Ch. 13: Families and Religion Flashcards
What is a family?
A primary group of people connected by blood, marriage, or adoption, in a cooperative economic unit to care for offspring and each other.
What is a kinship system?
A pattern of relationships that define people’s relationships to one another within a family.
Define polygamy.
The practice of men or women having multiple marriage partners.
Define manogamy.
The practice of a sexually exclusive marriage with one spouse at a time.
What are the 3 types of kinship?
Patrilineal, matrilineal, and bilateral
What is a patrilineal kinship?
A kinship system that traces descent through the father
What is a matrilineal kinship?
A kinship system that traces descent through the mother
What is a bilateral kinship?
A kinship system that traces descent through both the mother and father
What is an extended family?
The whole network of parents, children, and other relatives who form a family unit and often reside together.
What is a nuclear family?
A married couple that resides together with their children
What do functionalists think about family?
They see the family as filling particular social needs, including socializing children
What do conflict theorists think about family?
They view family as a system of power relations that reinforces and reflects the inequalities in society
What do symbolic interactionists think about family?
They view family at a micro level; marriage is socially constructed and roles are variable
What 2 things help create diversity in families?
Demographic and structural changes
What are the causes of the increasing number of female-headed households?
High rate of pregnancy among unmarried teens and high divorce rate
What is social speedup?
When working parents feel that there is too much to do and too little time to do it
What tends to shape power dynamics within marriage?
Gender roles
What factors contribute to the U.S. having high divorce rates?
Demographic changes, individualism, and changes in women’s roles
What is incest?
A form of child abuse involving sexual relations between people who are closely related
What is a transnational family?
A family where one parent (or both) lives and works in one country while his or her children remain in the country of origin.
What is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
A federal law requiring employers of a certain size to grant leave to employees for purposes of family care
Define religion.
An institutionalized system of values and beliefs by which a group of people interprets and responds to what they feel is sacred, and provides answers to questions of ultimate meaning
What is the most popular religion in the U.S.?
Chirstianity
Define religiosity.
The intensity and consistency of practice of a person’s faith.
How is religiosity often measured by scientists?
By asking people about their religous beliefs and by measuring the number of members of religous organizations
What is monotheism?
The worship of a single god
What is polytheism?
The worship of more than one deity.
What did Emile Duekheim believe about religion?
He believed that religion if functional for society
What did Max Weber believe about religion?
He believed that the Protestant faith supported the development of capitalism in the Western world
What did Karl Marx believe about religion?
He saw religion as a tool for class oppression
What are the three types of religious organizations?
Churches, sects, and cults
What is a church?
A formal organization that sees itself and is seen by society as a primary and legitimate religous institution
What is a sect?
A group that has broken off from an established church
What is a cult?
A religious group devoted to a specific cause of charismatic leader.
