Question 1

Today, children are an economic burden to families; whereas, in the past, children were economic assets.

Accepted Answer

In the past, children were often seen as an economic asset, as they could contribute to the family's labor and help with tasks such as farming or running a family business. However, in modern times, children are typically viewed as an economic burden, as they require significant financial investment for their education, healthcare, and general upbringing.

Question 2

According to functionalist theory, the family serves just two important functions: procreating and socializing children.

Accepted Answer

While functionalist theory does emphasize the importance of procreation and socialization of children, it also recognizes other important functions of the family, such as providing emotional support and fulfilling economic needs.

Question 3

Because about 80 percent of women who are mothers of school-aged children are in the work force, the traditional nuclear family is the family type of a very small minority of Canadian families.

Accepted Answer

The traditional nuclear family, where one parent works and the other stays home, is less common due to the high percentage of mothers in the workforce, leading to more diverse family structures in Canada.

Question 4

Feminists have concluded that only a "genuine gender revolution" can alter social structures that support gender inequality.

Accepted Answer

Feminists argue that minor changes or tweaks to the existing system will not be enough to achieve gender equality. Instead, a fundamental shift in cultural attitudes, beliefs and social structures is needed, which would require a genuine gender revolution.

Question 5

Marital happiness is greatest in relationships in which a woman submits to the traditional expectation that she is responsible for most of the housework and child-care responsibilities.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Marital happiness is not necessarily based on traditional gender roles or expectations. Partners should work together and align their responsibilities according to their individual strengths and preferences, rather than conforming to societal norms. Research has also shown that marriages with more equal division of labor tend to be happier and more fulfilling for both partners.

Question 6

Feminists have argued that, because gender inequality existed before capitalism, property relations alone fail to explain patriarchal societies.

Accepted Answer

Feminists argue that patriarchy and gender inequality predate capitalist property relations, meaning that there must be other factors at play in explaining their existence. This includes cultural norms, social structures, and historical factors.

Question 7

Whenever the divorce rate spikes or there is rapid social change, concerns about the decline of the social institution of the family are raised.

Accepted Answer

Whenever there is a spike in divorce rates or rapid social change, it is common for concerns about the decline of the social institution of the family to arise.

Question 8

In pre-modern times, having children was an economic asset to the family.

Accepted Answer

In pre-modern times, children were considered valuable assets to the family as they could help with farm work or other types of labor, take care of their parents in old age, and continue the family line. Having many children was also a way to ensure the survival and prosperity of the family.

Question 9

The lower the social class and the lower the educational level of spouses, the more likely it is that financial pressures will create an unhappy and unstable marriage.

Accepted Answer

Numerous studies have shown that financial strain and difficulty managing money are major predictors of marital dissatisfaction and higher rates of divorce, particularly among couples with lower incomes and less education. Couples in higher social classes and with more education generally have more resources and support systems to help them manage financial differences and navigate financial challenges together.

Question 10

The selection of the person with whom one falls in love is somewhat determined by the "assets," such as financial stability or education, that one brings to the marriage market.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that individuals tend to seek partners who possess resources that complement their own, such as financial stability or education. This is known as the "marriage market hypothesis." However, it is not the only factor that determines who one falls in love with. Personal compatibility, emotional connection, and other non-material factors also play a significant role.

Question 11

Trends in divorce, marriage, and child-bearing show a gradual weakening of the nuclear family that began in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Studies have shown that the traditional nuclear family, consisting of a married couple and their children, has been on the decline since the mid-to-late 19th century, with increasing rates of divorce and fewer people getting married or having children within traditional marriages. This trend has continued into the 21st century, with more diverse family types becoming increasingly common.

Question 12

In Canada, court orders are very effective in compelling noncustodial parents to make their support payments.

Accepted Answer

In Canada, while court orders are a tool used to compel noncustodial parents to make support payments, their effectiveness varies. Many noncustodial parents still fail to make their payments consistently, despite such orders, due to various reasons including financial difficulties, enforcement challenges, and lack of resources for tracking and collecting payments.

Question 13

In Canada approximately 15 percent of homicides occur within the family or intimate relationships.

Accepted Answer

In Canada, a higher proportion of homicides occur within family or intimate relationships, with intimate partner violence and family-related homicides often accounting for a significant portion of the annual homicide rate, sometimes reaching around or over 50% of all homicides.

Question 14

According to the text, despite the ebb and flow in the popularity of marriage, love has always been the central pillar that supports the institution of marriage.

Accepted Answer

Historically, marriage has often been influenced by factors such as economic arrangements, social alliances, and political considerations, rather than love being the central pillar. Love as a basis for marriage is a relatively modern concept.

Question 15

After divorce, having support payments usually means that a woman's income rises as a man's falls.

Accepted Answer

Typically, after a divorce, women often experience a decrease in their financial situation, while men may see an improvement or less of a decline. Support payments may not fully compensate for the loss of the combined household income and the economies of scale that come with living together.

Question 16

Children in divorced families have a higher level of well-being than children in high-conflict, intact families.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that children in divorced families tend to have higher levels of well-being when compared to children who are subject to high levels of conflict within their intact families. However, children in low-conflict, intact families typically have the highest levels of well-being.

Question 17

Polygamy increases the nuclear family vertically by adding spouses (usually women), while the extended family is an expansion of the nuclear family horizontally.

Accepted Answer

Polygamy increases the nuclear family horizontally by adding more spouses, not vertically. The vertical expansion of a family involves adding generations (e.g., parents, children, grandchildren), while the horizontal expansion involves adding members of the same generation (e.g., spouses, siblings).

Question 18

The Canadian middle-class family of the 1950s was idealized as the perfect family structure; it was dubbed the "orgy of domesticity." Ironically, the family of the 1950s has been identified as the root of the demise of the traditional nuclear family.

Accepted Answer

The term "orgy of domesticity" is not a commonly used or recognized term to describe the 1950s family structure. The 1950s family was idealized for its stability and traditional roles, but it has not been universally identified as the root of the demise of the traditional nuclear family. Instead, societal changes over time, including economic factors, changing gender roles, and evolving social norms, have contributed to changes in family structures.

Question 19

Until modern times, having children was an economic liability to the family.

Accepted Answer

Historically, children were often seen as economic assets to families, especially in agrarian societies, where they could contribute to the family's income through labor on farms or in family businesses.

Question 20

Engels, Marx's co-author, asserted that gender equality would be possible only in capitalist societies where the opportunity to own property was equally available to men and to women.

Accepted Answer

Engels did not believe that gender equality would be possible in capitalist societies. He argued that capitalism perpetuated gender inequality through the exploitation of women's unpaid domestic labor and the commodification of sexuality. He believed that gender equality could only be achieved through the abolition of both capitalism and the patriarchal family structure it supported.

Quiz 9: Families