Sociology of the family

Family In Sociology, we organize our groups into families. The term “family” is different in other areas and cultures across the world. For instance, here in America most families believe in having one partner, a husband and a wife. In other cultures across the globe, it is more common for men to have more than one wife. This is referred to as polygyny, or women who have more than one husband, which is called polyandry. Here in America it is also more common for a woman to be married before she gives birth, and at that the person she marries would be the father of her child. In some cultures you have to have a child before you get married, and when you do get married the person you marry cannot be the father of the child. Such remarkable variety…

A group of related people including people who lived in the past. This is the definition of family according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. The strange thing about the definition of family it can mean many different things to different people. Some people think that a friend can be family, where others believe that family must be blood relatives, and share the same heritage. In this chapter in sociology, as a class we discussed all the different names and types of families. Ranging from…

and Families: Diversity and Change by Mary Ann Schwartz and BarBara Marliene Scott, it is established that sociology examines society at the Micro and Macro level phenomena. Microsociology looks at a small group within the larger society. It is small scale and centers around individual interactions. Where as, macrosociology is large scale and focuses on society as a whole. This paper will further describe the interactions that occur inside of a family and how the family as a social institution…

By studying the aspects that influence the structure of the family, it becomes evident that the term family is interpreted differently based on the varying social stratifications that is experienced by the individual. The social stratifications of gender/sex, race/ethnicity, social class, and age are important in their ability to analyze the family structure. These factors impact the experiences of the minority groups of Hispanics, Muslims, and Asians in the United States. By comparing and…

The nuclear family in television consists of a mom, dad, and three kids. They live in a suburban community, with other heterosexual families as neighbors. The father works to provide for the family, while the mom stays at home with the kids or occasionally works. Their lives revolve around school, work, and home, places that define a certain characteristic of each member of the family. However, sitcom families spend most of their time at home. The house idealizes the concept of a big suburban…

Each and every family is unique in their own way. Families consist of different races that may practice different religions, a conflictive understanding of gender roles, and a differing socioeconomic status. They are often constructed of mothers, fathers, and siblings with extended families of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Families are a group of individuals who can be bound by the relation of blood, marriage, legal relations, emotional ties or biological connections(Coontz 36).…

Family Guy is the show I have picked for my final. This show is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth Macfarlane and is based off stereotypes and negative depictions of almost every aspect of life. It is centered on the griffin family that consists of the parents, Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their talking dog, Brain. The Griffin’s are a model family but each member is complex, different, and yet noticeable individual. The whole show resides in Quahog,…

The family is considered to an important part of society by most sociologists. The family is said to be a close domestic group comprised of people related to one another by bonds of blood, sexual mating, or legal ties. The family has adapted over time and there are many different forms of families. The patriarchal family is one of the many types of families that exist in society today. It is a form of the family ‘where the male figure is considered the head’. Some sociologist argue that women…

Before I can touch upon rap and its hyper masculine message, first I have to give some cultural context as to why rappers rap about the things they have claimed to experience. This started because of the decimation of the black family. Throughout history especially during the slave trade black family have been broken up whether on the selling block when mothers and fathers would be separated from their children by slave masters. To present day when a father is sent to jail away from his family…

The term ‘symmetrical family’ refers to the idea that gender roles have become exactly that; symmetrical. That with time & equality between the sexes (referred to as the ‘march of progress’), the responsibilities that the genders previously held, have now been spread out evenly. Many sociologists have looked at this theory, each with different & often conflicting views. I will explore each aspect of the term ‘symmetrical family’ & the different perspectives that sociologists have. But to do this…