Family and Society

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF FAMILIES

I. SOCIOLOGY

A. DEFINITION

Study of human social life, groups, and societies

B. SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

Ability to see the relationship between events in your own life and events in society

II. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF FAMILIES

· FAMILY AS SOCIAL INSTITUTION

Social institution = a set of roles and rules that define a social unit of importance to society –

Roles are like father and sister –

Rules are how you are supposed to act in those roles, such as father supposed to make $ --

A social institution can get stronger or weaker, change forms, does something important for society

III. WHY STUDYING FAMILY IS IMPORTANT

A. MORALITY

How a society defines family reflects the kinds of relationships that society considers important and legitimate –

Ex: same-sex marriage is now legal but still debated

B. ECONOMICS

How a society defines family determines how the govt spends money and defines benefits –

Ex: marriage gives people federal as well as other benefits, such as health insurance for your spouse

C. CULTURAL VARIATION

Definitions of family vary culture to culture –

Ex: some cultures have polygamy (more than one spouse) while others have monogamy (just one spouse) –

This course will focus on families in US

IV. PUBLIC FAMILY VS. PRIVATE FAMILY

Distinction made by researcher Andrew Cherlin –

Public family = one adult, or two adults related by marriage, partnership, or parenthood, who is/are taking care of dependents, and the dependents themselves –

Ex: same-sex couple raising child; single mom; married hetero couple taking care of wife’s elderly dad – about taking care of dependents

Private family = two or more individuals who maintain an intimate relationship that they expect will last –

family provides emotional support, love, etc

*ASSIGNED KINSHIP VS. CREATED KINSHIP

Assigned = kinship ties you are born into or marry into – no choice

Ex: can’t choose your parents; can’t choose your spouse’s family

Created = kinship ties you actively construct/choose –

Ex: best friends; adoption where parent chooses kid

V. HOW DO SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY FAMILIES?

A. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Surveys = large sample and you use stats to analyze data – mostly closed-ended questions but maybe a few open-ended –

Results are generalizable but usually less detailed

B. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Interviews, observation, etc = smaller samples and you use nonstats techniques to analyze data –

Results not as generalizable but very detailed rich data

VI. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

A. FUNCTIONALISM

Parts of society are interrelated, just like the human body, so a change in one part of society will lead to changes in others parts too –

Focuses on stability –

Considers the functions (uses) of how society is organized –

Ex: 1950s male breadwinner female homemaker –

Functionalists said this was ideal bc one person (man) played instrumental role (accomplish task like make money) while the other person (woman) played expressive role (provide emotional support)

B. CONFLICT THEORY

Focuses on issues of power and inequality –

Ex: social class affects power and resources and money, so family is affected, such as can they send kid to college

C. FEMINIST THEORY

Same spirit of conflict theory –

Looks at gender inequality as built into social institutions –

Ex: women bear brunt of housework and child care; gender pay gap in paid work

D. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

Considers how individuals interact with one another –

Impression management: we change the way we act based on who we are around –

Ex: woman acts one way with kid and another way with kid’s teacher during conference –

Feminist theory can also take this approach by analyzing how gender affects social interactions –

Ex: research shows women and men communicate differently both verbally and nonverbally