CAIE
Sociology
(9699)
2020
May/June Paper 22
Questions & Answers
Q1.
Short Answer
4 marks
Describe two ways the family has become child-centred.
Model Answer:
One way is that parents now spend more time, money and emotional attention on children than in the past, for example by organising family life around children’s needs and activities.
Explanation: This describes a key feature of the child-centred family.
Model Answer:
Another way is that children have greater rights and are more protected, with adults increasingly seeing children as individuals whose views and welfare should be taken seriously.
Explanation: This reflects the increased status and protection of children in modern families.
Q2a.
Short Answer
8 marks
Explain two ways men benefit more than women from family life.
Model Answer:
Men may benefit from women doing a larger share of domestic labour and childcare, which frees men from these responsibilities and gives them more leisure time and less stress.
Explanation: This is a common feminist argument about unequal domestic roles.
Model Answer:
Men may benefit emotionally and physically from women’s caring and emotional support, including cooking, cleaning and looking after their health, which can improve men’s quality of life.
Explanation: This shows how family life can provide men with unpaid support from women.
Q2b.
Short Answer
6 marks
Explain two limitations of radical feminist views of the family.
Model Answer:
One limitation is that radical feminists may overgeneralise women’s experiences and ignore differences of class, ethnicity, age and sexuality, so their view may not apply to all families.
Explanation: A valid criticism is that radical feminism can be too broad and not account for diversity among women.
Model Answer:
Another limitation is that radical feminist views can understate the extent of change in family relationships, such as greater equality in some households and the growth of dual-earner families.
Explanation: This challenges the idea that patriarchy is equally strong in all modern families.
Q3a.
Structured
10 marks
'The extent of family diversity has been exaggerated.' Explain this view.
Model Answer:
This view argues that although there are more family forms than in the past, the nuclear family remains the dominant and most common family type in many societies. Many people still marry, have children and live in households based on a heterosexual couple with children.
Explanation: The argument is that the traditional nuclear family remains central despite evidence of diversity.
Model Answer:
It also suggests that many supposedly diverse family forms are temporary or still linked to the nuclear family norm. For example, lone-parent families may be formed after divorce, and reconstituted families often still aim to recreate a couple-based household.
Explanation: This shows how diversity may still be connected to the nuclear family model.
Model Answer:
In addition, social expectations and institutions such as law, education and welfare may continue to privilege the nuclear family, meaning that other family forms are less visible or less supported. As a result, diversity may be overstated because the nuclear family remains the reference point.
Explanation: This explains why the extent of diversity may be exaggerated in sociological debate.
Q3b.
Structured
6 marks
Using sociological material, give one argument against this view.
Model Answer:
One argument against the view is that family diversity is real and significant because changes in divorce, cohabitation, lone parenthood, same-sex relationships and reconstituted families have produced a wide range of family structures. Sociologists such as Weeks argue that personal choice and changing social values have increased diversity.
Explanation: This directly challenges the claim that diversity has been exaggerated.
Q4.
Essay
26 marks
Evaluate the view that women's changing expectations of marriage is the main reason for the increase in divorce.
Model Answer:
A strong answer would assess the role of women’s changing expectations, such as greater independence, higher expectations of emotional fulfilment, and less tolerance of unequal marriages, while also evaluating other explanations including secularisation, changes in law, reduced stigma, and wider social and economic changes.
Explanation: This is the expected focus of a 26-mark evaluative essay.
Q5.
Essay
26 marks
Evaluate the view that Marxist explanations offer the best understanding of the role of the family.
Model Answer:
A strong answer would evaluate Marxist ideas that the family supports capitalism by reproducing labour power, passing on property and socialising children into obedience, while also considering alternative perspectives such as functionalism, feminism and postmodernism.
Explanation: This captures the main content expected in a 26-mark evaluative essay.