Key Concepts/Vocab Flashcards
Genealogy
the study of ancestry & family history
Family (working definition)
Group of related people bound by connections that are biological, legal, or emotional
personal family
people to whom we feel related & who we expect to define us as members of their family
legal family
group of individuals related by birth, marriage, or adoption
–>A state-imposed legal definition that carries many rights & responsibilities overseen by the gov’t –> implications for resource distribution
institutional arena
a social space in which relations between people in common positions are governed by accepted informal rules of interaction
family arena
institutional arena where people practice intimacy, childbearing & socialization, and caring work
state arena
where behavior is regulated through political mean, violence is controlled, & resources are redistributed
market arena
the institutional arena where labor for pay, economic exchange, and wealth accumulation take place
–> state has direct interaction w/ the market through the regulation of economic organizations and tax and fee collections
consensus perspective (Talcott Parsons)
projects the image of society as collective expression of shared norms & values
structural functionalism (Émile Durkheim)
assumes there is a good reason for things to be the way they are & explains based on this premise
emphasis on breadwinner-homemaker family: employed father, non-employed mother, children
conflict perspective
opposition & conflict define a given society & are necessary for social evolution; conflict can create positive change and doesn’t threaten social stability
feminism
seeks to understand & reduce inequality b/ween men & women
3 contributions of feminism:
1) gender inequality is central to family life
2) family structure is socially constructed
3) feminist theorists in subsequent generations argued that gender perspectives are not uniform
gender socialization
process by which individuals internalize elements of the social structure in their own personalities
exchange theory
theory that individuals or groups w/ diff resources, strengths, and weaknesses enter into mutual relationships to maximize their own gains
–> division of housework—men’s greater earning power gives them stronger bargaining position
–>Women inclined to accept arrangements where they’re the weaker parties—> take on time-consuming household tasks
–>each party considers the costs and benefits of their actions and their partnerships are rational and deliberate
symbolic interactionism
theory concerned w/ ability of humans to see themselves through the eye of others and to enact social roles based on others’ expectations t
Need to look at what ppl do vs what they say or what things mean to them
–>Social roles= symbols
–>Actions form the basis for understanding
–>Meaning can only be understood by studying the actions of individuals
A sense of self & identity is formed
modernity
theory of the historical emergence of the individual as an actor of society and how individuality changed personal & institutional relations
Personal taste & choice have become institutionalized and are expected of individuals
The “modern individual is socially constructed as a “citizen” with personal rights
first modernity
’60s and before
More divorce, increasing age at first marriage, fewer children, fewer people living in extended families
Free choice, but “normal” family standard remained intact
second modernity
since ’70s –> diversity & individuality as new norm
Acting individually supported by state & market–> people seen as individuals instead of family members
Family wage: the amount necessary for a male earner to provide subsistence for his wife & children w/o them having to work for pay
Most employers don’t consider it necessary to pay a family wage to male workers as in the post
“Institutionalized individualization”–> tremendous fragmentation of family identities & big psych burden on people
demographic perspective
study of how family behavior & household structures contribute to large population processes
focus on birth, death, migration; researchers interested in childbirth
looks for patterns and what is “normal”: traditional “normal” progressions
life course perspective
study of family trajectories of individuals and groups as they progress through lives, in social & historical context
goal: place family events in a historical context
recognizes importance of timing
bias
tendency to impose previously held views on the collection & interpretation of fact
sample surveys
identical questions asked of many diff people & answers gathered into one large data file
–> effective in predicting people’s behavior
longitudinal surveys
same people are interviewed over a period of time
in-depth interviews
used to avoid assumptions and superficial answers; rely on answers provided to the researcher
–>Interpersonal dynamics & subtleties best studied through direct observation & interaction (ethnography)
time use studies
surveys that collect data on how people spend their time during a sample period
time diary studies
people record what they were doing, where they were, who they were with for small increments of time over an entire day
The granting of marriage licenses is an example of which arenas interacting?
state & family
According to conflict theories, who benefits from family structures where
women stay home and men work for pay
men and employers
Rosa thinks of her mother’s best friend, Maria, as her aunt, and Maria treats
Rosa as her niece. Rosa and Maria could be labeled a(n)
personal family
According to recent feminist family theorists, which statement is true?
A. Family types are biologically determined and rarely change.
B. What’s good for some women is good for all women.
C. Men and women have very similar experiences of family life.
D. Family types are socially constructed
D. Family types are socially constructed
Which theory sees people as individuals entering into mutual relationships
to maximize their own gains?
exchange theory
For the purposes of the contemporary U.S. Census, a family
A. must occupy the same household.
B. may occupy several households.
C. includes a man and his family.
D. includes unmarried partners
A. must occupy the same household
The demographic perspective in family studies focuses most on
family and household structures
4 historical trends of family
- Most people today live much longer than people did in the past
- People today have fewer children than people did in the past
- Family members perform fewer functional tasks at home
–> Technological innovations—laundry machines, roombas, dishwashers.. - Families have become more diverse in recent decades
nuclear family
a married, monogamous couple living with their own (usually biological) children and no extended family members
monogamy
marriage of one person to another
polygamy
marriage in which one person has several spouses
Themes of European family systems –> legacy on American family life
- Prominent religious regulation by Christian churches
- Extreme inequality and separate family worlds of the rich and poor
- Family relations were not matters of personal choices; marriage was a political and economic institution
- Patriarchy: the system of men’s control over property, fathers’ authority over family
matrilineal descent
family system in which wealth & power are transmitted from mothers to daughterslocal
European colonists’ influence
—> marriage out of necessity rather than love
–> marriage maintained civility & social structure; free will & choice more endorsed
–> Protestant doctrine: gave men power over wives and power to local community leaders (imposed Christian doctrine on marriage)
–> women’s survival depended on conformity
coverture
legal doctrine that incorporated wives under into their husbands’ citizenship
Calvinist view
children were guilty of sin and needed to be controlled through the discipline and work
extended families
family households in which relatives beyond parents and children live together
stem family
the household formed by one grown child remaining in the family home with his/her parents
African Americans
–> 1619-mid-1800s: sold into slavery
–> slavery disrupted cultural groups w/ diff kinship networks, languages, and traditions
–> recognition of family lineages was difficulty bc of name erasure
–> unions between enslaved people were not recognized
modern family (1820-1900)
*democracy & industrial capitalism –> new ideas, laws, and growth of the market economy
courtship
practice where young people had choice about their partner but still remained under parental control
Children and Families
number of children per family dropped
-> birth control
–>desired fewer children
new ideals
–> children’s individuality
–> change in Calvinist view: children were now seen blank states of innocence
separate spheres
doctrine under which a woman’s place was in the private
sphere, which included family life and the home, while
a man’s place was in the public sphere
–> women expected to make home a sanctuary from the industrial world
–> created impression of wives’ dependency on husbands
monogamous morality
-rules that included monogamy, a moral standard for women to be faithful to their husbands, and husbands supporting their wives and children economically
patterns for African American families
-more gender equality than White families based on women’s economic roles
-more fragile marriages bc of poverty
-stronger extended family networks
Asian Americans
-Chinese Exclusion Act—> cut off new immigration, led tp few Chinese women being able to join Chinese men in the U.S.
–> these men remained unmarried bc prohibition of interracial marriage
Mexican Americans
–> new Mexican Amer. were poor farmers after large commercial farmers put them out of business
–> Latino family life in early America: long periods of separation, need for strong family bonds and extended family care relationships
companionship family
ideal type of family characterized by mutual affection, equality, and comradeship of its members
–> ideal, not a reality
–> shared by White middle-class families
companionate marriage
marriage as a friendship & romance, rather than a platform for cooperation and survival
dating
mate selection process in which young adults spend time w/ a variety of partners before making long-term commitment
–>authority of young men who initiated and paid for dates, instead of parental authority
family wage
amount necessary for a male earner to provide for his wife and children (who don’t work for pay)
baby boom
period of high birth rates in U.S. between 1946-1964
deviation from “traditional” family
–> rise in women’s employment
–> state forces helped people live more independently
weaknesses of companionate marriage model
- never a truly equal partnership bc women made less money (patriarchy)
- affection was all that held a marriage together
Patterns of modern relationships (end of 20th c)
- living independently w/o a spouse of relatives has become more common
- increasing physical separation from family members heightens independence
double-edged sword nature of independence in institutional arenas
State–> independence marked by citizenship, but citizenship rights come with responsibilities (regulation of choices)
Market–> independence expressed by the role of worker, but freedom to contract labor allows employers to hire and fire at will
Family: independence represented by marriage choice, but independence introduced a sense of instability
Changes in emotional bonds between children & families
- growing crisis of grandparents’ loneliness (increasing distance and financial independence of family members)
- grandparents becoming caregivers of children
- “sandwich generation”–> middle-class, middle-aged adults who care for elderly parents AND adolescents while going through midlife crises
key ideas of biology, race, & ethnicity
“races” attempted to classify and rank groups of people by outward appearance
–> Biology doesn’t support the classification of people into races
–> skin color is a bio adaptation to help people survive near the equator, but other visible differences have evolved randomly
–>One-drop rule—based on economic interests of male lave owners, who made sure that the children they fathered with Black slave women remained their property instead of becoming heirs
–> race & ethnicity are socially constructed
race
group of people believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities
–> More stable
ethnicity
a group of people with a common cultural identification, based on a combo of language, religion, ancestral original, or traditional practices
–>Can change over a person’s lifetime, from one social setting to another
endogamy
marriage and reproduction within a distinct groupe
exogamy
marriage and reproduction outside one’s distinct group
minority group
a racial or ethnic group that occupies a subordinate status in society
–> smaller than dominant group
–> status raises questions about rights and social justice
race socialization
the specific verbal & nonverbal messages that generations transmit to younger generations regarding the meaning and significance of race
–> parents of color, esp Black parents, discuss their heritage w/ children more often than White parents
resocialization
the process whereby people learn new rules and norms upon entering a new social world
desocialization
the process whereby people unlearn rules and norms upon exiting a social world
anticipatory socialization
the process whereby we learn about a social role in advance of enacting the role
American Indian society values
-value of cooperation over competition
-well-being of the collective < individual (collectivism)
-spiritual orientation
-acceptance of informal same-sex marriage
-some tribes practiced polygamy
W.E.B Du Bois on slavery
the oppression of slavery & discrimination in urban relined districts –> devastating consequences for Black family life
–> Black community in Philadelphia had low marriage rates and more single mothers and unmarried couples cohabiting in the city that there were among Whites
Black women & family resilience
-became strong leaders and workers out of necessity to keep families out of poverty
–> seen as resilient and adaptive
–> post Civil War, many Black Americans upheld separate spheres & nuclear family models
Black family dynamics (urban poverty, retreat from marriage)
*today there exists a highly visible Black middle class
–> high poverty rate due to deindustrialization–production of goods to production of services
–drop in marriage rates due to: economic instability, shortage of Black men (higher mortality and incarceration rates, Black men marrying outside of race)
Latinx culture & diversity
flow of immigrants helps maintain cultural continuity (high level of transnationalism)
familism
personal outlook that puts family obligations first, followed by individual’s needs
–> strong intergenerational ties
–>2-3x more likely to live in extended families than other groups
Asian Americans and diversity
Confucian-based education
–parental support for education is why >11 % of Asian Americans ages 18-24 are high school dropouts
-filial piety–>respect and care for elders
-older Asian-American immigrants are well-integrated, but impacted by rise in anti-Asian hate
-overall relatively high incomes & occupational status
Immigration overview
-almost 15% of U.S. residents are immigrants
-current wave of immigration dates to 1965–> reform that allowed the immigration of spouses, children, and parents of citizens; termination of quota system
-family reunification==> mauy increase social distance between immigrant groups & society
acculturation
the acquisition of a new culture and language
consonant acculturation
parents and children together gradually transition away from their home culture and language
dissonant acculturation
children develop English ability more quickly and integrate into the new society more easily than their parents
assimilation
gradual reduction of ethnic distinction between immigrants and the mainstream society
–> successful only when host society accepts the new group
immigrant generations & family issues
1) 0.5 generation–> retirement age; joined their families in the U.S. at older ages and may feel more isolated and dependent on children; provide connection to homeland for grandchildren
2) 1st gen–> working-age adulthood; classic immigrants who bring the family to the U.S. and may never feel integrated into the new society
3) 1.5 gen–> childhood (ages 6-12); learned to speak a diff language and may speak English imperfectly, often the most acculturated members of the immigrant family
4) 2nd gen–> children of immigrants; born and raised in U.S. and are transitional generation
5) 3rd gen–> grandchildren of immigrants; may retain their identity as part of an immigrant family but see their ethnicity as family history rather than own experience
social distance
level of acceptance that members of one group have toward members of another
–> intermarriage
Undocumented immigration & immigration policy
-1/4 of all immigrants are undocumented
-about 2/3 of undocumented immigrants have been in the country for 10 yrs+
-immigration policy risk–separation of families
-undocumented immigrants have children who are citizens by virtue of being born in the U.S.
Lin marries someone from their cultural group. Which term best applies to
this situation?
endogamy
Ernesto is a Cuban American living near Miami in South Florida. Which
statement about Ernesto is correct?
A. Ernesto’s race is Hispanic.
B. Ernesto’s ethnicity is Cuban.
C. Ernesto’s ethnicity is Caucasian.
D. Ernesto is not a minority because of the large number of Cuban Americans
living in South Florida.
Ernesto’s ethnicity is Cuban
Catalina, a Latina immigrant, set aside her dreams of continuing her education in order to work and send money to her family in her country of origin. This is an example of the cultural trait of:
familism
José and Maria came to the United States from Mexico with their parents. They quickly learned English, but their parents struggle with it and want to continue to
speak Spanish at home to maintain their culture. This is an example of
dissonant acculturation
