Families and the social structure | AQA A-Level Sociology
Updated: 2 days ago
For Specification 7192
AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time:Â 55 minutes
Families do not exist separately from the society around them. This Families and the social structure A-Level Sociology revision page examines how family life can be understood as part of wider social structures and how sociologists may interpret that relationship differently. AQA requires students to study the relationship of the family to social structure and social change, particularly in relation to the economy and state policies. It also expects students to apply ideas about social structure, social action, consensus and conflict throughout the course.
This lesson establishes the theoretical foundation for later work on families and economic change [Families, social change and the economy] and government intervention in family life [Families and state policies].
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define social structure in a sociological context.
Explain how families form part of wider social structures.
Explain how wider social structures may influence family life.
Compare consensus and conflict interpretations of the family's place in society.
Compare structural and social action approaches to family life.
Evaluate different interpretations of the relationship between families and social structure.
Revision Notes đź“š
Families and the social structure A-Level Sociology revision overview
AQA identifies social structure as one of the important ideas running throughout A-Level Sociology. It also requires students studying Families and Households to examine the relationship of the family to social structure and social change.
At its simplest, social structure refers to the relatively organised patterns and relationships that make up society.
Sociologists can therefore ask two connected questions:
How is family life influenced by the wider organisation of society?
How does family life itself form part of that wider organisation?
This produces an important two-way relationship.
The family as part of social structure
Families are not isolated groups of individuals. They exist within a wider society containing other institutions, relationships and patterns of inequality.
This means family life needs to be understood in relation to the wider social world.
For example, the specification specifically directs students to examine connections between families and:
the economy
state policies
social change
social differentiation, power and stratification
socialisation, culture and identity.
The detailed relationship between families and employment or the economy is developed in economic and social change [Families, social change and the economy]. Government intervention is developed separately through state policy and family life [Families and state policies].
A two-way relationship
The relationship between families and social structure can be understood as two-way.
Social structure may influence families
Changes or differences in wider society can affect:
the organisation of family life
relationships within families
the roles people perform
opportunities and constraints affecting family members
patterns of family and household life.
This does not mean every family experiences social conditions in exactly the same way. It means sociologists examine whether wider patterns help explain similarities and differences in family life.
Families form part of social structure
Families are themselves a major part of social life.
Patterns within families may therefore connect with wider patterns in society, including:
culture and identity
inequality
power
social change.
This is why AQA treats Families and Households as part of broader sociological debates rather than as a completely separate topic.
Social structure and social action
AQA requires students to understand the significance of both social structure and social action.
These provide two different starting points for explaining family life.
Approach | Main focus | Question asked about families |
Structural approach | Wider social patterns and structures | How do features of society shape family life? |
Social action approach | Actions, choices and meanings | How do people interpret, negotiate and create their family relationships? |
Structural explanations
A structural explanation gives particular importance to the wider organisation of society.
Applied to families, it suggests that individual family relationships cannot be understood fully without considering the wider social conditions in which they occur.
A structural explanation might therefore examine how family life relates to:
wider patterns of inequality
power
the economy
policies of the state
wider processes of social change.
You will examine the general characteristics of this type of explanation in structural approaches to society [Structural theories].
Social action explanations
A social action explanation gives greater attention to individuals and their actions.
From this perspective, family life is not simply something imposed on people by wider structures. Individuals can interpret situations, interact with others and make decisions about their relationships.
This creates an important contrast:
Structural explanations emphasise how society may shape family life, while social action explanations emphasise how individuals may actively participate in constructing their social relationships.
The wider distinction is developed further in social action approaches [Social action theories].
Structure and action should not be confused
A common mistake is to assume that studying social structure means individuals have no choices.
That conclusion is too simple.
The central sociological issue is the relative importance of:
wider social forces
individual action.
In an examination, evaluation can therefore consider whether a structural explanation gives enough attention to people's ability to interpret, negotiate or respond differently to similar circumstances.
Likewise, an explanation focused mainly on individual action may be criticised if it ignores wider inequalities or constraints.
Consensus interpretations of the family
AQA also requires students to understand the significance of consensus and conflict in Sociology.
A consensus interpretation emphasises shared interests, agreement and social order.
Applied to the family, this type of interpretation would examine the family's place within society in terms of its relationship to the continuation and organisation of social life.
The key emphasis is therefore on:
social order
shared expectations
cooperation
the relationship between different parts of society.
This broad theoretical position is developed in consensus explanations of society [Consensus theories].
Applying a consensus approach
Imagine a sociologist arguing:
Family arrangements should be examined in terms of how they connect individuals with the wider society and contribute to established social relationships.
The important part of the argument is the emphasis on connection and social order.
For an examination answer, do more than identify the view as a consensus argument. Explain why it is a consensus argument.
Conflict interpretations of the family
A conflict interpretation focuses instead on divisions of interest, inequalities and power.
Applied to family life, the approach encourages sociologists to ask whether family arrangements:
benefit everyone equally
reflect wider inequalities
contain unequal relationships
connect to wider patterns of power and stratification.
This links particularly strongly with one of AQA's core themes, social differentiation, power and stratification.
The approach is developed more fully in conflict explanations of society [Conflict theories].
Applying a conflict approach
Suppose a sociologist argues:
Family relationships should not automatically be treated as harmonious because members may have unequal power and may experience family arrangements differently.
This is a conflict interpretation because it questions the assumption that all family members necessarily have identical interests.
Later study of inequalities within family relationships [Power relationships within families] allows this issue to be examined in greater depth.
Consensus and conflict compared
Consensus interpretation | Conflict interpretation |
Emphasises agreement and social order | Emphasises inequality and competing interests |
Draws attention to cooperation | Draws attention to power |
May focus on how family life connects with wider society | May question who benefits from particular arrangements |
Encourages examination of common interests | Encourages examination of divisions and inequalities |
Offers one interpretation of social structure | Offers a contrasting interpretation of social structure |
⚠️ Exam point: Do not treat "structural" and "consensus" as synonyms.
A structural explanation is one that emphasises wider social structures. Consensus and conflict refer to different ways of interpreting those structures.
A sociologist could therefore take a structural approach while emphasising either consensus or conflict.
Power and stratification
AQA identifies social differentiation, power and stratification as a core theme that students should apply across substantive areas of Sociology.
When studying families, this means asking questions such as:
Are experiences of family life socially differentiated?
Do all family members have the same power?
How might wider inequalities be connected to relationships within families?
Does describing the family as a single unit hide differences between its members?
You should not assume either that families are necessarily harmonious or that they are necessarily based on conflict. These are competing sociological interpretations that need to be explained and evaluated.
The detailed division of responsibilities is covered later through gender and household work [Gender roles and domestic labour].
Socialisation, culture and identity
AQA's second core theme is socialisation, culture and identity.
Students should therefore be able to recognise that the study of family life connects with wider questions about how individuals relate to society.
This does not mean every Families and Households answer needs a separate paragraph labelled "socialisation, culture and identity". Instead, the theme should help you make connections between substantive family issues and wider sociological debates.
Families and social change
Social structure is not necessarily fixed.
AQA explicitly requires students to study the family in relation to social change.
This means that the relationship between families and wider society can change over time.
Sociological explanations therefore need to consider:
continuity in family life
changes in family and household patterns
changes in wider society
how these changes may be connected.
This is important because a theory that explains one type of social arrangement may need to be evaluated against changing contemporary conditions.
The next lesson, families and changing society [Families, social change and the economy], develops this relationship directly.
The economy and family life
AQA gives the economy particular importance when specifying the family's relationship to social structure.
At this stage, the key point is conceptual:
Family life and economic organisation should not automatically be treated as separate parts of society. Sociologists examine relationships between them.
Possible examination tasks may therefore require students to analyse whether changes in one part of society are associated with changes in another.
The detailed sociological explanations belong to Families, social change and the economy, so they should not be substituted for this lesson's broader focus on social structure.
State policies and family life
The specification also specifically identifies state policies.
This directs attention to the relationship between private family life and wider political or institutional arrangements.
The key idea for this lesson is that families operate within a wider social structure in which policies may influence the circumstances under which family life takes place.
The effects and interpretation of particular types of policy are covered in Families and state policies.
Contemporary UK society
The AQA specification states that the central focus of the course should be UK society today, while allowing comparative and global dimensions where relevant.
This matters when answering questions on the family.
Avoid treating family life as:
timeless
identical in every society
completely unaffected by social change.
A sociological explanation should instead be sensitive to its social context.
Family and household diversity
A structural explanation should also avoid assuming that all contemporary family and household structures are identical.
The specification requires students to examine diversity in contemporary family and household structures as part of this topic.
This issue is explored directly in different forms of family and household life [Family and household diversity].
For the present lesson, the main implication is evaluative: broad claims about "the family" may need qualification if different families experience wider social structures differently.
Comparing the main approaches
A useful way to organise this topic is to separate two different debates.
Debate | Position 1 | Position 2 |
How should society be explained? | Structural:Â wider structures strongly shape social life | Social action:Â people's meanings and actions matter |
How should social relationships be interpreted? | Consensus:Â emphasis on agreement and order | Conflict:Â emphasis on power and inequality |
These distinctions allow you to build stronger comparisons.
For example:
A structural explanation may argue that family arrangements need to be understood in relation to wider society. However, this alone does not tell us whether those arrangements should be viewed positively. A consensus interpretation may emphasise social order, while a conflict interpretation may emphasise inequalities and competing interests.
That is more analytical than simply listing perspectives.
Evaluating structural explanations of family life
Evaluation means testing the strengths and limitations of an explanation rather than simply stating a different opinion.
Strength: connects families to wider society
A structural approach prevents family behaviour from being explained purely as a result of personal decisions.
It directs attention to the wider circumstances within which families exist.
This is particularly appropriate to the specification because AQA explicitly requires links between families and:
the economy
state policies
social change.
Limitation: may underestimate social action
If too much emphasis is placed on social structure, family members can appear passive.
Social action approaches remind us that people:
interpret their circumstances
interact with one another
respond to social conditions.
This provides a useful counterargument to strongly structural explanations.
Strength: allows connections between topics
Structural explanations can help connect family life to wider themes such as:
power
stratification
social change.
This is important because AQA expects students to draw links between different areas of the specification rather than treating each topic as isolated.
Limitation: broad claims may conceal diversity
Statements about "the family" may overlook differences between families and between individual family members.
A strong evaluation can therefore ask:
Which families does the argument apply to?
Are all members affected in the same way?
Does the explanation account for changing family and household structures?
Evaluating consensus explanations
Consensus approaches are useful because they direct attention to:
cooperation
shared expectations
social order.
However, they may be questioned if they give insufficient attention to:
inequality
power differences
conflicting interests.
A good evaluation therefore asks whether an interpretation of the family as a source of social order captures the experiences of all members equally.
Evaluating conflict explanations
Conflict approaches are useful because they draw attention to:
inequalities
power
differences in interests.
However, an explanation focused only on conflict may understate:
cooperation
shared interests
the possibility of agreement within family relationships.
This is why comparison matters. Sociology involves evaluating competing interpretations rather than assuming one approach explains every aspect of social life.
Building an examination argument đź§
AQA's assessment objectives require students to:
AO1:Â demonstrate knowledge and understanding of sociological theories, concepts and evidence
AO2:Â apply sociological knowledge to issues
AO3:Â analyse and evaluate arguments and draw conclusions.
For this topic, a strong extended answer could therefore develop the following line of argument:
Explain what a structural interpretation of families involves.
Show how family life is connected to wider society.
Develop a consensus interpretation.
Contrast this with a conflict interpretation.
Consider the alternative emphasis of social action approaches.
Evaluate which aspects of the family each approach explains effectively.
Reach a reasoned judgement rather than simply announcing which perspective is "correct".
đź“Ś Exam tip:Â Comparison is strongest when it happens throughout the answer. Do not write several disconnected descriptions and leave all comparison until the conclusion.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Social structure | The organised patterns and relationships that make up wider society. | Explain how family life connects with wider society rather than treating families as isolated groups. |
Structural theory | An approach that gives particular importance to wider social structures when explaining social life. | Apply a structural explanation to the family's place in society. |
Social action | An approach emphasising people's actions and the meanings they give to social situations. | Evaluate whether structural explanations give enough attention to individual action. |
Consensus | An interpretation emphasising agreement, shared interests and social order. | Compare consensus and conflict views of family life. |
Conflict | An interpretation emphasising unequal interests, power and divisions within society. | Analyse whether family relationships reflect wider inequalities. |
Power | The capacity to influence relationships, decisions or outcomes. | Examine whether family relationships are equally beneficial to all members. |
Stratification | Structured inequalities between social groups. | Link families to AQA's core theme of social differentiation, power and stratification. |
Social change | Change in patterns and relationships within society over time. | Explain why the relationship between families and social structure may not remain constant. |
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Treating the family as separate from wider society
Why this is incorrect: The specification explicitly requires students to examine the relationship between the family and social structure. Family life therefore needs to be connected to wider social processes and institutions.
How to improve: When explaining a family issue, ask: What feature of wider society might this be related to?
Mistake: Using "structural" and "consensus" as if they mean the same thing
Why this is incorrect: They describe different aspects of sociological explanation. A structural approach focuses on the significance of wider social structures. A consensus approach focuses on agreement and social order.
How to improve:
Keep the two debates separate:
structure versus social action
consensus versus conflict.
Mistake: Assuming a structural explanation means individuals have no choices
Why this is incorrect: The specification requires students to understand both social structure and social action. A structural explanation emphasises social influences, but evaluation can consider how individuals interpret and respond to these circumstances.
How to improve: Use phrases such as:
"This explanation emphasises structural constraints, although a social action approach would give greater importance to individual meanings and actions."
Mistake: Assuming all sociologists see the family positively
Why this is incorrect: AQA requires students to understand both consensus and conflict. Conflict interpretations draw attention to power and inequality.
How to improve: When discussing social order or cooperation, consider whether all family members benefit equally.
Mistake: Assuming all family relationships are based on conflict
Why this is incorrect: This simply reverses the previous mistake. Consensus and conflict offer competing interpretations, and neither should automatically be treated as applying equally to every aspect of family life.
How to improve: Evaluate the circumstances or aspects of family life that each perspective explains most effectively.
Mistake: Describing perspectives without comparing them
Why this is incorrect: The learning objective requires comparison. Separate descriptions demonstrate knowledge, but comparison shows the relationship between explanations.
How to improve:
Use explicit comparative language:
"In contrast..."
"Whereas..."
"Both approaches..."
"The key difference is..."
"This challenges the view that..."
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Questions
1. Which one of the following approaches gives particular importance to the influence of wider social structures on family life?
A. Social action
B. Structural
C. Individual
D. Personal
[1 mark]
2. Define the term social structure.
[2 marks]
3. Explain one difference between a consensus interpretation and a conflict interpretation of family life.
[4 marks]
4. Explain two ways in which the study of families can be linked to wider social structure.
[6 marks]
5. Read Item A and answer the question that follows.
Item A
Some sociologists argue that patterns of family life cannot be understood simply by examining the choices made by individual family members. They argue that families exist within wider economic, political and social arrangements. Other sociologists give greater importance to the meanings individuals attach to their relationships and the choices they make within particular circumstances.
Using material from Item A, analyse two differences between structural and social action explanations of family life.
[10 marks]
6. Read Item B and answer the question that follows.
Item B
One sociological interpretation emphasises cooperation, shared expectations and social order when examining the family's relationship with wider society. Another interpretation argues that family relationships should also be examined in relation to unequal power and different interests.
Using material from Item B and your knowledge, analyse two differences between consensus and conflict interpretations of the family.
[10 marks]
7. Explain two reasons why broad claims about "the family" may need to be evaluated carefully.
[6 marks]
8. Evaluate the view that family life is mainly shaped by wider social structures.
[20 marks]
Answers and indicative mark scheme
Question 1
Answer: B. Structural
Award 1 mark for identifying the structural approach.
Question 2
Award up to 2 marks for an answer that recognises:
social structure refers to organised or relatively stable patterns and relationships in society
these provide the wider social context within which individuals and families live.
Question 3
Award up to 4 marks for a developed difference.
Indicative content:
A consensus interpretation emphasises agreement, shared expectations and social order.
A conflict interpretation emphasises inequalities, power and differences of interest.
The contrast should be explicitly applied to family life.
A stronger response makes the comparison directly rather than giving two unrelated definitions.
Question 4
Award up to 3 marks for each developed way.
Indicative content may include:
family life exists within wider economic arrangements
state policies may influence the circumstances of family life
family arrangements may change alongside wider social change
family life can be examined in relation to social differentiation, power and stratification
family relationships connect with wider issues of socialisation, culture and identity.
Answers should explain the connection rather than simply list two areas.
Question 5
A strong response should use Item A directly.
Indicative content:
Structural approach
Gives importance to wider social arrangements.
Family life is understood in relation to the wider organisation of society.
The Item identifies economic, political and social arrangements.
Social action approach
Gives greater importance to individual meanings and actions.
Family members are not treated simply as passive products of social structure.
The Item refers to choices and meanings within particular circumstances.
Analysis
Strong answers explain that the approaches differ primarily in the relative importance they give to structure and action, while recognising that individual choices may still occur within wider social conditions.
Question 6
Indicative content:
Consensus
Emphasises cooperation.
Gives importance to shared expectations.
Examines social order.
Item B explicitly presents these ideas.
Conflict
Emphasises inequalities.
Examines power.
Questions whether family members necessarily share identical interests.
Item B refers directly to unequal power and different interests.
Higher-level answers should compare the interpretations throughout rather than writing one paragraph on each with no connection between them.
Question 7
Award up to 3 marks for each developed reason.
Possible answers include:
Contemporary families and households are diverse, so a general claim may not apply equally to every arrangement.
Individual family members may experience the same relationship differently because power and interests can differ.
Family arrangements may change alongside wider social change, so explanations should not automatically be treated as timeless.
A structural explanation may overlook individual social action if it presents family members as completely shaped by wider society.
Question 8
A strong response should demonstrate knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation.
Indicative AO1 content
Students may explain:
social structure
structural explanations
the relationship between family life and wider society
consensus interpretations
conflict interpretations
social action
social change
links with power and stratification.
Indicative analysis and evaluation
A developed argument could consider:
Structural explanations are useful because families exist within wider social conditions rather than in isolation.
The specification itself identifies the economy and state policies as important aspects of the relationship between family and social structure.
Consensus interpretations draw attention to social order and cooperation.
Conflict interpretations challenge the assumption that family arrangements benefit all members equally.
Structural approaches may underestimate the ability of individuals to interpret and respond to their circumstances.
Social action approaches provide a useful alternative by giving greater importance to meanings and actions.
Very broad structural claims may not adequately account for diversity among contemporary families and households.
Neither structure nor action alone necessarily provides a complete explanation.
Judgement
A well-supported conclusion might argue that wider social structures are important for understanding family life because they provide the context within which relationships occur. However, explaining families entirely through structure risks overlooking individual meanings, actions and differences between family experiences. A stronger sociological account therefore considers both wider structural influences and the actions of individuals.
Once you can confidently compare these perspectives, the most useful next step is how changing social conditions affect families [Families, social change and the economy].
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