AQA GCSE Sociology (8192): Family Functions, Forms, Relationships and Criticisms – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Families and Education revision notes

These questions cover four sub-sections of AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) section 3.3 Families: 3.3.1 Functions of families, 3.3.2 Family forms, 3.3.4 Changing relationships within families and 3.3.5 Criticisms of families. They use the key sociologists the specification names for these areas — Parsons, the Rapoports, Willmott and Young, Zaretsky, and Delphy and Leonard — and mark tariffs of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 12 in the style of Paper 1.

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Questions

1. Which two functions did Parsons argue are basic and irreducible in all families?

A. Economic production and education B. Primary socialisation of children and stabilisation of adult personalities C. Reproduction and religious instruction D. Care of the elderly and sexual regulation

[1]

2. Which family form consists of a couple living with children from one or both partners’ previous relationships?

A. Extended B. Lone parent C. Reconstituted D. Nuclear

[1]

3. Identify and describe one of the four functions of families named in the specification (sexual, reproductive, economic, educational). [3]

4. Identify and explain one type of family diversity described by the Rapoports. [4]

5. Describe what Willmott and Young meant by the “principle of stratified diffusion”. [3]

6. Item A (invented for practice)

A researcher interviewed 30 couples in one city about how they share housework. Most said tasks were shared “fairly”, but when asked to keep a diary for a week, women recorded doing about twice as much housework and childcare as men. The researcher concluded that the “symmetrical family” is a myth.

• (a) From Item A, examine one weakness of the research. [2]
• (b) Identify one research method, other than interviews, that could be used to study conjugal roles, and explain one advantage of this method. [4]

7. Identify and explain one criticism of families made by Zaretsky. [4]

8. Discuss how far sociologists would agree that families mainly benefit men. [12]

9. Discuss how far sociologists would agree that relationships within families have become more equal over time. [12]

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Answers and mark guidance

1. [1] B.

2. [1] C.

3. [3] 1 mark for identifying the function, up to 2 for description. For example, the reproductive function: families produce the next generation of members (1), replacing the population (1) and providing children who will be socialised into society’s norms (1). Or the economic function: families provide for members’ material needs — food, shelter — and in pre-industrial times were units of production; today they are mainly units of consumption.

4. [4] 1 mark for identifying, up to 3 for explanation. The Rapoports (1982) identified five types: organisational (how roles and the domestic division of labour are arranged, e.g. dual- earner versus traditional families); cultural (beliefs and values of different ethnic and religious groups); class (resources available depending on class position); life course (stage in the family life cycle, e.g. newly married or retired); cohort (the historical period in which the family lives).

5. [3] The idea that changes in family life begin at the top of the stratification system (1) and later spread downwards to other classes (1); Willmott and Young predicted the work-centred “managing director” family of the middle class would spread to working-class families (1).

6(a). [2] One weakness, examined: a sample of 30 couples in one city is small and may not be representative (1), so the conclusion cannot be generalised to all families (1). Or: diaries for only one week may not reflect usual patterns; or couples may change behaviour while keeping a diary.

6(b). [4] 1 for a method, up to 3 for an advantage explained. For example, a questionnaire (1) can reach a large, representative sample (1), using closed questions that make answers easy to compare (1), so patterns in the domestic division of labour can be measured reliably (1). Or participant/non-participant observation of household routines, giving direct, valid evidence of who actually does tasks rather than what people say.

7. [4] 1 for identifying, up to 3 for explanation. Zaretsky (1976), a Marxist, argued that capitalism creates an illusion that family life is private and separate from the economy (1); the family cannot meet individuals’ psychological needs (1), and it props up capitalism by reproducing the workforce through women’s unpaid domestic labour and acting as a unit of consumption (1–2). Only socialism would end this separation.

8. [12] Level guidance: 10–12 a detailed, developed answer with a range of perspectives and a supported conclusion; 7–9 a sound answer with some evaluation; 4–6 limited development or one-sided; 1–3 basic.

Agree:

• Delphy and Leonard (1992): families are economic systems in which men exploit women’s labour; wives in paid work still do most housework.
• Oakley’s feminist critique of the “conventional family”.
• Women’s dual burden and the unequal domestic division of labour.
• Violence against women within families.

Disagree:

• Functionalists (Parsons): families benefit everyone through socialisation and emotional support (stabilisation of adult personalities).
• Marxists (Zaretsky): families mainly benefit capitalism rather than men as such.
• Willmott and Young: the symmetrical family suggests more equal sharing.
• Changes such as women’s employment, joint decision-making and dual-career families.

Conclusion: credit a judgement, for example that inequality persists but varies by class, culture and family type.

9. [12] Same level guidance.

Agree:

• Willmott and Young (1973): movement from pre-industrial and early industrial families to the Stage 3 home-centred symmetrical family, with shared chores and decisions; principle of stratified diffusion predicts spread.
• More women in paid work; dual-career families; more involved fathers.
• More democratic relationships between parents and teenagers; child-centredness.

Disagree:

• Feminists found little evidence of symmetry: women still do most housework, childcare and emotional work (Oakley; Delphy and Leonard).
• Willmott and Young’s Stage 4 “managing director” family is work-centred, with the wife responsible for home and children.
• Care of disabled and elderly relatives falls mostly on women.
• Arranged marriage and differences between cultures show variety rather than one trend.

Conclusion: relationships have become more equal in some respects and for some groups, but not fully.

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Frequently asked questions

Which sociologists must I know for these sub-sections? The specification names Parsons (3.3.1), the Rapoports (3.3.2), Willmott and Young (3.3.4), and Zaretsky and Delphy and Leonard (3.3.5).

What does “examine one weakness” require? Identify a specific weakness of the research in the item and explain its effect on the findings.

How do I reach the top level in 12-mark questions? Use several perspectives (functionalist, Marxist, feminist), named evidence, and a clear conclusion that answers “how far”.

Related pages: Families and Education study guide | Families and Education practice questions