Sociology Ch 13 The Family

Front 1

Explain variations in family patterns according to the following:

a/ marriage
b/ residence
c/ descent
d/ authority

Back 1

MARRIAGE:
"Endogamy" is marriage between people of the same social category
"Exogamy" is marriage between people of different social categories
example: in rural India, it is expected that one marry within the same caste (endogamy) but from a different village (exogamy)

Monogamy, polygamy and polyandry (one woman + more than one man)

RESIDENCE:
"patrilocality" means that a married couple lives close to the husband's family
"matrilocality" means that a married couple lives near the wife's family
"neolocality" means that couples live apart from both parents

DESCENT is the system by which members of a society trace kinship over generations.
"Patrilinear" is descent traced through the father's side and father passes properties to sons (think pastoral and agrarian societies)
"Matrilinear" is descent traced through the mother's side and property passes from mother to daughters (think horticultural where women are the main producers).
"Bilateral descent" mostly industrialized countries with greater gender equality trace family through both sides.

AUTHORITY: polygamy, patrolocality and patrilinear are more common worldwide and therefore reflect the global pattern of patriarchy.

*NOTE: Although in industrialized societies such as the US still have men as head of households and children taking on the father's name, more egalitarian families are evolving especially with so many women in the workforce

Front 2

The "functional school" emphasizes which functions served by the family?

According to the structural-functional approach, the family performs many vital tasks. For this reason, the "family" is regarded as the backbone of society.

Back 2

Socialization: the family is the first and most important setting for child rearing. It is the role of parents to help children develop into well-integrated and contributing members of society.

Regulation of sexual activity: every culture regulates sexual activity in the interest of maintaining kinship organization and property rights. (incest is obviously a taboo)

Social Placement: families help maintain social order in that parents pass down their own social identities to their children (race, ethnicity, religion, social class)

Material and emotional security: many people view families as "safe havens" in a heartless world.. Families offer physical protection as well as emotional and financial support. Research shows that people living in families tend to be happier, healthier and wealthier than people living alone.

Front 3

The conflict school emphasizes the inequality of family patterns. Please explain.

The social-conflict (and feminist) approach considers the family central to our way of way life BUT instead of focusing on ways that kinship benefits society, social-conflict points out how families perpetuate social inequality. The family plays a role in social stratification.

**however families may be linked to social inequality families carry out important societal functions that cannot be easily accomplished by other means.

Back 3

Property and inheritance:
Especially within higher classes, the need to identify heirs and hand down property to their sons. Families, therefore, concentrate wealth and reproduce the class structure in each new generation.

Patriarchy:
Feminists link the family back to patriarchy. To know their heirs, men control the sexuality of women. Families, therefore, transform women into the sexual and economic property of men. A century ago, most wives' earnings belonged to their husbands. Today, women still bear most of the responsibilities of child-rearing and housework.

Race and Ethnicity:
Race and ethnic categories persist over generations only to the degree tat people marry others like themselves. Endogamous marriage supports racial and ethnic inequality.

Front 4

"Our culture celebrates romantic love". Please explain the statement and compare to patterns in other societies such as India and Sri Lanka.

Back 4

Love marriages: Romantic love, which is celebrated in our society, is based on affection and sexual attraction toward another person. We find it very hard to imagine a marriage not based on romantic love. One only has to look at popular culture, TV and fairytales such as Cinderella. Love is the key to marriage in our society. BUT because feelings can change, perhaps romantic love provides a less than stable foundation for marriage than let's say social and economic considerations. (note high divorce rate in US). But society "arranges" marriages by encouraging homogamy (marriage between people with the same social characteristics).

Arranged marriages: In rural Sri Lanka, like many lower income countries, most people consider marriage too important to be left to the young and arranged marriages are common. An arranged marriage is an alliance between 2 extended families of similar social standing and usually involve not only an exchange of children but wealth and favors as well.

*Industrialization both erodes the importance of the extended family and weakens traditions.

Front 5

Please read Box story "Early to Wed" and summarize.

Back 5

(p374) In this excerpt we learn that an 18 month old baby is being wed to a 7 year old boy. Although child weddings are illegal in India this story is about one such illegal wedding. Why? A social worker explains that most female children are married off before their menstrual cycle begins so that these poorer families don't have to continue to care for them. Apparently, the younger the bride the smaller the dowry her family must offer the groom's family. Also, no questions of virginity. Clearly no one involved is thinking that love is of any importance in a marriage.

Front 6

On p 375 "Industrialization transforms children - economically speaking - from an asset to a liability". Please explain and would this influence your decision about how many children to have?

Back 6

In preindustrialized societies having many children pays off because children supply needed labor. However, industrialization has (economically speaking) transformed children from an asset to a liability. It now costs middle class parents over $300K to raise a child! No wonder fewer couples want more than 2-3 children.

Because parenting is so expensive nowadays many couples are delaying childbirth or even decide to remain childless. '

The need for income to support a family often requires both parents to work. When both parents work the children have to "fend for themselves" after school let out - they are known as latchkey kids. Traditionalists claim that mothers work at the expense of their children. Progressives say that such criticisms are unfair to blame the mothers who are only seeking the same opportunities as men.

Who cares for the young children while mom is at work?
approx 25% by a parent
approx 25% by a relative
approx 25% by daycare
remainder is other (friend, nanny, etc)

Front 7

Mancionis notes that many Latinos and African American families face economic disadvantages that make stable family ties difficult. What are the facts?

Dimensions of inequality (social class, ethnicity, race and gender) are powerful forces that shape marriage and family life.

Back 7

American Indian
Mancionis notes that American Indian family types are diverse and, therefore, can even lead to "fluid households". When migrating to cities, they seek out tribal members and may stay with them until they have a firmer footing. Amongst long income people this is very common. **For those who stay on the reservation, things can get difficult because of the lack of jobs which leads to unstable marriages, alcoholism and drug abuse.

Latino:
Many latino families enjoy the support of extended family. Parents usually exert greater control over children's courtship because they consider marriage as an alliance (not just a union based on romantic love). Latino families tend to be more conventional and lead toward the machismo male role. However, in newer immigrant families it can be noted that families are now smaller, less connected to their extended families in the motherland and men have less power. **Many latino families are quite poor with the average income being $40K. Hispanic families suffer stress from poverty and unemployment.

African American: biggest problem is poverty. A black family is more than 3x more likely to be poor than non-hispanic whites. This poverty means there is more chance that the parent is unemployed, living in poor conditions and is in poor health. Thus, maintaining a stable family is difficult. African American women tend to have a higher rate of being a single parent.

Ethnicity vs race: French and Irish more ok but race has be more difficult to overcome. only 4% of marriages are mixed race. As people marry older, less input from parents mixed race more ok. More mixed race couples on the West Coast, AK and HI.

Gender: married women are less happy, have poorer mental health, and are more passive toward life than single women. Married men tend to be healthier (mentally and physically) and happier than single men.

Front 8

The US has the highest divorce rate in the world. Please explain.

Back 8

The US has the highest divorce rate in the world. 4 out of 10 marriages, 6 out of 10 if you are African American.

Individualism on the rise: Today's family members spend increasingly less time together. People are more interested in their own personal happiness and earning money than they are about the happiness and well-being of their parents and children.

Romantic love fades: Because most marriages in our culture are based on romantic love, many relationships fails as sexual passion fizzes away.

Women are less dependent on men: Women are increasingly participating in the workforce and this has reduced wives' dependency on their husbands. Therefore, it is easier to leave unhappy marriages.

Many of today's marriages are stressful: With many couples both working outside the home, people have less time and energy for family life. This makes caring for children very difficult. Most divorces occur during the earlier years of marriage when couples have young children.

Divorce has become socially acceptable. Divorce no longer carries the stigma it did decades ago.

Divorces are easy to obtain legally now: In the past divorces were very difficult to support legally - they are extremely easy to get today.

Greatest risk of divorce: Young couples who marry after brief courtship with little money and emotional maturity. Unexpected pregnancy. Substance abuse. Non-religious couples. People who come from divorced parents. Also, 2 people who both have very successful careers.

Front 9

One sociologist referred to the family as the most violent group in society. What is the problem?

Back 9

The disturbing reality in many homes is the presence of family violence (emotional, physical or sexual abuse).

Violence against women: Although family violence often goes unreported it has been estimated that there are over 500,000 people who are victims of domestic violence every year. 35% of women who are victims of homicide are killed by a spouse, partner or ex. A woman is more likely to be hurt by someone she knows than a stranger.

Historically, women were defined as their husband's property but that is thankfully no longer the case. Today all states have marital rape laws and stalking laws.

Violence against children: Over 3.5 million cases of child abuse or neglect are reported every year. Researchers find that most abusers have been abused themselves. "violence begets violence"

Front 10

Explain the facts and significance of the rise of one-parent families in the US.

Back 10

30% of families with children under 18 yrs are actually 1 parent households. 85% of single parent families are headed by a single mother.

Single parenthood puts women at risk for poverty because she is limited in her ability work and further her education. Also, being born into poverty increases the likelihood that a woman will be a single parent.

The number of unmarried women in their 20, 30 and 40 having children is increasing.

In the US, the rise of single parenting is tied to the declining role of fathers and the importance of grandmothers.

Children of single parent families are at risk for being poorer, less educated and end up with lower income as an adult.

Front 11

What are the facts about gay and lesbian couples?

Back 11

In 1989, Denmark was the first country to permit registered partnerships with the same benefits of marriage same-sex couples. 7 countries only have extended marriage in name and practice i- the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Spain and S Africa

Here in the US, Mass was the first to legalize gay marriage with Vermont and CT and NH and DC following suit. NJ, CA, NV permit same-sex unions with nearly all the rights of marriage.

However, 30 states recognize that marriage is between a man and a woman and have laws stating such.

There is increasing public support to legalize gay marriage.