Families in Society

1. Families in Society

2. Ten Questions Couples Should Ask (or Wish They Had) Before Marrying Source: New York Times 2006.

3. What Is a Family? • A social unit of some number of people who are linked intimately • Related in some way • Usually living together • Engaging in sex • Having responsibility for rearing children • Functioning as an economic unit

4. What is a Family • Definition of the family: shared genetic heritage, and law, meaning social recognition and affirmation of the bond • Boundaries are clear • Enables tracking of who is related to whom over time

5. Types of Families • Nuclear Family: a social unit composed of a husband, a wife, and their children • Family of orientation: family to which one was born • Family of procreation: a person, spouse, and their children • Blended family: spouses and their children from former marriages live as a single nuclear family • Binuclear family: divorced parents form separate households; children divide their time with each • Extended Family • Composed of two or more generations of kin that functions as an independent social and economic unit

6. Kinship • A network of people who are related by marriage, blood, or social practice or the state of being related to others culturally learned, not necessarily determined by biological ties • Kinship is a means by which societies can socialize children and transmit culture from one generation to the next • Kinship creates complex social bonds

7. Marriage • Two individuals involved in a socially approved relationship • Intimate, mutual long-term obligations • Fulfilled customary ceremonial or legal requirements • Limits on who can marry • A legal tie, determined by state • Who can perform a marriage

8. Types of Marriage • Monogamy: form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married only to each other • Serialmonogamy: when a person has several spouses in his or her lifetime, but only one spouse at a time • Polygamy: when an individual has several husbands or wives simultaneously • Polygyny: marriage of a man to more than one wife at a time • Polyandry: marriage of a woman to more than one husband at the same time

9. Courtship and Mate Selection • Internet is new meeting place • More people marrying later • Endogamy: restriction of mate selection to people within the same group • Exogamy: requires mate selection outside certain groups, usually one’s own family or certain kin • What is the difference between datingand courting?

10. Courtship • The relationship between two people who are preparing for marriage to each other • Endogamy: people marry within their own group • Exogamy: people marry outside of their own group • Propinquity: people meet only when they are not apart • Ethnicity and race: people tend to marry within their own groups • Values: endogamy is reinforced by cultural values

11. Courtship and Mate Selection • What are criteria for a potential mate? • Incesttaboo: social norm common to virtually all societies prohibiting sexual relationships between certain culturally specified relatives • Homogamy: conscious or unconscious tendency to select mate with personal characteristics similar to one’s own

12. Romantic Love • Romantic love an important incentive to marry • Love provides a source of support • Strong commitment to each other An emotional identification between two individuals • Intense • Convinced they cannot live without each other • Not considered important for marriage until 20th century • Other Basis for marriage? • Arranged Marriages ? • Economic Basis • Politicalbasis • Other ??

13. Functions of the Family • What families do for society and for their members • Reproduction • Socialization • Protection • Regulation of sexual behavior • Affection and companionship • Provision of social status

14. Authority Patterns:Who Rules? • Patriarchy: society in which men dominate in family decision making • Matriarchy: society in which women dominate in family decision making • Egalitarianfamily: authority pattern in which spouses are regarded as equals

15. Authority Patterns:Who Rules? • Historically, family has legitimized and perpetuated male dominance • Social class of parents significantly influences children’s socialization • Socioeconomic status of a child’s family will have marked influence on his or her life chances as an adult

16. Marriage and Family • Over 95 percent of U.S. men and women will marry at least once • Our social positions shape our choices when picking partners

17. Percentage of People Ages 20–24Ever Married, Selected Countries Source: United Nations Population Division 2005.

18. Dimensions of Marriage and Family • Residence • Norms related to where married couples should reside • Matrilocal arrangement: kin lives with wife’s mother • Patrilocal arrangement: kin lives with husband’s mother • Neolocal arrangement: kin set up independent household • Bilocal arrangement: each spouse maintains a separate residence

19. Descent The system by which kinship is traced over generations Patrilineal: kinship is traced through male Matrilineal: kinship is traced through female Bilineal: kinship is traced through both sides of the family Power The system by which power is assigned Patriarchy: male has most power Matriarchy: female has most power Matricentric: females have some power Dimensions of Marriage and Family

20. Alternative Family Forms • Serial monogamy • More than one spouse but not at same time • Single parent • Mostly result of divorce • Gay and lesbian • Legal issues debated • Cohabitation • A household without marriage • Independent living • Men or women who live alone

21. Marital Dissolution • Divorce • Dissolution of legal ties that bind a marriage • Legal separation • Couples agree to take up separate residences • Informal separation: one spouse temporarily moves out • Desertion • One spouse leaves the other for a prolonged period of time

22. Explaining Marital Dissolution • Society • Nuclear family is subject to many stresses but has limited resources • Lower social classes more vulnerable • Falling out of love • Passion yields to reality • Women’s changing roles • Less economic dependency

23. Domestic Violence • Amount • 1/5 of women abused • Class differences • Type of violence and reporting patterns • Stay or leave? • Retribution and psychological dependence • Options • Shelters and legal system • Global patterns • National tolerance level • Stress from rapid social change

24. Functionalism and the FamilyThe Family Satisfies Common Social Functions • Socialization • Family is responsible for primary care and early learning • Birth; regulates sexual activity • Choosing mates and perpetuating population • Economic • Assigning assets • Important economic production and consumption unit • Support and comfort • Help with problems • Social placement • Children inherit status and class of parents

25. Family: Conflict Perspective • Power relationships • Men control wealth • Norms require women to do most domestic chores • Perpetuation of social inequality • Family is a model of patriarchy that dominates society

26. Family: Symbolic Interactionism • People construct their own families • No two families are alike • Family is source of major roles and identity • As new roles are learned • New concepts of reality are created