Thio Sociology: A Brief Introduction, 5/e Chapter One

Chapter TenFamilies

Families: A Global Analysis

Family of Orientation—the family in which anindividual grows up.

Family of Procreation—the family formed throughmarriage, consisting of one’s self, one’s spouse andchildren.

2 Types of Families:

Nuclear – consists of 2 parents and theirunmarried children.

Extended – consists of 2 parents, their unmarriedchildren, and other relatives.

Mate Selection

Mate selection—each society establishes norms to governwhich partners are most suitable.

Arranged Marriages - occurs in some traditional societies when theparents choose partners for their children.

Endogamy—people should marry within their own group.

Exogamy—people must marry outside their group.

Monogamy – marriage of one man to one woman.

Polygamy – the marriage of one person to 2 or more people of theopposite sex.

Polyandry – marriage of one woman to 2 or more men.

Polygyny – marriage of one man to 2 or more women.

Residency and Descent

Neolocal Residence – a homewhere the married couple liveby themselves away from bothof their families.

Patrilocal Residence – a homewhere the married couple livewith the husband’s family.

Matrilocal Residence - a homewhere the married couple livewith the wife’s family.

Patrilineal Descent – thenorm that recognizes onlythe father’s family as achild’s close relatives.

Matrilineal Descent - thenorm that recognizes onlythe mother’s family as achild’s close relatives.

Bilateral Descent – thenorm that recognizes bothparents’ families as thechild’s closest relatives.

Authority

In most societies, authority rests withthe older male.

Patriarchal Family –Dominant figure is theoldest male.

Matriarchal Family - Dominant figure is theoldest female.

Egalitarian Family – Authority is equallydistributed between husband and wife.

Theoretical Thumbnail:Diverse Aspects of the Family

PerspectivePerspective

FocusFocus

InsightsInsights

Functionalist

Positiveaspects of thefamily

The family is useful to society for providing sexualregulation, reproduction, socialization, economiccooperation, and emotional support.

Conflict

Negativeaspects of thefamily

The family is full of violence and female exploitation.

Symbolicinteractionist

Interaction ofhappy andunhappycouples

Happy couples are more likely than unhappy ones to havemore positive interactions than negative interactions.

Patterns of U.S. Marriage

Traditionally, dating in the U.S. was veryformal and male-driven.

Today dating is much more spontaneous.

In the U.S., love is the most important factorwhen deciding who to marry.

Homogamy—marrying someone with socialcharacteristics similar to one’s own.

Sociological Frontier: The BadSide of Good Marriages

Good marriages are “greedy” bydemanding total and undividedcommitment.

This weakens the social ties outside themarital bond.

Researchers have found that marriedcouples are less involved with parents,siblings, and friends.

Problems of U.S. Families

Violence - Family violence is relatively common in theU.S.

There is disagreement over what kind of behaviorare acceptable for disciplining children and dealingwith spousal conflict.

Why does family violence occur?

Stress as well as cultural encouragement includinginfluence of media.

Problems of U.S. Families

Divorce – About half ofthose who marry nowin the U.S. will end updivorced.

Why do so manymarriages end indivorce?

Decreased socialdisapproval of divorce

Greater availability ofservices andopportunities for thedivorced.

The family’s increasedspecialization inproviding love andaffection.

High expectationsabout the quality ofthe maritalrelationship.

IncreasedIndividualism

Changes in the U.S. Family

Today less than 25% of families are nuclear.

More common to find families with both parentsworking.

Single-parent families – 83% of such familiesare headed by women.

Blended families (or stepfamilies) havebecome quite common with 1/3 of allAmericans belonging to one.

Two-Career Families: A MajoritySince 1998

Other Lifestyles

Staying single—more people are staying singlebecause social pressure to get married has declined.

Living together—cohabitation is on the rise and oftenleads to marriage.

Gay/lesbian marriages—In the U.S., gay couples donot have the same legal protections and financialbenefits as heterosexual couples.

A number of cities have a domestic partnershipagreement so gay couples can gain family benefitsfrom employers, etc.

Attitudes Toward Gay Marriage

Social Diversity of U.S. Families

Traditional Native American family life has all butdisappeared. They have high rates of suicide,alcoholism, and poverty.

African American families draw strength from mutualassistance among friends, relatives and neighbors.

Most Hispanic American families are nuclear but alsohave strong links with nearby extended families.

Asian families tend to be stable with strong marriages.

For a Better Life: TurningUnhappy Marriages Around

Twice as many couplesseek marriage counselingtoday as 20 years ago.

Two researchersdeveloped a new andbetter approach tomarriage counseling calledacceptance therapy.

The goal is for spouses tostop trying to change theannoying things abouteach other that most likelycannot be changed.

The couples try to learn totolerate and live with thoseannoyances.

This is known as themarital endurance ethic.

One study showed thatafter 6 months ofacceptance therapy, 90%reported dramaticincreases in satisfaction.

The Future of the Family

Many continue to predict the demise of thefamily due to divorce, cohabitation, out-of-wedlock births, and singlehood.

Yet, the family is alive and well. Despite theincrease in the number of single people, themajority of those who now live alone willeventually marry.

In the next 20 years, the family will continueto maintain diversity without destroying thebasic family values.

Chapter Review

In what ways does the family vary from onesociety to another?

What is the family like, as seen through the 3theoretical perspectives?

How do people in the U.S. prepare formarriage?

What causes family violence?

What is the future of the U.S. family?