Deck 16: The Crystal Ballpredicting the Future of the Family

Question 1

What is a dependency ratio?

A) a way of comparing dependants to providers in the workforce
B) the ratio of children to adults in a Canadian household
C) a ratio of debt to income
D) the ratio between private pensions and government-funded pensions

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to the text,what will probably happen to the socialization of children in the coming years?

A) It will be managed more firmly by parents.
B) It will be left almost entirely to the media.
C) It will be less strongly under parents' control,
D) It will be more reliant on grandparents and other kin.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the text,what is the result of more women are working outside the home?

A) There is increasing role flexibility between the sexes.
B) The breadwinner husband is increasing in popularity.
C) Marriages are more stable because spouses are equal partners.
D) Couples can afford to support more children.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What dilemma may be posed by the need of the elderly for more care as they age?

A) more nursing homes versus more home care services
B) more working women versus hiring more home help aides
C) more nursing homes versus higher taxes to pay for them
D) higher taxes versus increased service levels

Question 5

Which of the following is probably NOT a reason that the Canadian population is becoming older?

A) The baby-boom generation is reaching retirement age.
B) The birthrate will no longer replace the population.
C) Many members of Generation X are dying of AIDS.
D) Advances in medical technology are prolonging life.

Question 6

In the 1940s and 1950s,forecasters predicted that by the year 2000 there would be

A) a huge increase in the death rate
B) overnight regular mail service to all parts of the country
C) a robot in every home to do the housework
D) a chicken in every pot

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a change from past marriage patterns?

A) More couples are cohabiting instead of marrying.
B) More same-sex couples are being legally married.
C) Divorce and remarriage have become more common.
D) More women are bearing children within marriage.

Question 8

Which is likely to be true of young people in Canada in the coming years?

A) They will likely get jobs and get married earlier.
B) They will likely continue to live with their parents.
C) They will likely decide to have more children than in the past.
D) They will be more likely to live in same-sex partnerships.

Question 9

What is the fastest-growing age group in Canada?

A) 40- to 50-year-olds
B) 60- to 70-year-olds
C) 50- to 60-year-olds
D) those 85 and older

Question 10

According to the text,what do advances in technology raise concerns about?

A) practical effects of having a robot in every home
B) the ethics of experimentation on human embryos
C) the ethics of using communications technology
D) the elimination of the homemaker's role

Question 11

Which of the following is TRUE of dependency ratios in Canada today?

A) They are higher than ever.
B) Reducing the number of new immigrants will offset high ratios.
C) Spending in education will drive up ratios.
D) They are rising as baby boomers retire.

Question 12

Many seniors,especially the younger ones,are paying much of their own way by means of private pensions,the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans,and savings.According to the text,why might this situation not continue into the future?

A) Younger people are uninterested in saving for their retirement.
B) The job market for young people is insecure and often not well paid.
C) Families will be unable to provide personal care for elderly relatives.
D) Seniors do not pay their fair share of taxes.

Question 13

Immigration patterns have changed since 1967.Where do many more people now come from?

A) Great Britain
B) Europe
C) Asia
D) Pacific islands

Question 14

Which group has experienced the greatest increase in people living alone?

A) older women because of improved pensions
B) older men because they tend to outlive their wives
C) young men who have moved out of the emptying nest
D) young women who delay marriage even though they are parents

Question 15

According to the text,what is one way of predicting the future of the family?

A) Consider current trends that might continue.
B) Take account of future economic downturns.
C) Look at future government social and economic policies.
D) Allow for coming immigration policies.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of the multi-generation extended family?

A) Family history and traditions are passed on.
B) More generations know each other than ever before.
C) More demands are placed on younger relatives.
D) There is a greater sense of family continuity.

Question 17

According to the text,what has happened as a result of changes in marriage and childbearing patterns in recent years?

A) More children live in two-parent families than before.
B) Married couples are younger when they have children.
C) There is a decrease in the use of contraceptives and an increase in abortions.
D) More children live in stepfamilies than before.

Question 18

According to the text,how has the traditional family life cycle changed?

A) New stages have been added to reflect new family forms.
B) The social time clock has become more insistent.
C) Social scripts that specify appropriate behaviour have become more rigid.
D) There has been a growing emphasis on family values.

Question 19

There appears to be a basic shift occurring in Canada to a matrilineal from a patrilineal society.This means that kinship is counted through the __________ rather than the ______________.

A) grandparents, parents
B) father, mother
C) partner, parents
D) mother, father

Question 20

According to the text,what is one practical question arising from the aging of the population?

A) How can younger generations keep in touch with grandparents?
B) How will widowed women take care of themselves financially?
C) How can salaries for service jobs, like caring for the elderly, be increased?
D) How will the care seniors be paid for?

Question 21

According to the text,what does the answer to the question,"Will the family survive?" depend on?

A) the divorce rate
B) the definition of "family"
C) the number of employed mothers
D) the degree of alarm in society

Question 22

Briefly explain why it is difficult to predict the future of the family.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT usually considered a benefit of communications technology?

A) The internet facilitates the development of relationships which are less demanding.
B) Electronic media allows parents to work from home.
C) Working parents keep in touch with their children with cell phones.
D) Intimacy can develop rapidly on the internet.

Question 24

Dr.Kerry Daly suggests that we are caught up in negative stories about the family.What belief are these stories linked to?

A) the belief that families are less necessary for a functioning society today than in the past
B) the belief that `traditional` family values are ideal
C) the belief that the family is fragile and declining
D) the belief that individuals are responsible for meeting the intimacy needs of family members

Question 25

According to the text,why is there concern over the effect of communications technology on family relationships?

A) Parents will supervise their children too closely through pagers and cell phones.
B) Parents' willingness to learn about computers will erode children's expertise.
C) Children's expertise may erode parents' authority.
D) Family meetings via videoconferencing are less fulfilling than face-to-face gatherings.

Question 26

According to the text,what will the effect of communications technology depend primarily on?

A) how people make use of it
B) how well parents supervise their children
C) income levels to permit purchase of equipment
D) amount of time spent surfing the Internet

Question 27

According to the text,what is one result of the fact that the family has become the focus of emotional life?

A) a loss of the power nuclear families have on individual lives
B) an increase in divorce when marriages are not emotionally satisfying
C) an increase in public displays of emotions formerly thought to be private
D) the disappearance of the family from our society

Question 28

More children now live in a ______________ family structure than in the past.

Question 29

The ____________________ family has been considered the norm in Canadian society.

Question 30

According to the text,what do changes in eligibility for benefits and the establishment of workfare programs do?

A) increase the expectation that individuals are responsible for themselves
B) place a larger burden on taxpayers because of an increase in payments
C) shift money to wealthier individuals from the deserving poor
D) shift financial responsibility from relatives and close friends to society

Question 31

In spite of many challenges,the norm in our society of ____________________,that is,having one romantic or sexual relationship at a time,remains constant.

Question 32

There appears to be a basic shift to counting kinship through the mother from the earlier ____________________ family organization.

Question 33

More ____________________ of families are alive now than at any other time in history.

Question 34

Canadians can expect the age of the population to ____________________.

Question 35

One of the most profound influences on families is ____________________ technology.

Question 36

Increasingly,homes are developing ____________________ walls; that is,more professionals are able to learn what is going on within them.

Question 37

The increase in the cost of living and high levels of unemployment call for at least two ____________________ if the family is to avoid poverty.

Question 38

According to the text,what has happened to the family throughout history?

A) It has disappeared from time to time.
B) It has gradually become less important.
C) It has shown itself to be extremely adaptable.
D) It has remained basically unchanged.

Question 39

There are so many ____________________ that predicting what the family will be like in 20 years may seem foolish.

Question 40

According to the text,what is one result of government efforts to reduce deficits?

A) encouraging more mothers to place their children in subsidized daycare
B) placing demands on employers to establish flexible work arrangements
C) narrowing the category of family members who are responsible for others
D) placing more responsibility on family members for the physical care of relatives

Question 41

Describe recent changes in government policies regarding social services and explain their importance for families.

Question 42

Briefly state advantages and disadvantages of communications technology for the family.

Question 43

List two areas in which we can expect to see more government control related to the family in Canada.

Question 44

Explain the effects that recent changes in family configuration will have on children.Provide examples to support the points you make.

Question 45

Discuss four factors that will probably influence the future of Canadian families.

Question 46

Explain the impact an aging population will have on social services.

Question 47

Give two ways in which population aging is likely to affect family relationships.

Question 48

Will the family survive? Give your opinion and provide a rationale to support your position.

Question 49

Briefly state how communications technology will probably affect family life.