Sociology of Families CH. 1-2

Percent who say it is 'very important' to them that a couple legally marries if they plan to spend the rest of their lives together

18-29 = 36% 30-49 = 44% 50-64 = 49% 65 and up = 65%

Sociologist Peter Berger has connected which characteristic to modernization

A decline in importance of religious institutions

Liberal perspective

Agree with conservatives that changes in the family have resulted in negative challenges Family challenges results from economic and structural adjustments Creation of an underclass Consequence ex: changing economic structure - changing family and gender roles - diverse effects, poor vs productive children

Which of the following is an advantage of an experiment

An experiment proves the greatest opportunity to asses cause and effect

Empirical Approach

Answers questions through systemic data collection and analysis Describes some phenomenon Examines the factors that predict or are associated with some phenomenon Explain cause and effect relationships or provide insights into why events do or do not occur Understand the meanings attached to behavior or situations Sociological research methods that are empirical: surveys in-depth interview experiment focus groups observation secondary analysis Quantitative methods = focus is on data that can be measured numerically like in surveys, experiments, or doing further analyses on available gov statistics - yields % and other stats that can be interpreted Qualitative methods = focus on narrative descriptions to analyze patterns and their underlying meanings like in-depth interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and conducting a further analysis using narrative documents like letters/diaries. Does NOT offer stats but can reveal rich description and understanding of some phenomena

Social exchange theory

Assumes that individuals are rational beings Behavior reflects decisions evaluated on the basis of costs and benefits Suggest that a particular type of family structure or dynamic is the result of rational decisions based on social, economic, and emotional costs and benefits as compared to the alternatives Ex: Argued that a woman often rationally chooses to exchange her household labor for the benefits of a man's income because she understands that men are more "efficient" in labor market and make more than women

Patterns in kinship, descent, and inheritance

Bilateral - descent can be traced through male and female sides of the family Patrilineal - lineage is traced through the man's line Matrilineal - lineage is traced through the woman's line Neolocal - newly married couple lives separately from either set of parents Patrilocal - newly married couple lives with the husband's family Matrilocal - newly married couple lives with wife's family

Feminist perspective

Blends elements of conservative and liberal perspectives Believes that families face difficulties because of lack of cooperation between the community, families, and employers Individualism has replaced collective responsibility Focus on the high value of human relationships Consequence ex: lack of cooperation among community, family, and work - families where adults are stressed and overburdened - children lack sufficient care and attention from parents

World Systems Theory

Changes in families can be traced to changing global economic markets and political structures Highlights the linkage, interdependence, and exploitation among economies between nations and how these influence virtually all dimensions of social life, including family structure Capitalist world economy is predicated in the wealth of some using the resources of others to further their own wealth - the US, western Europe, and Japan exploit resources and cheap labor from other countries Poorer nations cannot modernize

Conservative perspective

Concerned that changes in family structure put children at risk Believe that the weakening of US moral fabric can be traced to modern secularization of religious practices Believes that one solution to many problems is to strengthen and support traditional marriage Consequence ex: cultural and moral weakening - family breakdown, divorce, family decline - father absence, school failure, poverty, crime, drugs

Distinguish the difference between domestic partners and married partners

Domestic partners are not eligible for all the benefits married couples are allowed, such as employer-provided family health insurance

Property and inheritance

Early families were nomadic/hunter and gatherers not much personal possessions - shared everything Families stayed in one location when they started to practice agriculture - social inequality became more apparent Engels tied the origin of the family to males' desires to identify heirs - monogamy worked in men's favor, men began to try to control women sexually and socially through marriage

Which sociologist noted that suicide had patterns and is not a random event

Emile Durkheim

Sociologists and other family scientists use a/an __________ approach in collecting and analyzing data so that they may describe some phenomenon, examine the factors that predict or are associated with some phenomenon, explain cause-and-effect relationships or provide insight into why certain events do or do not occur, and understand the meanings attached to behavior or situations.

Empirical

Endogamy vs Exogamy

Endogamy = norms that encourage marriage between people of the same social category such as their own racial, ethnic, religious, age, or social class background Exogamy = norms that encourage marriage between people of different social categories Ethnographic studies show that most family patterns reflect social, economic, and political issues in a given culture

Sex and reproduction

Every culture regulates sexual behavior One virtually universal regulation is the incest taboo - high risk of genetic abnormalities, social considerations, encourages broader alliances by requiring marriage outside the inner family circle Children learn from their families Most reproduction occurs within families

Developmental theory

Families and family members go through different stages Each stage has its own tasks, roles, and responsibilities 1. married couple 2. childbearing 3. preschool age 4. school age 5. teenage 6. launching center 7. middle-aged parents 8. aging family members Early theorists claimed these stages are inevitable and occur in linear fashion but we know today that these stages are not always tidy - some families never have children or they have children later in life Uses both mirco and macro approaches to describe and explain family relationships over the various family stages Life course perspective: examines how individuals' lives change as they pass through specific events, with the recognition that many events are shared among a cohort of people Ex: Glen Elder (sociologist) did a longitudinal study followed a cohort of children throughout the Great Depression and afterward to see how a historical event of such magnitude affected a cohort of Americans

Families around the world - India, Japan, and Sweden

Families are shaped by the culture in which they lie These 3 countries were selected because together they represent a developing nation, a culture in transition, and one well-recognized for promoting social equality

Analyze major political perspectives on family in the US

Families have undergone tremendous changes over time The meaning and implications of these changes generate debate

Economic cooperation

Families provided children with food, clothing, and shelter Historical records show there was a gendered division of labor and families Families are both productive and consumptive units

Family policies

Family policies reflect historical, cultural, political, and social factors These factors also influence the absence of family policies Personal responsibility versus collective good Parasuraman and Greenhaus identified 3 solutions that can be used when family and work are in conflict with each other 1. employers can create more family-friendly work environments 2. employees can learn to manage their conflicts 3. employees can modify the meanings of the situation - the US most often adopts the second and third approaches

Rachel works for a social service agency that helps at-risk families. Her agency's focus is the role each family member plays and on each relationship with the family. The agency looks at parent-child, parent-parent, and child-child relationships and the rules involved in those relationships. Which theory does Rachel's agency follow?

Family system theory

Which perspective attribute the difficulties children face to a lack of cooperation between the community, family, and employers to improve the quality of life

Feminist

What is a key difference between the textbook's definition of family and the Census Bureau's definition of family

Fictive kin are included only in the textbook's definition, not the Census Bureau's definition

Conflict theory

Focus on issues surrounding inequality, power, conflict, and social change also includes how these factors influence, or are played out, in families. Ex: might ask why virtually all elderly persons regardless of income receive gov-subsidized health care when no similar universal programs exists for children. Does this difference in treatment arise because the elderly represent a large special interest group and powerful voting bloc, whereas children are basically powerless

Symbolic interaction theory

Focus on the symbols, gestures, and appearances, and how we interpret them Some symbols are obvious like a kiss or a smile and show us how to interact or what roles to play but others are less obvious and more confusing which can cause tension or conflict in a relationship Ex: symbol of mother is clear - we know what her role is as a mother but what about a stepmother Behavior reflects decisions evaluated on the basis of costs and benefits

Feminist theory

Gender is seen as central concept for explaining family dynamics Focus on inequality and power imbalances between men and women Sex and gender are powerful organizing concepts Looks at women's subordination for the purpose of finding out how to change it Ex: research indicates that women do far more household labor than men even when both are employed full-time for pay - this is seen as a power imbalance between genders embedded in larger society West and Zimmerman call this "doing gender"

World revolution and family patterns

Goode collected data from sub-Saharan Africa, India, China, Japan, and several Middle Eastern countries - Mate selection became freer - Shift away from extended families - Kinship evolved toward bilateral - Families become more egalitarian

Japan

Highly developed nation Tradition is steeped in segregated and traditional gendered expectations - few professional women, husbands have work long hours, women who do work are also expected to take care of domestic responsibilities Marriage and family life are very important in Japan Low divorce rate - Japanese culture stresses conformity and subordination to a large group loss of income could be devasting to wives, closeness and co-residence with other family members may buffer the effects of problematic marriages Median age of first marriage has increased Many people are delaying or forego childbirth are criticized Japan's birthrate has declined to just under 9 births per 1,000 and is expected to continue to drop

Care, warmth, protection, and intimacy

Humans need warmth and affection to survive and thrive Families are intended to provide these things to individuals - in some societies love and intimacy are not the reasons why people marry

Dr. Jordan, a sociologist, is researching the consequences of childcare struggles on parenting. As part of the research, she has gathered detailed information in person which included follow-up and clarification questions, from 100 subjects. The process has been time-consuming and expensive, but the information is valuable. Which research method did Dr. Jordan use?

In-depth interview

German sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies suggested that progressive loss of ___ is a result of industrialization and urbanization

Intimacy

Comparative Perspective Theory

It is meaningful to compare family life in the US to that of other countries and other times in history - sociological imagination uses this to study families Ex: looking at the nature of dating or weddings in the US becomes far more insightful when compared to the practices in other cultures like India or even earlier America Ethnocentrism is an attitude that one's own group is superior to others Understanding families in the US requires a comparative perspective Societies are becoming increasingly interconnected - many current families issues are rooted in the past Learning about other cultures and understanding our current situation

Which of the following describes how structural functionalism views marriage

It regulates behavior, roles, status, and inheritance

Which perspective essentially believes in a market economy, but claims that economic and structural adjustments that place new demands on families without offering additional social support

Liberal

According to World Systems Theory, what do core countries like the US and Japan do to poorer countries

Manipulate for profit

Sociological Imagination Theory

Many of our experiences are shaped by social structure like gender and how many parents a person has Relationships between the individual and society like family problems, poverty, unemployment, child abuse, limited access to health care Global issues like climate change also affect families Draws attention to the fact that seemingly private issues are often actually public issues Social structure: organized pattern of relationships and institutions that together form the basis of society Ex: how has your sex influenced your choices of college major, hobbies, interests, and relationships Peter Berger: Much of our behavior is patterned on the basis of the social categories we fall into like race, sex, age, income, ethnicity, physical appearance Emile Durkheim studied suicide and found patterns in suicide rates related to age, gender, religion, and marital status. Women are more likely to take their own lives, Protestants more than Catholic and Jews, wealthy more than poor, unmarried. 10th leading cause of death in US and 2nd within ppl aged 15-34

A snapshot of American families today and how they have changed

Men and women postponing marriage Fewer never-married people Family size is shrinking Divorce rate down Working mothers Single parent households Hispanics are the largest US minority Decline in the teen birth rate Unmarried couples living together Elderly populations increasing

Modernization theory, social change, and families

Modernization involves the social and cultural transformation from developing societies (3rd world) to modern industrial societies (1st world and developed) Several characteristics are associated with the process of modernization

Marriage

Monogamy = one spouse, practiced in most parts of the world especially in developed countries Polygamy = allows for more than one spouse at a time. In some countries this is reserved for men who are wealthy or have senior status in their society, viewed as mark of prestige. US went from 7% to 16% increase in polygamas couples Polygyny - man has wives, more likely to be found in developing countries like parts of Africa and South America, often supported by religious custom and is highly associated with high degrees of male dominance Polyandry - woman has husbands, rare but does happen in agricultural societies where land is severely limited and weather or other conditions are harsh. The multiple husbands a woman can have are usually related to each other, seen as an economic advantage to men involved Female infanticide is practiced sometimes in order to eliminate the need to care of baby girls and keep female numbers down

Differences in marriage and family patterns

Nobody has complete autonomy in choosing a marriage partner Cultural influences - marriages can be viewed as an economic union In the US people may choose mates based on mutual attraction and romantic Jean Stockard suggests marriage patterns reflect cultural practices and conditions - physical environment, significance of descent ideology and structure (matrilineal vs patrilineal descent), social processes

Structural Functionalism theory

Often referred to as functionalism Looks at the structure, functions, and equilibria of social institutions including family Ex: Parsons and Boles focused on the division of labor in families, noting the ways in which separate spheres for men and women contributed to the stability and functionality of families. Expressive roles and tasks fell to women, whereas instrumental roles fell to men which they argued contributed to smooth family functioning. Functionalists rarely note the tension, conflicts, or political ideologies behind their ideas, which may explain why this trend has fallen out of fashion in recent decades

India

One of the poorest nations, and is also one of the most populous nations Purchasing power parity (PPP) - high in countries like US, Canada, Japan, and Switzerland and low in places like India and Ethiopia Has a high fertility rate - efforts to reduce the number of births since the 50's have had some success Hindus recognize and abide by the caste system - belief that persons of higher caste will be "polluted" if they are in contact with someone of lower standing (untouchables or Dalits) Many distinctions made on the basis of caste are now illegal Efforts to reduce birthrate has resulted in sex disparity In the natural order, fewer females are born than males Patriarchy explains some of the disparity - many female children are aborted or killed after birth, female children are given less food, schooling, and medical care

Sweden

One of the world's wealthiest nations Birthrate is low but is expected to rise by 2025 Life expectancy is among the highest in the world Infant mortality rate is low Swedes have been criticized as anti-family, high age of first marriage, more likely to cohabitate and have children outside of marriage, one of the lowest marriage rates in the world Men are more likely to love in household with their children than many other cultures Majority of mothers are employed outside the home Swedes receives a large amount of government support for each child These policies were enacted for several reasons - encourage people to have more children, encourage women to work outside the home, keep pace with Sweden's changing views of gender and greater movement toward egalitarianism The policies have proven to be beneficial

Percentage of persons age 15 and over who are literate, by sex, in selected countries in Africa and the Middle East (2015)

Pakistan: men 70%, women 46% Yemen: men 85%, women 55% Sierra Leone: men 59%, women 38% Ethiopia: men 57%, women 41% Egypt: men 82%, women 65%

The problem of fistulas is related to

Patriarchy in healthcare

What do families in Nyinba, Tibet practice in order to thrive in their environment, which is agrarian, harsh, and poor

Polyandry

Rebecca is legally married to Dan, but Dan also has 3 other wives he married in a religious ceremony. Rebecca and Dan practice

Polygyny

Which of the following is an ascribed status

Race

Mirco theories

Social exchange - family life as a rational exchange designed to maximize rewards and contain costs Symbolic interaction - family interaction governed by symbolic communication that defines reality Developmental - family life predicted by passage through normative stages and the accomplishments of corresponding tasks Family systems - circular interactions among the system members resulting in functional or dysfunctional outcomes

Social placement, status, and roles

Statuses are positions in a group or a society - ascribed statuses are statuses that we are born into - achieved statuses are statuses that we achieve on our own Roles are behaviors associated with those positions

Macro theories

Structural functionalism - the family as an institution and how it functions to maintain its own needs and those of society Conflict - social inequality results in unequal resources resulting in inevitable conflict Feminism - investigation of family life as experienced by those with minority status especially women

Chapter 2: Compare family relationships

Structural functionalism focuses on the functions families serve for individuals and for society Marriage is the cornerstone of these functions Cultural norms determine who can get married, to whom, and how to many people they can marry Marriages have specific characteristics Weddings represent a rite of passage

Which most accurately explains the reason for the differences in marriage and family patterns between Sweden and India

Sweden is more egalitarian

Chapter 1: Determine the multiple definitions of family

The US census bureau defines a family as 2 or more people who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption - this definition does not reflect the diversity of family life in the US today Many Americans, especially younger Americans, accept divorce, cohabitation, remaining single. same-sex marriage, and remaining child-free as legitimate lifestyles Many high school seniors believe cohabitation is a good testing ground for marriage Fictive kin = nonrelatives who share bonds that are strong and intimate Families play a primary role in all cultures around the world TEXTBOOK defines family as relationships by blood, marriage, or affection in which members may cooperate economically, may care for any children and may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group with fictive kin too

Selective programs

The US has a long history of rugged individualism and a distrust for government and its programs Many programs require people to meet eligibility requirements to receive benefits like meet certain income thresholds like low SES for medicaid

Evaluate the US approach to family policy

The US lacks a national family policy Americans are distrustful of big government Americans are uncomfortable with offering too much assistance because they feel like it will decrease initiative and encourage dependence on gov Policies and programs are selective and only available for a few, often as tax breaks that come once a year. Other developed countries lean more toward offering universal policies and programs that are regularly available to all citizens

Family resiliency

The capacity to rebound from adversity, misfortunes, and trauma Many adults and children reared in poverty or with other risk factors do overcome adversity Individual-level protective factors (individual personality traits and dispositions that enhance a person's ability to be successful) like community factors and family protective and recovery factors

What is problematic about the definition of family according to the US Census Bureau

The definition by the US Census Bureau doesn't really reflect the rich diversity of family life today

Explain how legal definitions impact families

The definition of family used has important consequences with respect to formal and informal rights Most employer insurance plans cover only a worker's spouse and children Heterosexual and gay domestic partners have faced legal obstacles because they did not have the legal status of marriage

Family systems theory

The family system is larger than its individual members The family system has subsystems within it Families become a collective unit/system that create boundaries between themselves and the environment with varying degrees of permeability Rules of transformation: members know what to expect from each other Useful for studying how members of the family communicate with one another and the rippling effects of that communication

Patterns of power and authority

The term patriarchy means "rule of the father" Male dominance is woven into society's institutions Most dominant form of authority pattern Reflected in literacy rates between men and women in many countries Women and girls are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, sexual violence, and HIV/AIDS Matriarchy = the power and authority is vested in women - no known cases of full matriarchies Egalitarian = the power and authority is equally vested in men and women - US and other societies are headed in this direction

Identify major sociological theories

Theory is a general framework, explanation, or tool used to understand and describe the real world Macro theories focus on understanding board societal patterns - structural functionalism, conflict, and feminism Micro theories focus on personal dynamics and face to face interaction - social exchange, symbolic interaction, developmental, and family systems

Role of family

There are many similar functions of families across many cultures like regulation of sexual behavior, reproduction and socializing children, providing a path for inheritance, economic cooperation among members. social status placement, and a mechanism for providing warmth, intimacy, and protection. They remain in all cultures as the cornerstone of life. Family size is shrinking in US - parents only have 2 kids on average but have the freedom to have more but places like China and India pressure families to have fewer kids for population control 1 in 5 people today say they don't want kids

Which of the following accurately assesses the similarities of structural functionalism and family systems

They both focus on how families are structured

Loss of community

Tonnies suggested that modernization represents a progressive loss of gemeinschaft, or the intimacy found in primary relationships Tonnies suggested that industrialization and urbanization results in a society of largely impersonal relationships, or gesellschaft

Univeral programs

Universal programs are not means-tested (meeting criteria) They are social and economic programs that are available to everyone Paid for by progressive taxation Not all programs are means-tests, police and fire protection and public education are given to everyone without the need for testing means because these are rights