Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Chapter Ten Families

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Families: A Global Analysis Family of Orientation—the family in which an individual grows up. Family of Procreation—the family formed through marriage, consisting of one’s self, one’s spouse and children. 2 Types of Families:  Nuclear – consists of 2 parents and their unmarried children.  Extended – consists of 2 parents, their unmarried children, and other relatives.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Mate Selection Mate selection—each society establishes norms to govern which partners are most suitable. Arranged Marriages - occurs in some traditional societies when the parents 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 the opposite sex. Polyandry – marriage of one woman to 2 or more men. Polygyny – marriage of one man to 2 or more women.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Residency and Descent Neolocal Residence – a home where the married couple live by themselves away from both of their families. Patrilocal Residence – a home where the married couple live with the husband’s family. Matrilocal Residence - a home where the married couple live with the wife’s family. Patrilineal Descent – the norm that recognizes only the father’s family as a child’s close relatives. Matrilineal Descent - the norm that recognizes only the mother’s family as a child’s close relatives. Bilateral Descent – the norm that recognizes both parents’ families as the child’s closest relatives.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Authority In most societies, authority rests with the older male. Patriarchal Family –Dominant figure is the oldest male. Matriarchal Family - Dominant figure is the oldest female. Egalitarian Family – Authority is equally distributed between husband and wife.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Theoretical Thumbnail: Diverse Aspects of the Family PerspectiveFocusInsights FunctionalistPositive aspects of the family The family is useful to society for providing sexual regulation, reproduction, socialization, economic cooperation, and emotional support. ConflictNegative aspects of the family The family is full of violence and female exploitation. Symbolic interactionist Interaction of happy and unhappy couples Happy couples are more likely than unhappy ones to have more positive interactions than negative interactions.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Patterns of U.S. Marriage Traditionally, dating in the U.S. was very formal and male-driven. Today dating is much more spontaneous. In the U.S., love is the most important factor when deciding who to marry. Homogamy — marrying someone with social characteristics similar to one’s own.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Sociological Frontier: The Bad Side of Good Marriages Good marriages are “greedy” by demanding total and undivided commitment. This weakens the social ties outside the marital bond. Researchers have found that married couples are less involved with parents, siblings, and friends.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Problems of U.S. Families Violence - Family violence is relatively common in the U.S.  There is disagreement over what kind of behavior are acceptable for disciplining children and dealing with spousal conflict.  Why does family violence occur?  Stress as well as cultural encouragement including influence of media.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Problems of U.S. Families Divorce – About half of those who marry now in the U.S. will end up divorced. Why do so many marriages end in divorce?  Decreased social disapproval of divorce  Greater availability of services and opportunities for the divorced.  The family’s increased specialization in providing love and affection.  High expectations about the quality of the marital relationship.  Increased Individualism

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Changes in the U.S. Family Today less than 25% of families are nuclear. More common to find families with both parents working. Single-parent families – 83% of such families are headed by women. Blended families (or stepfamilies) have become quite common with 1/3 of all Americans belonging to one.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Two-Career Families: A Majority Since 1998

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Other Lifestyles Staying single—more people are staying single because social pressure to get married has declined. Living together—cohabitation is on the rise and often leads to marriage. Gay/lesbian marriages—In the U.S., gay couples do not have the same legal protections and financial benefits as heterosexual couples. A number of cities have a domestic partnership agreement so gay couples can gain family benefits from employers, etc.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Attitudes Toward Gay Marriage

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Social Diversity of U.S. Families Traditional Native American family life has all but disappeared. They have high rates of suicide, alcoholism, and poverty. African American families draw strength from mutual assistance among friends, relatives and neighbors. Most Hispanic American families are nuclear but also have strong links with nearby extended families. Asian families tend to be stable with strong marriages.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 For a Better Life: Turning Unhappy Marriages Around Twice as many couples seek marriage counseling today as 20 years ago. Two researchers developed a new and better approach to marriage counseling called acceptance therapy. The goal is for spouses to stop trying to change the annoying things about each other that most likely cannot be changed. The couples try to learn to tolerate and live with those annoyances. This is known as the marital endurance ethic. One study showed that after 6 months of acceptance therapy, 90% reported dramatic increases in satisfaction.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 The Future of the Family Many continue to predict the demise of the family due to divorce, cohabitation, out-of- wedlock births, and singlehood. Yet, the family is alive and well. Despite the increase in the number of single people, the majority of those who now live alone will eventually marry. In the next 20 years, the family will continue to maintain diversity without destroying the basic family values.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2009 Chapter Review In what ways does the family vary from one society to another? What is the family like, as seen through the 3 theoretical perspectives? How do people in the U.S. prepare for marriage? What causes family violence? What is the future of the U.S. family?