid-band answer – do a good methods essay with a few topi links and you’re pretty much guaranteed 13/20.
Finally, and this is very important, if one or more of the questions simply just don’t make sense, don’t panic, it happens, it’s not your fault – it’s the examiner-bots, their programmers haven’t quite perfected their algorithms yet, and they sometimes just chuck out nonsense. If that happens again this year, just look for the key words and write about the general topic area, and you’ll probably get some marks.
Very finally, if it all goes really pear-shaped, have a look at my alternative careers guidance – you don’t even need A levels to pursue these options!
Papers 1 and 3 are ‘write in’ papers – they are gapped booklets, and you write your answers after each question. For these two papers, you answer every question.
Paper 2 is the ‘options paper’ – the exam paper and answer booklet are separate. There are 4 options in each section, you select one topic from section A (most centres do the families option) and one section from section B (most centres do the religion option, I teach the global development option).
There are 5 ‘question types’ across all 5 papers…
4 and 6 mark outline questions (papers 1 and 3)
10 mark outline and explain questions, no item (papers 1,2 and 3)
10 mark ‘applying material from the item analyse’ questions (papers 1,2 and 3)
20 Mark Methods in Context question (paper 1)
20 and 30 mark essay questions – 30 marks on papers 1 and 3, 20 marks (*2) on paper 2
All exams are 2 hours long, and are marked out of 80
please see this page on exam advice for specific advice on how to answer all of the above questions.
Capitalism is an economic system characterised by private ownership of means of production. The Marxist perspective argues that in many ways the family serves the needs of capitalism in a number of ways, ultimately benefitting the bourgeoisie and the proletariat remaining oppressed and exploited. Other perspectives however such as feminism would argue that serving the needs of capitalism is not the main aim of the family. They would argue instead that the family benefits males and reinforces a patriarchal society.
Engels argues that the nuclear family emerged as a direct result of capitalism. Primitive communism is the name given to society before capitalism had emerged. There was no private property and no family as such. Instead Engels called groups or tribes “the promiscuous horde” with no restrictions on sexual relationships. The introduction of capitalism meant that the wealthy wanted to secure control of the means of production. This brought around the monogamous nuclear family, as rich men had to ensure the paternity of their children so that they could pass down their property to legitimate heirs. This argument has been criticised by feminists who argue that this further reinforces patriarchy with women simply bearing children to provide men with legitimate heirs.
Functionalists however would dispute this view of the emergence of the nuclear family arguing instead that it came about in response to the demand of post-industrial society. Parsons functional fit theory explains how the family has evolved in keeping with the needs of society at that time. In post-industrial society when families farmed the land, they were typically extended, however after the industrial revolution the nuclear family emerged, creating a mobile workforce who could easily relocate to wherever work was available in the factories. This view has been criticised by Laslett who has argued that church records demonstrate that the extended family was already in decline and the nuclear family more popular even before the revolution, therefore cannot be seen as a direct response.
Marxists argued that the family can be seen as an ideological apparatus, helping to enforce a set of beliefs and values which ultimately benefit capitalism. For example children are bought up with a parental figure that they are taught to obey. This teaches them discipline, which will benefit their bosses when they join the workforce, but also teaches them about hierarchy and that inequality is inevitable making them less likely to question their position as an exploited proletariat when they go out to work, again benefitting capitalism. Again feminists have criticised this argument, due to the fact that children are socialised into the idea that the people in charge or at the top of the hierarchy are usually men again demonstrating that children are being socialised into gender specific roles in a patriarchal society.
Functionalists argue that rather than being an ideological apparatus spreading the ideas and values of capitalism, families benefit society as a whole through the function of primary socialisation. Functionalists argue that the family socialises children into the acceptable norms and values of society and ensures that order is maintained and deviance reduced. Marxists would challenge this view arguing that society is made up of two opposing groups, with a conflict of interests, therefore they would not interpret the family as having a positive role, or society’s agreeing on a set of shared norms and values.
Finally, Marxists argue that the family acts as a unit of consumption. The proletariat are exploited for their labour making consumer goods in factories which are then sold to them at a higher price than they were paid to produce them. Marxists argue that the family generates profits by targeting advertising at children who then use their ‘pester power’ to get goods bought by their parents. We also have a culture of ‘keeping up with the Jones’s where we consume the latest consumer products, again benefiting capitalism by lining the pockets of the bourgeoisie. However the Marxist perspective only views there being two classes, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Some commentators would argue that recently we have seen an emergence of an underclass who despite demonstrating a culture of unemployment, can still buy consumer goods without having to be exploited for their labour.
In conclusion the Marxist perspective has a number of compelling arguments as to how the family may serve the needs of capitalism; however it is unclear whether this argument is valid, especially in today’s diverse and rapidly changing society with a growing service sector and emergence of an underclass. Other perspectives such as feminism argue that the family does not serve the needs of capitalism, instead the needs of men, whereas functionalists focus on the positive functions of the family. Undeniably the family does hold benefits for its members by creating a supportive and loving environment for members, therefore to see it as purely benefiting capitalism would be short-sighted.
If you like this sort of thing, then you might like my Theory and Methods Revision Bundle – specifically designed to get students through the theory and methods sections of A level sociology papers 1 and 3.
