Order 1091381: family tree

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Kunz01Intro.toMarriageandFamily1.ppt

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Chapter 1:
Introduction to Marriage and Family

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What defines a family?

What are the historical and current trends in marriages & families?

Defining Marriage & Family

“a social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, & the mother with closet space” Evan Esar (1899-1995)

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What is Marriage?
Marriage – a legally recognized union between a man & a woman

Types of Marriage

Monogamous – one person is married to another of opposite sex

Polygamous – one person is married to multiple husbands or wives

Arranged – the families of the bride & groom negotiate an arrangement before the two parties enter into a relationship

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What is Family?
Family – a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage, or adoption & residing together
Household – all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of relationship
Affiliated Kin – nonrelated individuals who are accepted as part of a family
Living Apart Together – people define themselves as couples but live separate

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History of the American Family

U.S. Colonial Period to 1899
Culturally, Ethnically & Religiously Diverse
Primarily nuclear
Fathers as heads
Marital roles divided by gender
U.S. 1900 to Pre-WWII
Traditional gender roles altered
Government intervention
Smaller Family Units

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History of the American Family Continued
U.S. Modern Era (WWII to present)
Teen pregnancy higher than today
High divorce rate
Formation of women’s liberation movement
Dual-Income families
Current Trends in Families
Of 66.9 million opposite-sex couples living together in 2008, 60.1 million were married

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Current Trends in Families Continued

Percentage of women aged 40-44 who were childless increased from 10% in 1976 to 18% in 2008
In 2009, US had an estimated 5.3 million “stay-at-home” parents
In 2010, about 10% of all children lived in a household that included a grandparent; 54% living with a grandparent had no parent present
American families are overworked

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Current Trends in Families Continued

Factors Affecting Current Trends
Demographic Factors
Increased life expectancy
Proportion of never-married women & men increased
Increased rates of cohabitation
Lifestyle Factors
Transition toward gender equality & empowerment of women
Legalization of same-sex marriages

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Current Trends in Families Continued
Factors Affecting Current Trends
Cherlin Study
Single parents continue to give birth
Dissolution of cohabiting unions
Divorce
Repartnering
Remarriage
Same patterns existed for transnational families

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Current Trends in Families Continued

Is Marriage in Transition or Decline?
Functions of the Family
Economic Security
Social Prestige & Status
Family of Origin – the family in which an individual is raised

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Current Trends in Families Continued
Functions of the Family Continued
Education & Socialization
Socialization – the shaping of an individual’s behavior to conform to social or cultural norms
Protection
Religious Tradition
Recreation
Affection

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Diversity in Families

Family Diversity – the variation in family structures, experiences, & circumstances between families
Diversity in Race & Ethnicity
Race – a group of people who are classified according to their phenotype
Phenotype – the anatomical & physical characteristics that distinguish one race from another
Ethnic Group – a group of people characterized by cultural factors

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Diversity in Race & Ethnicity Continued
African American Families
Greater percentage never married
High divorce & unmarried birth rates
Greater percentage of women-headed households
Hispanic Families
Diversity in ethnic heritage & socioeconomic status
Diversity among tribes

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Diversity in Race & Ethnicity Continued
Asian American Families
High marriage & low divorce rates
Fewer children
Family-Oriented
American Indian Families
Extended Families revolving around clan
Inter-racial & Inter-ethnic marriages

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How Do Different Theorists View the Family?

Theories of the Family
Structural-Functional Theory
Talcott Parsons
Main function is to procreate & socialize children
Family, as system, needs to maintain its basic structure
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx
Those who control the resources have the power
Conflict within families is necessary

Overview of Sociological Theories

Structural-functional theory focuses on a macro level viewpoint.

Talcott Parsons, one of the most influential functionalists, identified the two primary functions families fulfill of procreation and child socialization.

Conflict theorists focus on power differentials in the family and the quest to maintain or gain power within the family system.

Feminist theorists focus on gender roles and their impact on family relations.
They emphasize change and challenges to the status quo.

Symbolic interactionists analyze more individual family systems and the impact families have on the development of family members’ identities as well as expectations for behavior.

Overview of Sociological Theories (continued)

Ecological theory focuses on a review of the family as part of, and participant in the environmental systems of microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems.
Social exchange theorists review the manner in which rewards and costs are compared within the family system in order to maintain or dissolve relationships.

Family systems theorists analyze the family as an interconnected and interdependent system with boundaries, rules of transformation, subsystems, and degrees of variety.
Family life course/ development theory looks at the passage of the family through time with expected stages or career.
Biosocial theory focuses on the interaction of genes and the environment on human behavior.

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Theories of the Family Continued
Feminist Theory
Second Wave of Feminism
Women’s experiences central to understanding the family
Gender is socially constructed
Emphasis on social change & challenging status quo
No neutral observation of humans

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Theories of the Family Continued
Symbolic Interaction Theory
Examination at micro level
Develop sense of self through interactions
Looking-glass self – interpretations of other people’s opinions become a dominant aspect of identity
Self – the concept of identity that develops through interactions with others
Society – process of socialization in which we interpret meanings of symbols learn about our roles
Role – the part we are expected to play in society, learned through interactions with others

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Theories of the Family Continued
Ecological Theory

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Theories of the Family Continued
Social Exchange Theory
Human relationships based on rewards & costs
Rewards – the pleasures or satisfactions we enjoy from participating in a relationship
Costs – the negative outcomes, energy invested, or rewards foregone as a result of choosing one behavior over another
Comparison Level of Alternatives – the evaluation by individuals of their relationships in light of available alternatives

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Theories of the Family Continued
Family Systems Theory
Systems have boundaries
- Boundaries – emotional barriers that define & separate a system
Systems have internal rules of transformation
- Rules of Transformation – the means by which a system governs inputs to outputs
Systems have subsystems
- Subsystem – part of a system that can be analyzed separately
Systems have variety
- Variety – the extent to which a system is able to adapt to changes

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Theories of the Family Continued
Family Life Course/Development Theory
Family development proceeds through stages
Stage explanation problematic

Family Career – some say we need to move away from this approach

Biosocial Theory
Interaction of genes & environment
Nepotism – favoritism shown to one’s kin
Reciprocity – the exchange of favors
Coercion – being forced to act against one’s interests

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What is the Meaning of Family?

Perspectives of the Family
Societal Perspective
Narrow or Broad legal definition of family constitution
Small-Group Perspective
Classification of particular groups as families
Individual Perspective
Inclusion or Exclusion of “family members” based on individual’s perspective