Chapter 15, Families Defining the Family Comparing Kinship Systems Sociological Theory and Families Diversity Among Contemporary American Families Marriage and Divorce Changing Families/Changing society

Variation in Kinship Systems Number of marriage partners permitted at one time. Who is permitted to marry whom. How descent is determined. How property is passed on. Where the family resides. How power is distributed.

Extended Families Common among groups that share labor and economic resources to survive. Examples: African-American othermothers who assist bloodmothers by sharing mothering responsibilities. Compadrazgo or godparents among Chicanos.

Functionalism and the Family Families exist to meet particular societal needs: Socializing the young. Regulating sexual activity and procreation. Providing physical care for family members. Giving psychological support and emotional security to members.

Functionalism and the Family When society undergoes rapid change, families become disorganized and break down. The family is shaped by society. The high divorce rate and the number of single parent households are the result of social disorganization.

Conflict Theory and the Family Family relationships reinforce and reflect inequalities in society. Families in American society are shaped by capitalism. Families socialize children to be obedient, subordinate to authority and good consumers.

Feminist Theory and the Family Family is one of the primary institutions producing gender relations in society. The family is a system of power relations and social conflict. The family is a gendered institution and critical of perspectives that take women's place in families for granted.

Symbolic Interaction and the Family Analyze how people define and understand family experience and negotiate family relationships. Emphasizes the construction of meaning within families. Roles within families evolve as participants define their behavior toward each other.

Families Are Changing Increase in female-headed households which are more likely than others to live in poverty. Gay and lesbian households are more common and challenge traditional definitions of the family. Single people make up more of the population, partly because people marry at a later age.

Female-headed Households Result of the high rate of teen pregnancy and the high divorce rate. Teen mothers are less likely to marry today than in the past. Teen mothers are among the most economically and educationally disadvantaged groups in U.S. Society.

Female-headed Households Divorced women experience a decline in income and most receive little financial support from their former husbands. Social problems are caused by economic stress rather than the absence of a husband. Single fathers tend to get more help, typically from women, than do single mothers.

Married Couple Families Most significant change has been the participation of women in the labor force. Both men and women are working a month more per year than they did in Women work a “double day” of paid employment and unpaid work in the home.

Stepfamilies About 40% of marriages in the U.S. involve stepchildren. Blended families demand the learning of new roles for both parents and children. The lack of institutional support systems cause stress resulting in high probability of divorce among remarried couples with children.

Gay and Lesbian Households Tend to be less gender-stereotyped in household roles than heterosexual couples. Negatively affected by the denial of benefits and privileges accorded legally recognized marriages. Only Hawaii and Vermont legally recognize gay marriage.

Singles Number has increased from 29% of the population in 1970 to 42% today. People are marrying later partly due to longer life expectancy, higher educational attainment and cohabitation. Changes in sexual attitudes and removal of stigma of being single have contributed to the happiness of singles.

Marriage The U.S. has the highest rate of marriage of any Western industrialized nation. Most marital conflicts are about finances and housework, not sexual jealousy. Most couples agree that childcare should be shared, but only 38% of couples think that housework should be shared.

Marriage Women continue to do more work at home and have less leisure time than men. Men are working longer hours, but primarily in paid employment. The majority of women in all social classes experience stress over the amount of work they have to do and their lack of free time.

Divorce Sociologists estimate that 1 in every 2 marriages made today will end in divorce. Divorced men are more likely than women to remarry and to remarry faster. Despite the emotional pain and economic struggle women experience following divorce, most are glad that their marriages ended.

Family Violence The majority of domestic violence cases go unreported. It is currently estimated that 1 in 3 women will be physically assaulted by her husband. Belief that the batterer will change, financial constraints, and mandatory arrest laws discourage reporting and keep the victim in the relationship.

Violence in the Family Two perspectives: Family violence approach - violence occurs in families because the society condones violence. The feminist approach - places inequality between women and men at the center of analyses of violence in the family.