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The Family

The Family. Sociology. Lesson Outline. What is the Family? Diversity in Families Sociological Perspectives on the family Homogamy and Propinquity Doing the work of the family Family and the life course Trouble in families Divorce and break-up Trends in American families

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The Family

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  1. The Family Sociology

  2. Lesson Outline • What is the Family? • Diversity in Families • Sociological Perspectives on the family • Homogamyand Propinquity • Doing the work of the family • Family and the life course • Trouble in families • Divorce and break-up • Trends in American families • The postmodern family Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  3. What is a Family? Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  4. What is a Family? The U.S. Census Bureau defines family as two or more individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living in the same household. According to sociologists, family is defined as a social group whose members are bound by legal, biological, or emotional ties, or a combination of all three. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  5. What is the Family? (cont’d) An extended family is a large group of relatives, usually including at least three generations living either in one household or in close proximity. Kinis defined as relatives or relations, usually those related by common descent. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  6. What is the Family? (cont’d) A nuclear family is a familial form consisting of a father, mother and their biological children. How common is this family type now? Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  7. Diversity in Families Endogamy refers to marriage to someone within one’s social group (race, ethnicity, class, education, religion, region, or nationality). Exogamyrefers to marriage to someone from a different social group. Which type is more common? Why? Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  8. Diversity in Families (cont’d) From the time of slavery through the 1960s, many states had antimiscegenation laws (the prohibition of interracial marriage, cohabitation, or sexual interaction). Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  9. Diversity in Families (cont’d) Monogamy, the practice of marrying (or being in a relationship with) one person at a time, is still considered the only legal form of marriage in modern western culture. Polygamy, a system of marriage that allows people to have more than one spouse at a time, is practiced among some subcultures around the world, but is not widely acknowledged as a legitimate form of marriage. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  10. Diversity in Families (cont’d) The more common form of polygamy is polygyny, which a system of marriage that allows men to have multiple wives. Polyandry, a system of marriage that allows women to have multiple husbands, is a more rare form of polygamy. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  11. Sociological Perspectives on the Family Structural Functionalism views the family as one of the basic institutions that keeps society running smoothly by providing functions such as producing and socializing children, economic production, instrumental and emotional support, and sexual control. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  12. Sociological Perspectives on the Family (cont’d) Conflict theorists believe that society revolves around conflict over scarce resources, and that conflict within the family is also about the competition for resources: time, energy, and the leisure to pursue recreational activities. Inequality begins at home Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  13. Sociological Perspectives on the Family (cont’d) Symbolic Interactionists examine the types of social dynamics and interactions that create and sustain families, emphasizing the ways that our experiences of family bonds are socially created rather than naturally existing. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  14. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  15. Forming Relationships, Selecting Mates The process of selecting mates is largely determined by society Two concepts (homogamy and propinquity) tell us a lot about how this process works. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  16. Forming Relationships, Selecting Mates (cont’d) Homogamy means “like marries like,” and is demonstrated by the fact that we tend to choose mates who are similar to us in: class, race, ethnicity, age, religion, education, and even levels of attractiveness. Propinquityis the tendency to marry or have relationships with people in close geographic proximity. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  17. Doing the Work of Family Many types of work (both paid and unpaid) are necessary to keep a family operating. These tasks can be either instrumental or expressive. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  18. Doing the Work of Family (cont’d) Instrumental tasks refer to the practical physical tasks necessary to maintain family life (washing dishes and cutting grass). Expressive tasks refer to the emotional work necessary to support family members (remembering a relative’s birthday or playing with the kids). Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  19. Doing the Work of Family (cont’d) Men and women have always performed different roles to ensure the survival of their families, but these roles were not considered unequal until after the Industrial Revolution. Work started taking place outside of the home, for a paid wage. As a result, the kind of work that became valuable was the kind that happened outside of the home. This is when “housework” became unvalued, because it was not associated with a wage. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  20. Doing the Work of Family (cont’d) Women nowadays have two jobs: paid labor outside the home and unpaid labor inside the home. Second shift (unpaid labor inside the home that is often expected of women after they get home from working at paid labor outside the home). Many women juggle full-time jobs with caring for their children and running their home with little help from their spouses. According to Arlie Hochschild, what are the consequences of the supermom strategy? Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  21. Trends in Housework since 1900 Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  22. Eat Dinner at Home or Eat Out? Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  23. Family and the Life Course (cont’d) Life expectancy is increasing. What is happening to the elderly population? About 10% of the elderly live below the poverty line. Care of the elderly is no longer a primary function of family: over 40% of senior citizens will spend time in a nursing home. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  24. Trouble in Families Domestic violence is by far the most common form of family violence. It includes behaviors abusers use to gain and maintain power over their victims. Abuse can be: Physical Verbal Financial Sexual Psychological Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  25. Trouble in Families (cont’d) Rates of domestic violence are about equal across racial and ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and religious groups. People are more likely to be killed or attacked by family members than anyone else. 5.9 out of every 1,000 and 2.1 out of every 1,000 men experience domestic violence 60% of offenses occur between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the victim’s home In 2005, 1,181 women and 329 men were killed by their intimate partners Domestic violence calls are the single largest category of calls to the police Only a very small number of domestic violence incidents are reported to the police - National Institute of Justice Special Report June 2009 Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  26. Divorce and Breakups As of March 2002, the U.S. Census reported that more than 123 million persons were married while about 21 million were divorced. Research indicates that about 50 percent of all first marriages now end in divorce and most who divorce remarry. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  27. U.S. Divorce Rate Over the Past Century Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  28. Single Parenthood Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  29. 2010: 45% of 25 to 35 year olds are married • 2000: 55% • 1960: 80% • Why: • Education • Cohabitation • All Things Considered Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  30. Trends in American Families About 5% of all households are occupied by couples who are cohabitating (living together as a romantically involved, unmarried couple). Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  31. Cohabitation in the United States Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  32. Trends in American Families (cont’d) Increases in the numbers of: Single people. People who are cohabitating Single parents People who are living in intentional communities (any of a variety of groups who form communal living arrangements outside marriage). Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  33. The Postmodern Family Families adapting to the challenges of a postmodern society may create family structures that look very different from the “traditional” family and can include ex-spouses, new partners and children, other kin, and even non-kin such as friends and coworkers. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

  34. Take Away Points: • The family too is socially constructed. • Its form and structure reflects the society and culture it emerges out of. • Who we marry is largely structured by society. • The Family as an institution is undergoing fundamental change. Introduction to Sociology: Life at Home

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