1. The Family
Chapter 11

2. The Family What is a family?
What is the role of the family or family members?

3. Family
A family is a group of people linked by blood, marriage, or adoption.
Family of orientation…the one we are born into.
Family of procreation…the family established by marriage.
Marriage… an institutionalized social structure that provides a framework for regulating sexual behavior and childbearing
the legal union between two people.

4. Universal Aspects/Responsibilities of Family
Reproduction/population replacement
Regulating sexual behavior
Caring for dependents
Socialization
Emotional support and caring

5. Family Patterns Nuclear family…parents and children
Value independence
Extended family…a couple and their children live with other relatives in the same household.
In-laws
Uncle
Grandparent

6. Family Over Life Course
Childhood
Sheltered time…focus on developmental tasks
Adolescence
Period of high strain….caught in the middle…little value to society but pressure for future value and independence
Adulthood
Rites of passage…formal rituals
Seeking romance or passing time?
Marriage market
Middle Ages
Busy time…family and role overload
65 and beyond

7. Marriage

8. Marriage Arrangements
Monogamy…one man, one woman.
Most common today
Polygamy…married to more than one at a time.
Polygyny…man to many women.
Legal in parts of India, Africa, and the Middle East.
Polyandry…woman to many men.

9. Why People Get Married Being "in love."
Desiring companionship and sex.
Wanting to have children.
Social pressure.
Attempting to escape from their parents' home.
Believing they will have greater resources.

10. Divorce
The legal process of dissolving a marriage that allows former spouses to remarry if they so choose.
Recent studies have shown that 40%-50% of first marriages end divorce (Kreider 2005)
Main reason…Irreconcilable differences

11. Characteristics of Those Likely to Get Divorced
Marriage at an early age.
A short acquaintanceship before marriage.
Disapproval of the marriage by relatives and friends.
Limited economic resources.
Having a high-school education or less.
Parents who are divorced or have unhappy marriages.
The presence of children at the beginning of the marriage.
Race/Religion

12. Family Life

13. Blended Families
Some people become part of blended families, which consist of a husband and wife, children from previous marriages, and children (if any) from the new marriage.
The Brady Bunch
Represent about 40% of U.S. households.
Problems facing blended families:
Financial difficulties.
Stepchildren antagonism…children do not approve.
Unclear roles…stepparents are not sure of their place.

14. Single Parent Families
1 out of 4 American families is a single parent family.
Only 24% of which are headed by males (Pew, 2013)
Women are more likely to win custody or are left by husbands.
As women become more educated and advance in the workplace, more are choosing to be unwed single parents.

15. Juggling housework, child care, and a job in the paid work force is all part of the average day for many women. Why does sociologist Arlie Hochschild believe that many women work a “second shift”?
p. 331

16. Single Parenting
25% of white children and 66% of African American children spend part of their childhood in a single parent household (2014).
35% of total child population.
Children of single parent households are more likely to be deviant.

17. Teen Pregnancy
The United States has among the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the Western industrialized world but the are declining
In 2014 the total number of live births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 was 24.2 (CDC).

18. Primary Reasons for Teen Pregnancy
Many sexually active teens don’t use contraceptives.
Teenagers may receive little accurate information about the use of contraception.
Some teenage males believe females should be responsible for contraception.
Some teenagers view pregnancy as a way to gain adult status.

19. Childless Marriages
Historical norms and values viewed women as failing to fulfill their duty as wives if they did not have children.
More married women are choosing not to have children:
Stigmas are being removed
Pursuing careers
Now longer THE reason to get married
Fear of raising children in immoral world
Financial constraints

20. Dual-Employed Marriages
Marriages in which both members work put additional strains on the couple.
Women do double duty and work about 15 hours more a week than men
Women face role conflict
May hurt man’s ego
Positive attributes:
Provides higher independence for women
Provides greater financial stability
Greater options for both members
Role models for children

21. Cohabitation
Refers to two people who live together, and think of themselves as a couple, without being legally married.
A recent study of 11,000 women found that there was a 70% marriage rate for women who remained in a cohabiting relationship for at least 5 years.
Of the women in that study who married their partner, 40% became divorced within a 10-year period.

22. Cohabitation Most who cohabitate are either:
Under age 45 and previously married
Older individuals who do not want to lose financial benefits by re-marrying
Domestic partnerships…a household partnership in which an unmarried couple seeks the same rights and benefits as married, heterosexual couples.

23. Single Life Career opportunities Excitement and Freedom
Individualistic values and independence
Economic reasons (can’t afford a family)

24. Boomerang Kids
Young adults who leave home and return or always live with their parents.
More than 25% of adults age live with their parents.
Why?
Marrying later
Attending school is cheaper
High cost of living
Failed marriage

25. Boomerang Kids Problems associated with Boomerang Kids.
High costs for parents
Parents lose privacy and their own life
The kids returning home feel guilt and depression

26. Families and Violence
Although the family is assumed to provide a warm and safe haven, it may sometimes provide for a hostile environment.
Family violence occurs at all levels.
OJ Simpson
Abused his wife
Menendez Brothers
Abused as children
25% of adults report being abused as children
25% of girls are victims of sexual aggression (not always physical abuse)
10% of boys are victims.

27. Families and Violence
4 million women are battered by husbands annually.
5 times more likely than males
The distribution of men towards women and women towards men is almost equal when it come to physical violence.
However, much of the violence conducted by females is in retaliation or self protection.
Abuse is not always physical.
9 million children suffer from neglect.
The most common form of family violence is between siblings.
Abuse of elderly…2.5 million annually.