Sociology of Family Chapter 1

For the purposes of the contemporary U.S. Census, a family: a) must occupy the same household. b) may occupy several households. c) includes a man and his family. d) includes unmarried partners.

a) must occupy the same household.

Which theory sees people as individuals entering into mutual relationships to maximize their own gains?

exchange theory

Rosa thinks of her mother's best friend, Maria, as her aunt, and Maria treats Rosa as her niece. According to your textbook, Rosa and Maria could be labeled a(n)

personal family

Family Wage Theory

Family wage: is the amount necessary for a male earner to provide subsistence for his wife and children without having them work for pay. - For example, most employers do not consider it necessary to pay a family wage to male workers to support a wife and children (as in the past). This puts a larger financial, emotional, and psychological burden on individuals • Can contribute to greater isolation and lack of direction, but can also create the possibility for greater intimacy and fulfillment. Individuals now free from the constraints of earlier, pre-modern traditions

What factors led to the decline in the number of married couples in the late twentieth century? What does marriage mean now?

-increase in women's paid work -not as much strong bonds of tradition or economic pressures to stay together -marriage now is a true love relationship, more emotional and less essential

Compare the relationship between men, women, and children in American Indian families, Colonial American families, and enslaved African families prior to 1820.

-American Indian: strong respect for elders, reliance on extended family networks for sharing resources and meeting essential needs, family connections were the basic building blocks of social structure, matrilineal descent (people were primarily considered descendants of their mothers rather than fathers, most practiced monogamous marriage but their marriage bonds weren't as strong as other relationships and divorce was more common than among Europeans, gender division of labor -Colonial American: marriage was a practical arrangement that was considered necessary for civilization, not a source of love and affection, as with the relationship between God and man under Protestant doctrine, the idea of free choice in marriage only served to reinforce the wife's duty to serve the husband, the system of marriage that prevailed in colonial times was supported by the Christian Church and by the power vested in local community leaders, who imposed their interpretation of Christian doctrine on marriage and divorce, coverture: a legal doctrine that lasted until the late 19th century, under which wives were incorporated into their husbands' citizenship, families were large, children played an economic role in the family, bonds b/t family members were much less sentimental than they are now -African Americans: families enslaved, marriage was nearly universal among African Americans by 1900, the concept of marriage remained significant under slavery: traditions from West Africa, the importance of the family, and slave masters promoted marriage and families for their own advantages What are the common characteristics of each early American group? A) Native Americans B) African Americans C) European Colonists D) Asian Americans A) strong respect for elders and reliance on family networks for resources. mother had authority, monogamous marriage. B) Slave families were separated a lot C) marriage was "necessary" for civilization. Women served their husbands. (coverture) D) immigrant communities, came for Gold Rush, unmarried and childless, or wives/kids back in China

Why was there a baby boom in the middle of the twentieth century?

-after WWII when the men came back from the war -people were now experiencing prosperity and a good economy in contrast to the depression they grew up in so they embraced the prospect of stability and had lots of children

How was family life disrupted for many African Americans, the Chinese, and Latinos in the nineteenth century?

-being without a family was one of many problems that confronted members of America's emerging from slavery, Asian-American immigrant communities, or Mexicans who found their lands annexed within growing U.S. boundaries -African Americans: marriages were more fragile, partly as a result of the persistent poverty and hardship they suffered, and ended more often in divorce or widowhood. on the other hand, they developed stronger extended family networks. -Chinese men came to work in the mines and build the railroads for years and were separated from their spouse and kids. this has been called the split-household family. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 helped stop this. -Latinos: traveled around the country for work so were also often separated for long periods of time. this experience contributed to familism or a strong orientation toward family needs and obligations

What are some of the strategies sociologists use to avoid bias in their research?

-most sociologists prefer publicly funded studies, which make their data freely available and which in principle are repeatable by other researchers -before results are published, a system of peer review is employed in which other scholars review the work anonymously, checking for any sources of error, including bias, logical flaws, or simple mistakes in the analysis How do sociologist reduce bias in their data collection?: - increase accountability and transparency - publicly funded studies, makes data freely available - peer review by anonymous scholars review work to take out bias, errors, etc. Objective methods this allows conclusions to be drawn in a social situation that are unaffected by one's own beliefs Use the scientific method form a hypothesis Bias -The tendency to impose previously held views on the collection and interpretation of facts Transparency in the research process, peer review, and published results help mitigate bias.

There are two main, broad perspectives with long, complex histories:

1) the consensus perspective and 2) the conflict perspective

The granting of marriage licenses is an example of which institutional arenas interacting? a) state and family b) state and market c) family and market d) religion and family

A) state and family

Under the ideology of "separate spheres," what were separated? Explain

C) men at work and women at home The industrial revolution led to (mostly) men working wages in factories and other industrial jobs, and the ideal that women would stay home to care for the house and children, and create a haven for their husbands where they could escape from the harsh realities of the economy

Conflict perspective

Conflict perspective: the view that opposition and conflict define a given society and are necessary for social evolution • Conflict perspectives provided a criticism of structural functionalism and pointed out its biases. • Saw consensus perspectives as rationalizing the status quo, serving a conservative political agenda, and justifying existing unequal power structures; developed in the 1960s in opposition to the dominance of structural functionalism • Draws from the work of Karl Marx and the belief that the dynamic of inequality and conflict propel history; competing interests can and will disagree. • Conflict over difference can create positive change; change and conflict do not threaten social stability. Conflict theorists focus on the competing interests of family members to understand family issues. There is an emphasis on opposition and power struggles.

According to recent feminist family theorists, which statement is true? A) Family types are biologically determined and rarely change B) What is good for some women is good for all women C) Men and women have very similar experiences of family life D) Family types are socially constructed and changing

D) Family types are socially constructed and changing

Demography & and the Life Course Perspective

Demographic perspective: the study of how family behavior and household structures contribute to larger population processes. • Focuses on birth, death, and migration / Especially interested in childbirth • But must look at these things in context, hence an emphasis on the timing of life events • Life course perspective: the study of the family trajectories of individuals and groups as they progress through their lives, in social and historical context • Study of the progression from childhood to adulthood, looking for patterns and what is "normal." Traditional "normal" progression used to include marriage & then parenthood • Sequences of family events now more diverse and complicated; goal is to place family events in historical context • Cohort: a group of people who experience an event together at the same point in time -Using cohorts helps put life events in historical context. • Researchers can compare the correlation of historical events with family progress

Exchange Theory

Exchange Exchange theory: the theory that individuals or groups with different resources, strengths, and weaknesses enter into mutual relationships to maximize their own gains • Exchange theory is more in line with the consensus perspective. Offers a more positive interpretation about the unequal partnerships between men and women. Individuals are seen as rational. Men and women consider the costs and benefits of their actions and are rational and deliberate. Individuals cannot provide for all of their own needs on their own, so they must exchange with others. As long as the exchange relationship is rewarding to both parties, both sides will continue the relationship. Either party may leave or disengage if the rewards of the exchange are not satisfactory and the cost of leaving is not high. • Aligns with the consensus tradition because it assumes that the social "contract" is mutual and agreed upon. In the family, the husband and wife perform separate and different roles, and this "exchange" benefits the marriage and the family. In this perspective, the division of housework is a major subject. • This perspective is criticized because it presumes that resources between men and women are equal.

4 historical trends of the family

First Historical Trend Most people today live much loner than in the past Second Historical Trend People have fewer children Third Historical Trend Family members perform fewer functional tasks at home Fourth Historical Trend Families have become more diverse in recent decades

This figure shows the top 100 girls' names as percentages of all girls born between the 1940s and 2010s. In the 1940s, the top 100 names for girls made up almost two-thirds of all names Now the top 100 account for only about one Now the top 100 account for only about one-third of all girls' names What does this tell us about individuals making choices? Are people less or more likely to follow tradition when naming girls over time?

Less likely to follow tradition when naming girls over time

Modernity Theory

Modernity theory -is a theory of the historical emergence of the individual as an actor in society and how individuality changed personal and institutional relations • Refers to the historical period 18thcentury Enlightenment to the present / For family studies, the focus is on the social construction of individuality, individualism, and the emergence of the individual as a social actor at this time. In the state arena, the "modern" individual is socially constructed as a "citizen" with personal rights. In the market arena, the individual becomes a worker and a consumer. In the family arena, the individual becomes a social actor with free will and the ability to make choices about family relations and family life. • For the first time, personal taste and choice have become institutionalized and are expected of individuals. Modernity theorists identify two periods of the modern era: first modernity and second modernity.

Why is exchange theory part of the consensus tradition of perspectives? Give an example of how an exchange theorist might explain housework.

People enter into relationships because they have something to gain from them. Husbands benefit from this because the wives are expected to do the housework and if they do, then the husband is more inclined to feel like he needs to work to make the money.

Describe three significant contributions of feminist theory to sociologists' understanding of contemporary families.

Researchers pointed out that gender inequality is central to family life. Family structure is socially constructed - the product of human choices rather than the inevitable outcome of natural or biological processes. Race, ethnicity, and social class all affect family life and gender dynamics in unique ways. • They try to reduce inequality within the family. They think that both parents should share each role 1. Feminists researches demonstrated that gender inequality is central to family life. 2. Feminist scholors have argued that malt structure is socially constructed 3. the gender perspectives themselves are uniform

Socialization Theory

Socialization: is the process by which individuals internalize elements of the social structure in their own personalities • The process of (gender) socialization is how boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls. • Family dynamics affect other institutional arenas. • The family is only one site of gender socialization and gender inequality. • Feminism also argues that family structure is socially constructed—the product of human choices, not biological imperatives. • Not all feminist perspectives of families are the same; there have been historical changes in the feminist position and differences between different theorists.

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic Interaction / Symbolic interactionism: a theory concerned with the ability of humans to see themselves through the eyes of others and to enact social roles based on others'expectations • Symbolic interaction is a contemporary sociological theory that developed in the early 20thcentury. It underscores the concept that theorists need to study the behavior of individuals to understand what things mean to people. Symbolic interactionism assumes that individuals see themselves through the eyes of others and act according to the expectations of others. • Sociologists need to look at what people do, as opposed to what people say, about what things mean to them. Social roles are much like symbols, and actions form the basis for understanding. A sense of self and identity is formed through our actions and the reactions we receive from others. • The study of micro-interactions also makes this perspective ideal for studying family roles and behavior within the family.

Consensus perspective

The consensus perspective became dominant in American sociology around the mid-twentieth century with the work of Talcott Parsons. • Operated under the premise that consensus and harmony form the basis of society • Order is essential to social life; social change functions best when it takes place in an organized, orderly way. • There is a focus on stability rather than change; change happens but is to be avoided. • It is assumed that there is a good reason for things to be the way they are. • The dominant sociological consensus theory is structural functionalism, with its basis in the work of ÉmileDurkheim. • While few sociologists identify as structural functionalists today. Talcott Parsons in the 1940s and 50s -Example -1950s Breadwinner-homemaker model of the family • Key elements remain influential. Consensus: Breadwinner-homemaker family: an employed father, a nonemployedmother, & their children • The dominant family structure in American family life in the 1950s. Talcott Parsons and other structural functionalists defined the role of husband as breadwinner and wife as homemaker; these were complementary and in "harmony." Maintaining the balance of these roles was crucial to safeguarding the institution of the family. The family in this configuration provided society with stability, harmony, and cooperation. Men and women performed complementary roles that were separate but equally necessary. • Structural functionalism used the nuclear breadwinner-homemaker family as both a model and an ideal.

How has the Census's definition of a family changed over time?

Today, the definition is a family who lives together in one household. The definition of family used to be a householder, the wife and the children.

In colonial America, Christian doctrine supported the legal concept of coverture, and wives:

did not have a legal existence but rather were incorporated into their husbands' citizenship All property that wives brought to the marriage and anything they produced while married became the property of their husbands. Women had essentially no rights as individuals and officials were more often concerned about husbands controlling their wives than whether they abused them or mistreated them

What contributed to the decline of courtship in the process of mate selection?

increasing freedom for young adults growing importance of family ties

Feminist Theory

- Feminism / Feminist theory: a theory that seeks to understand and ultimately reduce inequality between men and women • Feminism part of the conflict perspective tradition. Critical of the breadwinner-homemaker family model. Seeks goal of reducing gender inequality • Three important contributions of feminism to family theories • Gender inequality is central to family life. • Family structure is socially constructed. • Gender theory perspectives are not all the same. • Seeks to understand and reduce inequality between men and women. Male dominance in families is a part of the wider system of male dominance in society (Ferree1990). Male dominance is not natural, biological, or inevitable; male dominance occurs at a cost to women. Gender inequality is central to family life, because gender roles are created unequal. The family arena is where gender roles are learned and formed. • Male gender roles occupy dominant positions.

Beginning in the 1960s, why did family patterns depart so dramatically from the 1950s ideal? Again focus on changes in the three arenas: the state, the market and family as an institutional arena.

-market forces more than ever challenged some of the core functional tasks of modern families. with the growth of modern services and technology, much of the work that housewives did was taken over by paid service workers or machines. women's employment moved them from the home to the market. -state forces. a combination of pension and welfare programs offered the opportunity for more people to structure their lives independently

How did married life change during the nineteenth century? Why?

-more "traditional": fathers as breadwinners, mothers as homemakers -the principle of autonomy for the country also applied to individual citizens. as a result, individual free choice in marriage, as in democracy, was an ideal that was widely shared in the early years of the United States. -companionship, affinity, love, and affection all began to grow more important -practice of courtship emerged: the mate selection process in which couples begin a relationship with supervised contact in public, then proceed to additional dates in the woman's home and then to marriage if the parents approve

This figure shows the distribution of household types from 1880 to 2015. What family type has lost the greatest proportion? What family types have emerged as more prominent?

lost the greatest = married couples more prominent = individual

What are the advantages of surveys, in-depth interviews, and time use studies? Why would sociologists pick one method over another to study families?

in depth interview = longer interview with smaller number of people, usually those who share traits researchers want to study time use studies = surveys that correct data on how people spend their time during a sample period, such as a single day or week 1) Survey: individuals from a geographic area are selected, usually at random, and asked a fixed set of questions 2) Observational study: the researcher spends time directly observing each participant Sample Survey-A research method in which identical questions are asked of many different people & their answers are gathered into one large data file. - Longitudinal Surveys -A research method in which the same people are interviewed repeatedly over time In-Depth Interviews and Observation • In-depth interviews and observation can get to a deeper understanding (than sample surveys) in some cases. Fewer respondents but longer interviews. Direct observation can study interpersonal dynamics and the subtleties of daily life. • Time Use Studies • Surveys that collect data on how people spend their time during a sample period, such as a single day or week. Can include the use of surveys about time use and also time diary studies. Especially valuable in the study of work and families Big Data • Data large enough to require special computing resources and complex enough to require customized computer applications. Unlike surveys or census data, big data usually were not generated for research purposes, but we can use them for social science research. This research most likely involves analyzing large volumes of text from online social interaction, such as social media sites, but also data from large databases of official records, telephone records, and government documents. Big data research requires powerful computers and advanced technical skills. It also raises questions about privacy and research ethics, because the people being studied have not consented to have their behavior examined.

According to modernity theorists, what distinguishes first modernity from second modernity? What are the implications for relationships?

• First Modernity: up until the 1960s or so, there was gradual change in family behavior—for example, more divorce, a gradually increasing age at first marriage, fewer children in families, fewer people living in extended families, and more choice in spouse selection. • Second Modernity: Diversity and individuality are the new norm, and it's up to each person to pick a family type and identify with it. In 1st modernity, up until the 1960s or so, there was gradual change in family behavior-for example, more divorce, a gradually increasing age at first marriage, fewer children, fewer people living in extended families, and more choice in spouse selection. These were only incremental changes, however. Even though people exercised free choice, the concept of a "normal" family remained intact as a social standard. In 2nd modernity, since the 1970s, diversity and individuality are the new norm and it's up to each person to pick a family type and identify with it. Relationships now may be truly based on personal choice and individual fulfillment. First Modernity-up until the 1960s • Gradual, incremental changes in family behavior • Society still maintained the concept of the "normal" family as a social standard. • Family diversity existed but was not as acceptable as it is now. Second modernity: since the 1970s • Focus is on the person as an individual, not as a member of a family/ kinship group. • Diversity and individuality are the new "norm." • Acting as an individual (in the family) not only is supported but required by other institutions (e.g., state, market). • As a result, changes in these institutions occurred.

Which of the following demonstrates the increased likelihood that adults will spend more of their lives outside of marriage than in the past?

higher percentages of adults living with no relatives people tend to be older when they first marry. Divorce is more acceptable and more common, as it single parenthood. Women are more economically independent, and people are more likely than ever before to live on their own, with intimate partners, or with non family members

How is the companionship family different from the patriarchal family? What led to the emergency of the companionship family in the twentieth century? Focus on changes in the three arenas: the state, the market and family as an institutional arena.

-the companionship family was characterized by mutual affection, equality, and comradeship of its members while in a patriarchal family, the man had control over property and authority over all family members. -the cultural shift toward the companionate marriage and away from parental authority, the economic opportunities for independence provided to men through industrial development, and the political incentives to marry offered by the government increased the motivation and ability of young people to marry

When it comes to understanding families, how are structural functionalists and conflict theoretical perspectives different? Based on what you read in the chapter, contrast how the two theories might explain the breadwinner-homemaker family.

conflict perspective believes opposition and conflict define a given society and are necessary for social evolution while the SF perspective believe consensus and harmony form the basis of society. SF would agree with the breadwinner-homemaker family dynamic whereas conflict theorists would argue that the husband and wife should be competing for the roles. • Consensus Perspective: A perspective that projects an image of society as the collective expression of shared norms and values. • Conflict perspective: The view that opposition and conflict define a given society and are necessary for social evolution. -structural functionalist/consensus: a perspective that projects an image of society as a collective expression of shared norms and values; focuses on stability, and cooperation -conflict: a critical perspective; the view that opposition and conflict define a given society and are necessary for social evolution; focuses on inequality, power, and social change -The structural functionalist perspective is in favor of the breadwinner-homemaker family because one adult member should specialize in instrumental leadership (man) and the other in expressive leadership (women). The conflict perspective does not like the breadwinner-homemaker family because it's full of role conflicts, power struggle, and inequality.

According to conflict theories, who benefits from family structures where women stay home and men work for pay? a) women and children b) children and old people c) men and employers d) women and employers

men and employers This answer deals with Conflict Theory simply put social change caused by conflict, while it looks at how new patterns benefits (A) for those while hurting the others (B). The benefit is that women stay at home, while men work(B), and this ultimately benefits the employer (A)

Define personal families, legal families, and the family as an institutional arena. Give examples of each, and explain how they're different from each other.

personal family: the people to whom we feel related and who we expect to define us as members of their family as well. EX: parents, siblings, step-siblings, friends etc. legal families: a group of individuals related by birth, marriage, or adoption. EX: immediate and extended family Family as an institutional arena: a social space in which relations between people in common positions are governed by accepted rules of interaction. EX: mother, father, child, brother, sister