HDFS 2200 Chapter 1

A person who believed in the "family decline" theory might say the following:

"There has been a serious breakdown in marriage and family values"

Sometimes we ___________ into a decision rather than making a conscious one.

"slide"

family functions

1) raising children responsibly 2) providing economic and other practical support 3) offering emotional security

About _________ percent of American children live in single parent families.

25

Individuals living alone constitute about ___________ percent of American households.

26

Today, only ________ percent of American households fit the 1950s nuclear family ideal of a married couple with children, where only the husband is employed.

6

minority group/minority

African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Asians, and other non-whites

What is the impact of communication technologies like e-mail, Skype, and GPS on families?

Communication technologies change the way families interact.

What is meant by the term postmodern family?

Families today exhibit a multiplicity of forms.

family-decline perspective

a cultural change toward excessive individualism and self-indulgence has hurt relationships, led to high divorce rates, and undermines responsible parenting; child centeredness of our nation has decreased and contributed to the weakening of the institution of marriage

family policy

all the procedures, regulations, attitudes, and goals of programs and agencies, workplace, educational institutions, and government that affect families; encompasses policies that directly address the main functions of families- family formation, partner relationships, economic support, childrearing, adoption, child care, family violence, juvenile crime, and long-term care

family

any sexually expressive, parent-child, or other kin relationship in which people- usually related by ancestry, marriage, or adoption- 1) form an economic or otherwise practical unit and care for any children or other dependents, 2) consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group, and 3) commit to maintaining that group over time

self-concept

basic feelings people have about themselves, their abilities, characteristics, and worth

We live in a society characterized by __________ change, including increased ethnic, economic, and family diversity.

considerable

Deciding about, rather than sliding into, a situation involves looking at the alternatives, not just picking the ___________ choice.

easiest

structural constraints

economic and social forces that limit personal choices

Family change is attributed to which of the following influences?

economic trends and cultural changes

individualistic values

encourage people to think in terms of personal happiness and goals and the development of a distinct individual identity

postmodern family

families today exhibit a multiplicity of forms and that new or altered family forms continue to emerge and develop

Family togetherness, stability, and loyalty are all examples of

familistic (communal) values

Scholars and advocates with a _____________ perspective point see constant evolution normal.

family change

Scholars and advocates with a ____________ perspective point to what they see as a negative cultural change accentuated by excessive individualism and self-indulgence.

family decline

familistic values

family togetherness, stability, and loyalty; focus on the family as a whole

family structure

for a family takes; varies according to the social environment in which it is embedded

The divorce rate

has been in decline for the last 3 decades

family impact lens

how we ask how the policy in question affects families

nuclear family

husband, wife, children

family identity

ideas and feelings about the uniqueness and value of one's family unit

Which of the following is attributed to the US by "family change" scholars?

inadequate support for families.

The text concludes that the best way to make decisions about our personal lives is to make them

knowledgeably

binational

many immigrant families; nuclear-family members having different legal statuses

transnational families

members bridge and maintain relationships across national borders

The child population of the US is _________ racially and ethnically diverse than the adult population.

more

In the 1950s, the non marital pregnancy rate was ___________ in comparison with today.

much lower

ethnicity

no biological connections, cultural distinctions often based in language, religion, foldaways, and history

extended family

parents, children, grandparents, an other relatives; performed most societal functions, including economic production, protection of family members, vocational training, and maintaining social order

social institution

patterned and largely predicable ways of thinking and behaving- beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that are organized around vital aspects of group life and serve essential social functions; meant to meet people's basic needs and enable a society to survive; prescribe socially acceptable beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors and exert considerable social control over individuals

sociological imagination

placing an individual's or family's private troubles within a society-wide context

Children learn social roles by imitating the behaviors of parents, siblings, and family members through a type of play called

role-taking

race

social construction reflecting how Americans view different social groups

family-change perspective

some family changes can be for the better; longer life expectancy can mean more positive years with parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents; easier access to divorce = less chance of living with domestic violence; increasing support for interracial unions = greater acceptance for mixed-race families; family flexibility can be functional in times of economic crisis as extended families expand to take in needy relatives; need to view family from the historical stand point

life chances

the opportunities one has for education and work, whether one can afford to marry, the schools that children attend, and a family's health care

Economic uncertainty caused by ______________ is a current societal trend impacting families.

the recession that began in 2007