Chapter 15-

Postmodernist perspective

According to postmodern theories, we have experienced a significant decline in the influence of the family and other social institutions. As people have pursued individual freedom, they have been less inclined to accept the structural constraints imposed on them by institutions.

Which statement is true regarding domestic violence?

Domestic violence can include the threat or use of violence, relationship abuse, and various kinds of bullying and battering.

Symbolic interactionist perspective

Early symbolic interactionists such as Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead provided key insights on the roles that we play as family members and how we modify or adapt our roles to the expectations of others—especially significant others such as parents, grandparents, siblings, and other relatives.

Matrilocal residence

Few societies have residential patterns known as __________, which refers to the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the wife's parents.

three major factors have contributed to this dramatic change in family structure in the United States:

(1)a decline in marriage rates; (2)a rise in the number of women who are employed in the paid workforce, and (3)a shift from the majority living in a nuclear family to a wider variety of living arrangements, such as blended families, cohabitation, and more-extensive patterns of remarriage (discussed later in this chapter).

Conflict and Feminist perspective

Conflict and feminist analysts view functionalist perspectives on the role of the family in society as idealized and inadequate. Rather than operating harmoniously and for the benefit of all members, families are sources of social inequality and conflict over values, goals, and access to resources and power

Functionalist Perspective

Functionalists emphasize the importance of the family in maintaining the stability of society and the well-being of individuals. According to Emile Durkheim, marriage is a microcosmic replica of the larger society; both marriage and society involve a mental and moral fusion of physically distinct individuals. Durkheim also believed that a division of labor contributes to greater efficiency in all areas of life—including marriages and families—even though he acknowledged that this division imposes significant limitations on some people.

Which of the following factors does NOT decrease the risk of divorce?

Having divorced parents

In advanced industrial societies, families serve four key functions:

Socialization, sexual regulation, Economic and psychological support, and provision of social status

Which of the following statements is NOT a primary microlevel reason for high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States?

Some teenage females believe that males should be responsible for contraception.

Key figure in developing functionalist model of the family

Talcott Parsons was a key figure in developing a functionalist model of the family. According to Parsons (1955), the husband/father fulfills the instrumental role (meeting the family's economic needs, making important decisions, and providing leadership), whereas the wife/mother fulfills the expressive role (running the household, caring for children, and meeting the emotional needs of family members).

Basic social needs met by family institution

The family is a major social institution, meeting certain basic needs, such as producing and raising children who are able to interact successfully in society. Families also provide financial support for family members, often working together as a single economic unit. Most importantly, families ideally function to provide intimate connection and emotional support, allowing for a sense of security.

Patrilineal descent

The most common pattern of unilineal descent is __________, which is a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family.

Postmodern families

The postmodern family has been described as permeable—a more fluid and pliable form of the nuclear family that is characterized by larger variations in family structures. These variations are generated by divorce, remarriage, cohabitation, single-parent family structures, and families in which one or more grandchildren live with their grandparents.

domestic partnership

What is the term for a household arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a committed, sexually intimate relationship and is granted the same rights and benefits as those accorded to married couples?

guaranteed reproduction

Which of the following is NOT one of the functions that families in advanced industrial societies serve, according to contemporary functionalists?

serial monogamy

a succession of marriages in which a person has several spouses over a lifetime but is legally married to only one person at a time.

bilateral descent

a system of tracing descent through both the mother's and father's sides of the family. This pattern is used in the United States for the purpose of determining kinship and inheritance rights; however, children typically take the father's last name.

patrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family. Partilineal systems are set up in such a manner that a legitimate son inherits his father's property and sometimes his position upon the father's death.

matrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family—women may not control property. However, inheritance of property and position is usually traced from the maternal uncle (mother's brother) to his nephew (mother's son)

Families

are relationships in which people live together with commitment, form an economic unit and care for any young, and consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.

In horticultural and agricultural societies, __________ are extremely important; having a large number of family members and relatives participate in food production may be essential for survival.

extended families

Which of the following factors decreases the risk of divorce?

having a baby 7 months or more after marriage having graduated from college having a religious affiliation

domestic partnerships

household partnerships in which an unmarried couple lives together in a committed, sexually intimate relationship and is granted some of the same rights and benefits as those accorded to married heterosexual couples

nuclear family

is a family composed of one or two parents and their dependent children, all of whom live apart from other relatives

matriarchal family

is a family structure in which authority is held by the eldest female (usually the mother). In this case the female authority figure acts as head of the household.

patriarchal family

is a family structure in which authority is held by the eldest male (usually the father). The male authority figure acts as head of the household and holds power and authority over the women and children, as well as over other males

egalitarian family

is a family structure in which both partners share power and authority equally. Recently, a trend toward more-egalitarian relationships has been evident in a number of countries as women have sought changes in their legal status and increased educational and employment opportunities.

extended family

is a family unit composed of relatives in addition to parents and children who live in the same household. These families often include grandparents, uncles, aunts, or other relatives who live close to the parents and children, making it possible for family members to share resources.

marriage

is a legally recognized and/or socially approved arrangement between two or more individuals that carries certain rights and obligations and usually involves sexual activity.

polygamy

is the concurrent marriage of a person of one sex with two or more members of the opposite sex.

Family of orientation

is the family into which a person is born and in which early socialization usually takes place. Although most people are related to members of their family of orientation by blood ties, those who are adopted have a legal tie that is patterned after a blood relationship

Family of procreation

is the family that a person forms by having, adopting, or otherwise creating children. Both legal and blood ties are found in most families of procreation. The relationship between a husband and wife is based on legal ties; however, the relationship between a parent and child may be based on either blood ties or legal ties, depending on whether the child has been adopted.

Exogamy

is the practice of marrying outside one's own group. Depending on the circumstances, exogamy may not be noticed at all, or it may result in a person being ridiculed or ostracized by other members of the "in" group. The three most important sources of positive or negative sanctions for intermarriage are the family, the church, and the state

Endogamy

is the practice of marrying within one's own group. In the United States, for example, most people practice endogamy: They marry people who come from the same social class, racial-ethnic group, religious affiliation, and other categories considered important within their own social group.

Sociology of family (with perspective)

is the subdiscipline of sociology that attempts to describe and explain patterns of family life and variations in family structure. Functionalist perspectives emphasize the functions that families perform at the macrolevel of society, whereas conflict and feminist perspectives focus on families as a primary source of social inequality.

dual-earner marriages

marriages in which both spouses are in the labor force.

Kindship

refers to a social network of people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption. Through kinship networks, people cooperate so that they can acquire the basic necessities of life, including food and shelter.

patrilocal residence

refers to the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the husband's parents.

homogomy

refers to the pattern of individuals marrying those who have similar characteristics, such as race/ethnicity, religious background, age, education, or social class

cohabitation

refers to two people who live together, and think of themselves as a couple, without being legally married.

Polygyny

the concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women. Polygyny has been practiced in a number of societies, including parts of Europe until the Middle Ages.

polyandry

the concurrent marriage of one woman with two or more men. Polyandry is very rare; when it does occur, it is typically found in societies where men greatly outnumber women because of high rates of female infanticide.

matrilocal

the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the wife's parents.

neolocal residence

the custom of a married couple living in their own residence apart from both the husband's and the wife's parents.

second shift

the domestic work that employed women perform at home after they complete their workday on the job. Thus, many married women contribute to the economic well-being of their families and also meet many of the domestic needs of family members by cooking, cleaning, shopping, taking care of children, and managing household routines

monogamy

the practice or state of being married to one person at a time. For some people, marriage is a lifelong commitment that ends only with the death of a partner.

blended families

which consist of a husband and wife, children from previous marriages, and children (if any) from the new marriage