Ch14.1 and 14.2: marriage and family Flashcards
marriage
a legally recognized social contract between two people, traditionally based on a sexual relationship, and implying a permanence of the union
sociologists’ interest in marriage
interested in the relationship between the institution of marriage and the institution of family because marriages are what create a family, and families are the most basic social unit upon which society is built
family
a socially recognized group joined by blood relations, marriage, or adoption, that forms an emotional connection and serves as an economic unit of soceity
family of orientation
refers to the family into which a person is born
family of procreation
describes a family that is formed through marriage
five contents of family as a social form
sexual activity, economic cooperation, reproduction, socialization of children, and emotional support
macro-level family
since 1950s, functionalists has emphasized the importance of the nuclear family as the basic unit of an orderly and functional society
nuclear family
a cohabiting man and woman who maintain a socially approved sexual relationships and have at least one child
functionalist approach to nuclear family
it operates as a model of the normal family, with the implication that non-normal family leads to a variety of society dysfunctions such as crime, drug, poverty, and welfare dependency
critical perspective on nuclear family
- emphasizes the inequalities and power relations within the family and their relationship to inequality in the wider society
- nuclear family should be thought of less as a normative model and more as an historical anomaly that reflected the specific social and economic conditions of the two decades following WW2
meso-level family
- the sociology of mate selection and marital satisfaction reveal the ways in which the dynamics of the group or the family itself, act upon the desire, preferences, and choices of individual actors
- concerned with the interactions within groups where multiple social roles interact simultaneously
micro-level family
- focus on the dynamics between individuals within families
- unequal exchange could lead to domestic violence (physical or emotional)
exchange theory
proposes that all relationships are based on giving and returning valued goods or services
intimate terrorism/violent resistance
describe the extreme outcomes of unequal exchange
romantic love
- defined as the desire for emotional union with another person
- in the past, it was not considered a suitable basis for marriage (marriages were arranged to increase wealth, property, or prestige)
- seen as the essential basis for marriage in modern individualistic societies
neuroscience’s discovery on love
- describes love as one of the central brain systems that have evolved to ensure mating, reproduction, and perpetuation of the species
- romantic love is the intense attraction to a particular person that focuses mating energy on that person
- romantic attachment activate oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in the brain’s reward system and suppresses regions associated with negative emotions and critical judgement of others
Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, the three components of romantic love
- passion or erotic attraction: starts off at high levels but drops off as the partner no longer as the same arousal value
- intimacy: feelings of bonding, sharing, closeness, and connectedness, decreases gradually as the relationship becomes more predictable
- commitment: deliberate choice to enter and remain in a relationship, increases gradually at first then more rapidly as relationship intensified, and eventually levels off
companionate love
characterized by deep friendship, comfortable companionship, and shared interests, but not necessarily intense attraction or sexual desire
three sociological variables during the selection process
- socioeconomic and cultural resources to maximize the value the relationship will bring (income potential, family wealth, cultural resources, education, taste, worldview, and values)
- third parties like family, church, or community members tend to intervene to prevent people from choosing partners outside their social group, as it threatens group cohesion and homogeneity
- demographic variables that affect local marriage markets
local marriage markets
places like schools, workplaces, bars, clubs, and neighbourhoods where potential mates can meet
symbolic interactionist approach to family
indicate families are groups in which participants view themselves as family members and act accordingly
cohabitation
when a couple shares a residence but not a marriage
monogamy
when someone is married to only one person at a time
polygamy
being married to more than one person at a time
polygyny
refers to a man being married to more than one woman at the same time
polyandry
when a women is married to more than one man at the same time
bigamy
the act of entering into marriage while still married to another person, is prohibited by Section 290 of the Criminal Code of Canada
bilateral descent
the tracing of kinship through both parents’ ancestral lines
kinship
one’s traceable ancestry, can be based on blood, marriage, or adoption
unilateral descent
the tracing of kinship through one parent only, is practiced in the other 40% of the world’s societies with high concentration in pastoral cultures
three types of unilateral descent
patrilineal, matrilineal, ambilineal
patrilineal
follows the father’s line only
matrilineal
follows the mother’s side only
ambilineal
follows either the father’s only or the mother’s side only, depending on the situation
patrilineal societies
rural China or India, only males carry on the family surname
matrilineal descent
- A type of unilateral descent that follows the mother’s side only
- common in Native American societies
ambilineal societies
most common in Southeast Asian countries, parents may choose to associate their children with the kinship of either the mother or the father
patrilocal residence
a system in which it is customary for a wife to live with (or near) her husband’s family
matrilocal residence
a system in which it is customary for the husband to live with his wife’s blood relatives
Paul Glick’s family life cycle
- 1955, asserted that most people will grow up, establish, families, rear and launch their children, experience an “empty nest” period, and come to the end of their lives
- sociologists view each stage as having its own structure with different challenges, achievements, and accomplishments that transition the family onto the next stage
family life course
recognizes the events that occur in the lives of families but views them as parting terms of a fluid course rather than in consecutive stages
fluid / liquid modernity
a condition of constant mobility and change in relationships
stepfamily
defined as “a couple family in which at least one child is the biological or adopted child of only one married spouse or common-law partner and whose birth or adoption preceded the current relationship”
extended family
a household that includes at least one parent and child as well as other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
the key factor in children’s quality of life
educational levels and economic conditions of the family, not whether parents are married, common-law, or single
variations in family life
single parents, cohabitation, same-sex couples, staying single
when was same-sex marriage legalized in Canada
the Civil Marriage Act legalization same sex marriage in Canada on July 20, 2005
single women and men portrayed differently
single women are portrayed as unhappy “spinsters” or “old maids” who cannot find a man to marry them
single men are portrayed as lifetime bachelors who cannot settle down or simply “have not found the right girl”
functionalism perspective on marriage and family
- families are an important social institution and play a key role in stabilizing society
- society need to replace elders with new generations
- parents teach children gender roles
- differentiation of the roles on the basis of sex ensures smooth operation of family function
- family is understood as a primary economic unit
George Murdock defined family narrowly as
a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction, which includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children
four universal residual functions of a family
sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic
critical sociology perspective on marriage and family
- North American families have been defined as private entities (issues concerning only those within the family)
- domestic violence, child abuse, and inequality that goes on in the family have been treated as being outside of state, legal, or police jurisdiction
- focus on highlighting the political-economic context of the inequalities of power in family life
- nuclear family should be less of a normative model
symbolic interactionism perspective on marriage and family
- family is not an object, it is a social construct that is subject to the ebb and flow of social norms and ever-changing means
- recognize how family status roles of each member are socially constructed, playing a crucial part in how people perceive and interpret behaviour
- draws attention to how the norms that define what a “normal” family is, how it should operate, came into existence
boomerang kids
refers to young adults who, after leaving their parents’ homes to live independently, return to live with their parents again
accordion families
describe a living arrangement where family members expand and contract their living spaces and arrangements based on changing circumstances
intimate partner violence (IPV)
violence that occurs between individuals who maintain a romantic or sexual
relationship; includes unmarried, cohabiting, and same-sex couples, as well as heterosexual married couples
shaken-baby syndrome
a group of medical symptoms, such as brain swelling and retinal hemorrhage, resulting
from forcefully shaking or impacting an infant’s head
total divorce rate
a projection of how many new marriages are expected to fail after 30 years, based on the divorce
rate by marriage duration observed in a given year
Which of the following terms refers to social relationships that are created through birth, marriage, or adoption?
kinship
What is the key difference between functionalist and critical sociologist perspectives on the family?
Functionalism adopts a normative definition of family, while critical sociology views common family structures as developing out of specific socio-economic conditions
Which of the following issues illustrates a fundamental imbalance within family structures, and continues to be a problem that most societies have not managed to adequately address?
instrumental roles are paid, whereas expressive roles are unpaid
