Chapter 11: The Family

Question 1

Definition of Family

Answer 1

A relationship in which people: 
live together with commitment
form an economic unit
care for any children
consider the group critical to their identity

But is this reflective of today’s realities?

Question 2

Contemporary Definition of Family

Answer 2

Any combination of 2 or more persons who are bound together over time by ties of mutual consent, birth, and/or adoption/placement, and who together, assume responsibilities for variant combinations of some of the following:
physical maintenance and care of group members
addition of new members through procreation or adoption
socialization of children
social control of members
production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services
and affective nurturing love

Question 3

Transitional Family

Answer 3

The nuclear family arose in urban-industrial societies where (a) the family ceased to serve as the unit of production; (b) the state assumed a number of key functions related to the socialization of children; (c) a social security system made kin less important; (d) geographical mobility became central.

Now we have: (a) more respect for women’s rights; (b) shared sexual division of labour; (c) more egalitarianism in marriage; (d) marriage not centered on procreation; (e) same-sex marriage since 2005

Question 4

Factors contributing to Change

Answer 4

Economic = urbanization vs need for large families; industrialization created a gendered division of labour; most women participate in the labour force  smaller family size, postponement of marriage, or opting out of marriage

Cultural = secularization; individualism; egalitarianism

Question 5

Trens in Canadian Families

Answer 5

families that contained a married couple in 2011 = 67%; 2001 = 70.5%; 1981 = 83%; 1961 = 92%
common-law families in 2011 = 16.7%; 2001 = 13.8%
lone-parent families in 2011 = 16.3%; 2001 = 15.7% (mothers head 81%; fathers head 19%)
same-sex couples who were married; 2011 = 33%; 2006 = 17% 
stepfamilies in 2011 =12.6% of all couple families with children
mixed unions (re “visible minority status”) in 2011 = 4.6%; 2001 = 3.1%; 1991 = 2.6
Singlehood = 26.8% live in one-person households in Canada
Older women are choosing to have children on their own reflecting “the declining importance of marriage as a social prerequisite for reproduction” (Kendall, p. 242) 
Postponing marriage: Mean age of first marriage for men = 29.5, and for women, 26.9 years 
Common-law and cohabitation = fastest growing family category today: 18% of all couples
Living Apart Together (LAT): 7% of couples do not live in the same residence (Kendall, 237)
Dual-earner marriage = more than 60% of all marriages
Second shift = women still do more of the domestic work despite men’s growing participation

Question 6

Same Sex Couples

Answer 6

2005 Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage.
implies equal treatment and legal rights, eg. spousal entitlements
The main difference between families led by hetero couples and those led by same-sex couples is families of lesbians and gay men is the stigmatization by the public, the law, and the state. (O’Brien & Goldberg 1999: 116)
“Despite the recent progress made by same-sex families in Canada, and countless studies that have shown that kids of LGBTTQ parents are as well-adjusted and psychologically healthy as those of opposite-sex couples, children in these families continue to face social discrimination.” (Vanier Institute 2013)

Question 7

Child Related Issues

Answer 7

Divorce
Reproductive freedom, contraception, and abortion
New reproductive technologies
Adoption
Parenting style
Unmarried motherhood
The “boomerang” phenomenon

Question 8

The “Boomerang” Generation

Answer 8

Barbara Mitchell, 2005, The Boomerang Age.
Adult offspring return to the family household or delay leaving when job opportunities are limited.
Among those aged 20 to 24, the proportion co-residing with their parents rose from 58.3% in 2001 to 62.6% in 2016. (Statistics Canada, 2017. Census in Brief. Young adults living with their parents in Canada in 2016 http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016008/98-200-x2016008-eng.cfm)
factors = high cost of housing; failed marriages; delayed marriages; the cost of higher education; difficulty in finding a stable job; family needs (Vanier Institute, 2014. Family Living Arrangements: All Under

Question 9

Domestic Violence

Answer 9

Child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, and/or neglect; mothers are almost equally likely to abuse their children as fathers (Kendall: 264)
Parental abuse: physical, psychological, and financial abuse by children; mothers are the more likely victims
Spousal abuse is declining but women are 4-5 times more likely than men to be victims of domestic violence
Female victims are 6/million women
Male victims are 2/million men

Question 10

Functionalism Perspective

Answer 10

The family is a key social institution in maintaining the stability of society
Families perform essential functions for members
Critical of divorce, non-traditional family forms

Question 11

Conflict Perspective

Answer 11

Families are sources of social inequality
Women do more unpaid work in the home than men
This benefits the capitalist class by socializing more workers and supporting family members
But it subordinates women

Question 12

Feminism

Answer 12

overlaps with Conflict Theory, but notes that male domination occurred before capitalism
even as women’s freedoms have grown, they still struggle in a male-dominated family structure
The idealization of the traditional family conceals another reality: violence

Question 13

Interactionism

Answer 13

Partners develop a shared reality through interaction

Focus on roles, socialization, changing family patterns and forms of families, and their impacts

Question 14

Family

Answer 14

Is an institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including children

Question 15

Kinship

Answer 15

A social netwrok of people based on the common ancestry, marriage and adoption
Very important in preindustrial societies
In many societies the primary kinship unit is the extended family

Question 16

Extended family

Answer 16

A family unit composed of relatives in addition to parents and children, all f whom live in the same household - very important in pre industrial societies

Question 17

Nuclear Family

Answer 17

A family unit composed of one or two parents and her/his/their dependent children who live apart from their children
Functions in industrialized society to regulate sexuality, socialize children, and provide family members with affection and companionship

Question 18

Lone-Parent Families

Answer 18

Have existed in the past often because of a death of one of the parents, and common law and growing numbers for the last half the century.
Substantial change occurred in the structure of families until the turn of the century

Question 19

Are Canadian Families in Decline

Answer 19

One person is the highest category, followed by two person

Question 20

Monogamy

Answer 20

A marriage between two people, either heterosexual or homosexual

Question 21

Polygamy

Answer 21

Is widely practised outside high income countries
Polygamy has been practised with no prosecutions being considered until relatively recently
Marriage was once a cultural imperative - 1970s
2009- BC Blackmore and Jim Oler - religion under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Question 22

Marriage trends

Answer 22

Became much less of an economic necessity with women having new jobs opportunities and rising incomes
National Survey - Angus Reid - 2/3 of Canadian adults strongly agreed that their families were the greatest joy of their lives
1995 (GSS) 98% of those in marriages and 96% of those in common law unions feel that a long term relationship is important for thief happiness

Question 23

Serial Monogamy

Answer 23

“For as long as love allows” - marriage, divorce, and marriage
Some think that this is a natural adaptation others think that this is a natural adaptation to other social changes within society

Question 24

Functionalist Perspective

Answer 24

family fulfills an eccentrically function in society at the Macrolevel
Families are the primary source of inequality and times abuse and violence in society

Question 25

Functionalist Perspective: Family

Answer 25

Replica of the larger society Involve mental and moral fusion of physically distinct individuals Division of labour contributed to greater efficiency in marriage and families Instrumental Role of the husband is to meet the families economic needs Expressive Role: household, caring for children and emotional needs

Question 26

Functionalist Perspective: Family Functions

Answer 26

Regulate sexual behaviour Socialize and educate children Provide economic and psychological support Provide social status Functional families provide social order and economic stability Changes in religion, education contribute to family related problems

Question 27

Conflict Perspective

Answer 27

Family problems are idealized and inadequate Rather than operating for the benefit of all members are sources of social inequality and conflict over values goals, and access to resources and power Women are dominated by men just as men are dominated by managers in capitalist factories

Question 28

The Feminist Perspective

Answer 28

Women’s subordination

Question 29

Feminist Perspective

Answer 29

Women’s labour is undervalued 15% of families are undervalued in Canada Family problems derive from inequality Political, social and economic arenas as well The rate of female victims of homicide has dropped from 11 per million women to 3, the rate of male victims has remained stable at 2

Question 30

Interactionist Perspective

Answer 30

how husband, wives and children act to their roles and react to the parts played by others Women have gained more choice - individualized Consequences is that women have few role models to follow Women and men experience marriage differently Different realities of marriage

Question 31

Diversity in Families

Answer 31

Singlehood - 10% of population remains single for life, when combined with, widowed, divorced, separated this is 30% Structural changes in the economy many young people cannot marry

Question 32

Postponing marriage | Robin Wolfe four key factors:

Answer 32

1) Economic uncertainty 2) Women’s increasing participation in the labour force 3) the sexual revolution of the 1970s - sexual relations outside of marriage more acceptable 4) the rising divorce rate - anxious to jump into marriage

Question 33

Common Law or Cohabitation

Answer 33

``` Common-Law or Cohabitations two adults living together in a sexual relationship with being legally married Margaret Mead (1966) Dating patterns do not adequately prepare people for marriage and parenting 50% of cohabitation culminated into marriage - 37% broke up ```

Question 34

Living Apart Together

Answer 34

1.9 million Canadians - 7% were living apart 80% wanted to live together Of the older couples only 30% wanted to live together

Question 35

Dual Earner Marriages

Answer 35

``` Dual Earner Marriages Generation Y - men (65 hours) women (76) Generation x - men (69 hours) women (8) Boomers - men 48 women 79 Second shift ```

Question 36

Comparing Two parent and One Parent Households | Increasingly parents are receiving joint custody

Answer 36

Two parent families doesn’t guarantee a happy household 16.3% single parent families 80% headed by mothers One biological family member at risk of serious academic achievement Pros - less pressure to conform to gender norms High levels of self efficacy and high levels of maturity

Question 37

Reproductive Freedom, Contraception and Abortion

Answer 37

Implies both the desire to have and the desire to not to have 1869 the Canadian government banned abortion 1967 - Pierre Elliot Trudeau - legalized homosexuality and contraception 1971 the pill was the most popular form of contraception GGSS 1995- the use of contraceptive sterilization doubled in that time 1976 - decline in the pill and increase in condoms

Question 38

Abortion 2005 abortion was down from 3.2% from 2004 Microlevel - solution for families Macrolevel level - problem and solution

Answer 38

1967 - the law permitted abortion Some provinces were not sympathetic and did not set up clinics Dr. Henry Morgentaler - performed abortions, but no jury would convict him opposition to abortion was strong in the 1990s - doctors shot and clinics bombed

Question 39

Infertility and Technocolgies

Answer 39

50% of inferticle couples seak Treatment $7000 up to $10,000 with travel and drugs per attempt OHIP will pay for one cycle

Question 40

Adoption

Answer 40

The adopted child has all of the rights as a biological child Some provinces have made disclosure a right 2009 Ontario is this possible to unseal birth records, unless a veto has been signed Fewer infants are available for adoption so parents go outside of the country - because they are not white

Question 41

Parenting Style

Answer 41

Child living with parents that had poor parenting skills were fie more time to have developmental problems as aggression, hyperactivity and depression Parenting changed from punitive to non punitive 2-3to 8-9 - all aggressive beahaviour declined.

Question 42

Teen Pregnancy

Answer 42

Since the 1990s the proportion of births to teenagers declined from 11% to 6% of all births. Mother have few skills in adequate child development Older single never married have a higher rate 20-24 - 29% 30, 34, 35 to 39 went up to 18.8, 14.4, 14, 13 respectively

Question 43

Divorce and Remarriage

Answer 43

Redefined Divorce rate to define the number of divorces Misleading to compare the number of marriages in one year to divorces 60% of couples have at least one child 8% of children aged 15 and up experienced a change in parental structure - grandparents wanting to see a child - custody

Question 44

Blended Families

Answer 44

The social norms governing divorce and remarriage are ambiguous so people are forced to make decisions about family life - who is invited to weddings, birthdays

Question 45

Child Abuse

Answer 45

Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) - a nation wide study to examine the incidence of reported child maltreatment The most frequent in neglect - not meeting the child’s basic needs for security warmth, food, shelter, clothing and protection Physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect - 9% were substantiated

Question 46

Sexual Assault ( Assault Level 1)

Answer 46

8% of investigations- insufficient evidence to support, maltreatment Over 5 years no changes but increases in maltreatment and exposure to domestic violence Children are most likely t be assaulted in their own homes Teens and children less likely than adults to be victim of violent crime

Question 47

Child Sexual Abuse

Answer 47

22% of sexual offences committed agains children and teenagers are child specific, include sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, luring a child via computer and corrupting children. Despite the lower crime rate, children are most at risk of this crime Children are 5 times more likely to become a victim of this type of crime

Question 48

Intimate Partner Violence

Answer 48

Female and male victim rates for homicide dropped for the past 12 years Needing medication are experienced more strongly by women Some of these women end up victims of homicide 7 times as likely as men to be killed by their spouses or intimate partners

Question 49

Shelters

Answer 49

80% of these women and children were attempting to flee an abusive situation 25 of the women sought shelter so their children would not witness violence 90% of women who left the shelter did not return to their spouse.