Chapter 3 Answers

FAM 621                                              Ms. Flick                                              Chapter 3 Questions

1-15 Omit #12

1.       Identify four trends that affect families.

Any four: family patterns, aging population, changing workplace, declining family income, dual-income familes, global workplace, life-long education.

2.       Choose three family patterns and describe the trend associated with each one.

·         Single people – number of single person households is growing.

·         Couples – more couples are having children, having fewer children, or no children.

·          nuclear families – fewer than ½ of all families fit this description. Women have entered the workforce.

·          blended families – Many divorced people remarry (with children). More and more blended families.

·          single-parent families –fastest growing household category due to divorce and rise of unwed mothers.

·          extended families –People have drifted away from having their extended families live under one roof, but we are seeing a return to this with adult children returning to live with their parents (with their own children).

3.       Identify three needs or concerns that have arisen from the aging of the population.

·         More medical and health services are needed.

·         Homes may need to be specially equipped.

·         Better transportation services.

·         Support services for elders who live at home

·         Financial support

4.       Define service industries and give two examples of service industry jobs. Name one advantage and one disadvantage of the increase in these jobs.

·         Jobs that involve processing information and providing services to others. Ex: advantages: working from home can be convenient. Disadvantage: working while trying to watch your children can be difficult.

5.       In general, how do women fare in the work place. How can they improve their situation?

·         It is sometimes difficult to earn wages equal to their male counterparts. Education and training can help minimize this gap.

6.       Give three reasons for the trend toward lifelong education.

·         People need retraining when their jobs are eliminated.

·         Some need new skills to enter the workplace.

·         Some people want to move up the career ladder or want to make a career change.

·         Retired people have more time for education.

7.       Give one specific example of how technology is helpful in each of the following areas: convenience, communication, health and medicine, entertainment, and safety.

·         Convenience: meal prep, banking, appliances

·         Communication: telephone, cellphones, email

·         Health and Medicine: better procedures and medicines,

·         Entertainment: computer games, cable

·         Safety: Communication devices, carseats, airbags

8.       Identify three ways in which technology and the pace of technological pace can cause stress for families. How can they handle this problem?

·         Constant decision making, adapting to new products; pressure to buy every new item; trying to understand new equipment. Staying informed, not becoming overly converned with small decisions, weighing advantages of owning each item.

9.       Identify three ways in which technology has made food preparation easier, and two drawbacks to this convenience.

·         Appliances, ready-to-eat meals, microwave ovens.

·         Drawbacks: fast food (high in fat and calories) Convenience allows family members to eat at different times.

10.   Give three examples of how technology has hurt the environment. What is one approach to curing the problem.

·         Chemical wastes enter water, earth, air; garbage fills dump sites; technology uses energy, natural resources. Use technology to cure its own problems.

11.   Give four tips for managing technology.

·         Sense of humor àyour cell phone may lose service, internet will go down.

·         Make time for activities that don’t require technology.

·         Use what you need and don’t worry about the rest.

·         Stay informed.

13.          List three general aspects of society in which an interest in families is shown.

·         Family law (divorce, child support, paternity laws)

·          business and industry (business is realizing they need to accommodate families – new breastfeeding sites at work, flexible hours)

·          community interest (agencies within the community)

14.         Give a description of what strong families do.

·         Identify strengths they have and need, work to develop them; look for ways to cope with problems; try to find solutions; willing to go outside the family for help.

15.          Why does society need strong families?

·         Strong families are a buffer against many of life’s problems. Their strength combines with that of other families to make society strong.