Answer to Question #246207 in English for Mariam Kawmakli

Question

Many people today believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ family. Families in Canada are very diverse today. How should social scientists study families that are so different?  Consider three questions a social scientist might ask about the family in Canada.

 

Answer 1

Social scientists should be interested in knowing what is a family? A husband, a wife, and two children — maybe even a pet — served as the model for the traditional Canadian family for most of the 20th century. But what about families that deviate from this model, such as a single-parent household or a homosexual couple without children? Should they be considered families as well?

Social scientists might be interested in its impact on a child’s development. How does a child with two working parents perceive gender roles compared to a child raised with a stay-at-home parent?

Another sociologist may explore its effect on family income. Why do so many households today have dual incomes? Has this changed the income of families substantially? How do women’s dual roles in the household and in the wider economy affect their occupational achievements and ability to participate on an equal basis with men in the workforce?