1 / 7

The Sociology of the Family

The Sociology of the Family. What is a “Family”?. An institution for breeding and raising kids? Any group of persons with ties of kinship, ie, blood or marriage? Any household comprising interdependent residents?

sanjiv
Download Presentation

The Sociology of the Family

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Sociology of the Family

  2. What is a “Family”? • An institution for breeding and raising kids? • Any group of persons with ties of kinship, ie, blood or marriage? • Any household comprising interdependent residents? • Any group or couple in which members provide for or rely on others financially, emotionally or both? • Overall, “family” is a RHETORICAL term- it does not refer to a concrete phenomenon.

  3. Some Myths about “Traditional” Families • The myth of the 1950s: The family of the 1950s did not resemble that which came after OR PRECEDED it. • The myth of the multi-generational family: It was rare. • The myth of the nuclear family as “typical”: Only 15% of Canadian households fit the purest definition.

  4. The Functionalist View of Family • “Families” evolve to serve social functions • The definition of “family” will change as the needs of the larger society changes • Contrary to some criticisms, the functionalist perspective is not inherently conservative as it accepts that society can accommodate new family forms

  5. The Family Ecology Perspective • “Families” are the smallest in a set of nested spheres that define human social ecology • Families are influenced by and impact on the rest of those spheres • The other spheres are the built environment, the social environment, and the natural environment • The ecological perspective emphasizes practical work to better the various aspects of the family’s environment.

  6. The Developmental Perspective • Families, like individuals, have a “life cycle” • Stages are defined by: • The addition or subtraction of members • The stages of life of the family’s children • Changes in the members’ attachment to social institutions, like school or work

  7. Conflict and Feminist Perspectives • Conflict and feminist perspectives seek to confront and end oppression, particularly oppression of women, in families and family-related policies • These goals include changing policies that harm female-led households, fighting domestic violence, recognizing the validity of unpaid labour, and pushing for legal recognition of same-sex couples. • Like the ecological perspective, this perspective is emphatic about performing real advocacy, not only academic theorizing.

More Related