Chapter 12

The Family

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Family

Family- a relatively permanent group of people connected by blood, marriage, or adoption that live together and share social and economic responsibilities.› Types of families

Nuclear Extended Orientation Procreation

Types of Families

Nuclear-composed of one or two parents and their children

Extended-composed of three or more generations

Family of orientation- the family in which one is born into or adopted into

Family of procreation- the family that one creates through marriage

Kinship-a network of individuals related through common ancestry, marriage, or adoption.

How does a family tree portray a kinship system?

Marriage

A legal union that involves a man and a woman as husband and wife

What is the difference between marriage and cohabitation?

Marriage Patterns

Homogamy- marriage between persons with similar characteristics?

Heterogamy- marriage between persons with different characteristics

What is endogamy? What about exogamy?

Patterns cont.

Monogamy- marriage to one person at a time

Serial monogamy- succession of marriage and divorces involving one spouse at a time

Polygamy-marriage to more than one person at a time

Polygamy

Two types of Polygamy: Polygyny-marriage of one male to two

or more females. (Ex. Sister wives, Big Love)

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/sister-wives-time-divided-between-four-wives.html

Polyandry- marriage of one female to two or more males (ex. Tibetan women can marry more than one man at a time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4yjrDSvze0

Residential Patterns

Patrilocal- married couple lives with or near the husband’s family

Matrilocal-married couple lives with or near the wife’s family

Neolocal- married couple lives apart from parents of both spouses

Everybody Loves Raymond

Bewitched

Patterns of Descent

Patrilineal- tracing kinship through males

Matrilineal- tracing kinship through females

Bilateral- tracing kinship through both males and females

Patterns of Authority

Patriarchy-men dominate the family Matriarchy-women dominate the family Egalitarian- men and women share

authority

Types of Marriages

Conflict-habituated: Unresolved conflict and tension are the norm

Devitalized: marriage has lost its zest, liveliness or excitement

Passive-congenial: utilitarian in nature, emphasizes practicality rather than emotional closeness

Vital: marriages that are full of life, enjoyment and happiness

Types of Marriages cont.

Total- multifaceted marriages, all important aspects are included

Static- follows traditional marriage roles with little or no room for change

Flexible- allows spouses to negotiate and talk about expectations concerning relationship

Family Types

Single-parent family: composed of one parent and children

Blended family: a family created from previous divorces or separations experienced by one or both spouses

Functions of the family

Regulation of sexual activity: all societies regulate the sexual activities of their members to some degree. › Incest Taboo- norm forbidding sexual

relationships or marriage between certain relatives.

Reproduction- to survive societies must replace members who die or move away.

Functions cont.

Socialization- children must be taught the ways of the society into which they were born

Economic and emotional security- the family acts as the basic economic unit in society.

Family Disruption

Family Violence› 3.2 million cases of neglect or physical

abuse against children in 1999› 1998 1 million crimes of violence were

committed against people by intimate partners

Divorce› 19.8 million Americans over the age of 19

who are divorced › The number of divorces is 42% and is the

highest in the world.

Who is at risk for divorce?

Young spouses, who have a brief courtship, fewer financial resources and less emotional maturity

People of lower social position due to financial strains

The risk of divorce rises for all social classes if an unexpected pregnancy or substance abuse problem is involved

Risk for divorce cont.

People who are non-religious Two-career marriages due to career

related strains and financially independent women

People who have experienced divorce already

Trends in American Family Life

Delayed Marriage Delayed Childbearing Childlessness Dual-Earner Marriages One Parent Families Remarriage

Sociological Theories

Structural-functionalism: suggests that the family performs various tasks that contribute to the stability of society

Conflict: suggests that the family perpetuates social inequality

Symbolic interactionism: focuses on how individuals shape and experience family life on a daily basis