Sociology Chapter 12: Life at Home Families and Relationships
Custody
physical and legal responsibility for children, assigned by a court
Incest
proscribed sexual contact between family members; this is a form of child abuse when it occurs between a child and a caregiver
Kin
relatives or relations, usually those related by common descent
Expressive tasks
the emotional work necessary to support family members (such as remembering a relative's birthday or playing with the children)
Domestic Violence
the most common form of family violence. It includes behaviors abusers use to gain and maintain power over their victims. Abuse can be: Physical Verbal Financial Sexual Psychological
Instrumental tasks
the practical physical tasks necessary to maintain family life (such as washing dishes and cutting grass)
Monogamy
the practice of marrying (or being in a relationship with) one person at a time, is still considered the only legal form of marriage in modern western culture
Antimiscegenation laws
the prohibition of interracial marriage, cohabitation, or sexual interaction
Propinquity
the tendency to marry or have relationships with people in close geographic proximity
Second Shift
unpaid labor inside the home that is often expected of women after they get home from working at paid labor outside the home
Homogamy
"like marries like," and is demonstrated by the fact that we tend to choose mates who are similar to us in class, race, ethnicity, age, religion, education, and even levels of attractiveness
Stage Three
Acute battering and violence occur, lasting for seconds, hours, or even days. The abuser blames the victim.
The Postmodern Family
Families adapting to the challenges of a postmodern society may create family structures that look very different from the "traditional" family and can include ex-spouses, new partners and children, other kin, and even nonkin such as friends and coworkers
Stage One
Relationship seems normal
Stage Four
The abuser apologizes profusely and promises that it will never happen again
Stage Two
The victim "walks on eggshells" to avoid arguments
Endogamy
marriage to someone within one's social group (such as race, ethnicity, class, education, religion, region, or nationality)
Neglect
a form of child abuse in which the caregiver fails to provide adequate nutrition, sufficient clothing or shelter, or hygienic and safe living conditions
A Nuclear Family
a heterosexual couple with one or more children living in a single household
Extended Family
a large group of relatives, usually including at least three generations living either in one household or in close proximity
Family
a social group whose members are bound by legal, biological, or emotional ties, or a combination of all three
Polygyny
a system of marriage that allows men to have multiple wives
Polygamy
a system of marriage that allows people to have more than one spouse at a time, is practiced among some subcultures around the world, but is not widely acknowledged as a legitimate form of marriage
Polyandry
a system of marriage that allows women to have multiple husbands, is a more rare form of polygamy
Conflict theorists
believe that society revolves around conflict over scarce resources, and that conflict within the family is also about the competition for resources: time, energy, and the leisure to pursue recreational activities
Symbolic Interactionists
examine the types of social dynamics and interactions that create and sustain families, emphasizing the ways that our experiences of family bonds are socially created rather than naturally existing
Cohabitating
living together as a romantically involved, unmarried couple
Exogamy
marriage to someone from a different social group
Structural functionalism
views the family as one of the basic institutions that keeps society running smoothly by providing functions such as producing and socializing children, economic production, instrumental and emotional support, and sexual control