SOCL 311- Chapter 1
ghost/spirit marriage
custom of a marriage where one or both spouses are deceased (#WHAT!!)
conjugal relationships
family relationships created through marriage
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage
household
consists of all the people who occupy a housing unit
What characteristics of gender roles are biologically determined?
-Man's ability to impregnate -Woman's abilities to give birth and produce milk
Commonalities that arise in all marriages:
-Marriage typically establishes rights and obligations connected to gender, sexuality, relationships with kin and in-laws, and legitimacy of children -Marriage establishes specific roles within the wider community and society. It specifies the rights and duties of husbands and wives, as well as of their respective families, to each other and makes such duties and responsibilities enforceable by the wider society -Marriage allows the orderly transfer of wealth and property from one generation to the next -Marriage assigns the responsibility of caring for and socializing children to the spouses or their relatives
family households
those in which at least two members are related by birth, marriage, or adoption
True or False: Researchers do not agree about the impact of divorce on children
False
True or False: There is not widespread agreement about the nature and causes of change in family patterns in the United States
False
True or False: Most families in the United States are not traditional nuclear families.
False Most families in the United States consist of a mother, father, and child(ren)
True or False: Families are not easy to define and count.
False The U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as "a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people are considered as members of one family"
True or False: Although monogamy is the only recognized form of marriage in all cultures, it is not always the preferred form
False Monogamy is the only form of marriage recognized in ALL cultures; however, it is not always the preferred form of marraige
reflection hypothesis
media content reflects the values and ideals of the audience
transgender
people whose gender identities develop and are expressed in ways that differ from what their biological sex would otherwise predict, as well as greater understanding intersects with other social statuses
skeptics
relatively tolerant view of the accepters toward familial change, but do express concern about the potential impact of the trends -in the middle
accepters
see the trends of family change as making no difference to society or as good for society -Most tolerant
marriage
socially and legally recognized union between two people, in which they are united sexually, cooperate economically, and may give birth to, adopt, or rear children
gender
the attitudes and behavior expected of individuals because of the sex category into which they have been assigned, socialized, and/or with which they identify
nuclear family
the basic family building block, consisting of a mother, father, and at least one child; in popular usage, used interchangeably with "traditional family." Some anthropologists argue that the basic nuclear family is the mother and child dyad
Family of orientation
the family in which we grow up, the family that orients us to the world
family of procreation
the family we form through marriage and childbearing
Outside of legal issues, why are plural marriages in the minority
Simple economic reasons: -They are a sign of status that relatively few people can afford -they require wealth that few men possess
Polygamy
the practice of having more than one husband or wife at the same time; plural marriage the most popular form of the polygyny
Polygyny
the practice of having more than one wife at the same time
monogamy
the practice of having only one spouse at one time
polyandry
the practice of having two or more husbands very rare and occurs mostly in poverty
socialization
the shaping of individual behavior to conform to social or cultural norms
kinship system
the social organization of the family based on reciprocal rights and obligations of the different family members
"Modern Family effect"
the successful sitcom's portrayal of the relationship of a gay couple may have helped to influence acceptance of gay marriage in the U.S.
family of cohabitation
to refer to the family we form through living or cohabiting with another person, whether we are married or unmarried
Advantages of living in families:
-Families offer continuity as a result of emotional attachments, rights, and obligations. -Families offer close proximity. -Families offer intimate awareness of others. -Families provide many economic benefits.
modified extended family
extended families in which members share contact, care, and support even though they don't share a residence
consanguineous relationships
family relationships created through biological ties- specifically birth.
Fictive consanguineous relationships
family relationships not created through blood or marriage, but have the same types of ties and obligations (think adoption)
affiliated/fictive kin
unrelated individuals who feel are are treated as if they were relatives
rejecters
tend to see familial changes as bad for society -most intolerant
conservative perspective of families
-believe cultural values have shifted from individual self-sacrifice toward personal self-fulfillment -see today's families as weaker and less effective, especially when it comes to raising and meeting the needs of children -recommend policies to reverse or reduce the extent of these changes
liberal perspective of families
-believe that the changes in family patterns are just changes and should not be viewed as signs of familial decline -see changing familial patterns as products of and adaptations to wider social and economic changes rather than a shift in cultural values -see these changes to lead to a wider range of contemporary household and family types and require greater tolerance of such diversity -family policies are often tied to the economic well-being of families
Major themes of the text
-families are dynamic -families are diverse -outside influences on family experience -interdependence of families and the wider society
Four function as ways families contribute to social stability as well as to societal and individual well-being
-provide a source of intimate relationships -act as units of economic cooperation and consumption -may produce and socialize children -assign social statuses and roles to individuals Not all families do these or do these well
Centrist perspective of families
-share aspects of both conservative and liberal perspectives -believe that some familial changes have had negative consequences, but see wider social changes as a major determinants of the changes in family life -place a greater emphasis on cultural values than liberals -believe that people are too absorbed in their careers or too quick to surrender in the face of marriage difficulties
Rights provided by marriage
-the right to enter a premarital agreement -income tax deductions, credits, rates, exemptions, and estimates -legal status with one's partner's children -partner medical decisions -right to inherit property -the right to divorce -award of child custody in divorce proceedings -payment of worker's compensation benefits after death of spouse -right to support from spouse -recognition from society of legitimacy of relationship
Where does patterned variation come from in families?
Mostly: -social class -race and ethnicity -gender and sexuality -lifestyle choice
How are family relationships generally created?
Through marriage Through birth
True or False: African Americans tend to express more conservative views on such family issues as premarital sex, divorce, and gay marriage
True
True or False: The number of multigenerational households in the United States is increasing
True
True or False: All cultures traditionally divide at least some work into male and female tasks
True These tasks vary greatly by culture, but only matters of reproduction are determined by biology
True or False: Now, same-gender couples may legally marry anywhere in the United States
True Same-gender marriage was legalized in the U.S. in 2015 in the court case Obergefell vs. Hodges
clan
a group of related families found in Native American tribes
family (as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau)
a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered members of one family"
extended family
consists not only of cohabiting or married couple and their children but also of other relatives, especially in-laws, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins
binuclear families
a postdivorce family with children, consisting of the original nuclear family divided into two families, one headed by the mother, the other by the father; the two "new" families may be either single-parent or stepfamilies
serial monogamy/modified polygamy
a practice in which one person may have several spouses over his or her lifetime despite being wed to no more than one at any given time
Examples of affiliated kin
best friend boyfriend girlfriend godchild lover minister neighbor pet priest rabbi teacher
social class
categories of individuals and families that share similar economic positions in the wider society
A more contemporary definition of family:
two or more persons related by birth, marriage, adoption, or choice. Families are further defined by socioeconomical ties and enduring responsibilities, particularly in terms of one or more members' dependence on others for support and nurturance