Chapter 12: Marriage and Families Flashcards
How is family traditionally defined?
A group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
What is the functional definition of family?
A group of two or more people who are mutually committed to one another and who care for one another.
What is a nuclear family?
A married heterosexual couple and their young children living by themselves under one roof.
What is an extended family?
A family consisting of parents, their children, other relatives, and even non-kin, living under one roof or compound.
What are blended families?
Families that include step-parents and/or step-siblings.
What is monogamy?
A marriage in which a couple are married exclusively to each other.
What is polygamy?
A marriage of one person to two or more people at the same time.
What is polygyny?
A form of polygamy where one man has multiple wives.
What is polyandry?
A form of polygamy where one woman has multiple husbands.
What is endogamy?
The practice of marrying within one’s own social group, such as by race, religion, or social class.
What is homogamy?
The tendency to choose and marry a mate with similar characteristics, such as race, religion, and social class.
What is exogamy?
The practice of marrying outside one’s own social group or category.
What is bilateral descent?
A kinship system where both paternal and maternal ancestors are considered part of one’s family.
What is unilateral descent?
A kinship system where lineage is traced through one parent only (either the father or the mother).
What is patrilineal descent?
A kinship system where lineage is traced through the father’s side only.
What is matrilineal descent?
A kinship system where lineage is traced through the mother’s side only.
What is ambilineal descent?
A kinship system where children can be traced through either the father’s or mother’s side, depending on the situation.
What is neolocal residence?
A living arrangement where a couple lives separately from both of their families of orientation after marriage.
What is patrilocal residence?
A residence system where the wife lives with or near her husband’s blood relatives.
What is matrilocal residence?
A residence system where the husband lives with his wife’s blood relatives.
What is a patriarchal family?
A family where adult men are the primary authority figures.
What is a matriarchal family?
A family where adult women are the primary authority figures.
What is an egalitarian family?
A family where adult men and women share authority equally.
How were families structured in preindustrial societies?
Families were often extended, with roles based on gender, and economic survival depended on cooperation in small communities.
How did industrialization change family life in the U.S.?
Men began working outside the home in factories, and women took on domestic duties, reinforcing gender roles and contributing to the rise of the patriarchal family structure.
What is a key theme in the historical study of families?
The nuclear family model of the 1950s, with the male as the breadwinner and female as homemaker, is considered a historical anomaly rather than a long-term norm.
What is the significance of the “Leave It to Beaver” family model?
It represents the 1950s ideal of a nuclear family, though less than 60% of American children lived in this family form during that time.
What is the functionalist perspective on families?
Functionalists focus on the essential functions families serve in society, such as socializing children, providing emotional support, regulating sexual activity, and offering social identity.
What is the conflict perspective on families?
Conflict theorists argue that families contribute to social inequality, reinforce patriarchy, and can be sites of conflict and violence.
What is the symbolic interactionist perspective on families?
Symbolic interactionists emphasize the shared understandings and communication patterns within families, and how social class influences marital expectations and relationships.
How do functionalists view sudden changes in family structures?
Functionalists believe sudden or far-reaching changes in family structure threaten family stability and societal order.
What is the role of wealth in families, according to conflict theorists?
Conflict theorists argue that families reinforce economic inequality by passing down wealth and social status, contributing to stratification.
How do gender roles evolve in families according to functionalism?
Functionalists view gender roles as essential for family function, with men typically being the breadwinners and women the homemakers, though this has changed in recent decades.
What impact does romantic love have on marriage in American culture?
Romantic love is the common basis for American marriages, though it is less common in other cultures where marriages may be arranged for economic or social reasons.
What percentage of households in the U.S. are family households?
About 65%
What is the percentage of adults who have never been married in the U.S. today?
29.5%
What percentage of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce after 15 years?
42%
What was the percentage of interracial or interethnic marriages in the U.S. in 2020?
10%
How has the approval of interracial marriages changed since 1961?
Approval of interracial marriage increased from 4% in 1961 to 94% in 2021.
What is the average age of first marriage in the U.S. today?
The average age at first marriage is 30.5 years for men and just over 28 years for women.