Chapter 1: Sociology of the family

Institutional arena

a social space in which relations between people in common positions are governed by accepted rules of interaction.

Families

groups of related people, bound by connections that are biological, legal, or emotional.

Consensus perspective

projects an image of society as the collective expression of shared norms and values.

Sample survey

research method in which identical questions are asked of many different people and their answers gathered into one large data file.

Longitudinal surveys

research method in which the same people are interviewed repeatedly over a period of time.

Feminist theory

seeks to understand and ultimately reduce inequality between men and women.

Exchange theory

sees individuals or groups with different resources, strengths and weaknesses, entering into mutual relationships in order to maximize their own gains.

conflict perspective

sees opposition and conflict as defining a given society, and necessary for social evolution.

Symbolic interactionism

theory of humans' ability to see themselves through the eyes of others, and to enact social roles based on others' expectations.

Modernity theory

theory of the historical emergence of the individual as an actor in society, and how individuality changed personal and institutional relations.

Cohort

a group of people who experience an event together at the same point in time.

Household

a group of people who live and eat separately from others.

Market

the institutional arena where labor for pay, economic exchange, and wealth accumulation take place.

Family arena

the institutional arena where people practice intimacy, childbearing and socialization, and caring work.

State

the institutional arena where, through political means, behavior is legally regulated, violence is controlled, and resources are redistributed.

Personal family

the people to whom we feel related, and who we expect to define us as members of their family as well.

Genealogy

the study of ancestry and family history.

Bias

the tendency to impose previously held views on the collection and interpretation of facts.

Breadwinner-homemaker family

An employed father, a non-employed mother and their children.

Legal family

a group of individuals related by birth, marriage or adoption.

Demographic perspective

studies how family and household structures contribute to larger population processes

Life course perspective

studies the family trajectories of individuals and groups as they age through their lives.

Time-use study

surveys that collect data on how people spend their time during a sample period, such as a single day or week.