Family Flashcards
nuclear family
parents and their children (living together)
extended family
multiple generations or adult siblings, their spouses, and their children (sharing resources and living together)
modified extended family
relatives who do not live together but rely heavily on each other
census family
married couples/cohabitants who have lived together for 1+ years (with or without children) or single parents
household
people living together (whether or not they are related)
polygamy
a person having multiple spouses at the same time
expanding the nuclear family horizontally
polygyny
having several wives at the same time
polyandry
having several husbands at the same time
patrilineal
a society in which children take their father’s surname, belong to his kin group, and inherit from him
family (professor’s definition)
a social unit/set of social relations that does what families are generally imagined to do (by whatever means)
instrumental role
responsible for doing paid labour outside of the home, traditionally performed by men
(Structural Functionalism, Talcott Parsons, 1955)
expressive role
responsible for the emotional well being of the family and the socialization of children, traditionally performed by women
(Structural Functionalism, Talcott Parsons, 1955)
social reproduction
necessary activities that guarantee reproduction and survival of the population
(Conflict Theory)
What were the main ideas of “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State” (1844) by Friedrich Engels about the post-industrialization family structure?
- workplaces shifted from homes to factories
- men began working in factories, and were now dependent on business owners
- families shifted from being sites of production to sites of consumption
- women and children earned little to no wages, so they were dependent on men’
- men amassed social power and women’s social position declined
What are the main aspects of family studied by symbolic interactionalists?
- how members’ behaviour is shaped by their definitions/interpretations of situations
- how they contribute to children’s development of self
- families as cooperative groups
- roles and role strain
Exchange Theory
all relationships are based on giving and taking goods and services (ex. financial stability, affection, care) and individuals aim to maximize their rewards in their exchanges with others
(Symbolic Interactionalism)
What do feminist theories examine about families?
- families gender people’s experiences (micro-level)
- families reproduce the gendered structure of society (macro-level)
- families are the primary site for the continued subordination of women
- feminists challenged the assumption that family matters (domestic violence, child abuse, etc) should not be interfered with by the state
- colonization disrupted Aboriginal family structures
What do constructionists theorize about families?
- all naturalized models of families/kinship/parenting are questioned (bearing in mind power dynamics and how they produce these norms)
- question how norms that define what a family is came into being
- question normative categories like heteronormativity
settler sexuality
A form of colonization in which a white national heteronormativity regulates Indigenous sexuality/gender by supplanting them with the sexual majority. Indigenous people had their own systems of relationships, but were forced into monogamy and state-sanctioned marriage by law after settlers arrived and took over.
(Queer Theory, Constructionist Theory)
What are some trends involving marriage and divorce in Canada?
- marriage rate is decreasing
- average age of marriage is increasing
- common-law unions are increasing
- blended families are increasing
- same-sex marriage rate is increasing
- divorce rate increased until the 1970s-80s and is now decreasing
What are some trends involving children in Canada?
- single parents are increasing
- amount of children born per mother is decreasing
- average age of mothers is increasing
ART
assisted reproductive technologies
technologies that help couples to have children (barring adoption)
What are some examples of ART (assisted reproductive technologies)?
- donor insemination
- fertility drugs
- IVF (in vitro fertilization)
- surrogacy
What are some issues associated with ART (assisted reproductive technologies)?
- social stratification and inequality affect access to ART (only the rich can afford it)
- legal and human rights debates surrounding donors and surrogacy
- ethical considerations surrounding snowflake children
snowflake children
children born from donated and frozen embryos
during the process of IVF, many embryos are created, so a couple may take one and freeze the rest, which many be donated to others
anti-natalist
policies/practices used to reduce the population
a form of birth regulation
(one-child policy, forced sterilization)
pro-natalist
policies/practices used to increase the population
a form of birth regulation
(outlawing abortion, decreasing access to birth control, monetary rewards for childbirth)
What are some trends associated with domestic violence?
- the majority of victims are women and children
- about a quarter of women experience it over their lifetime
- most cases are unreported
- it is an issue related to gender, race, and class
