Lecture 7 (Family) Flashcards
Family
Socially recognized group (usually joined by blood, marriage, or adoption) that forms an emotional connection and serves as an economic unit of society
Functionalist sociology
each social adaptation must have evolved for a reason
Functionalism: George Peter Murdock
Essential functions of the family:
George Peter Murdock: family serves essential functions crucial for the STABILITY and CONTINUITY of society
- REPRODUCTION: the family serves as the primary institution for procreation, ensuring the continuation of the human species. Through reproduction, family contributes to the GROWTH and MAINTENANCE of the POPULATION
- SOCIALIZATION: family’s role in INSTILLING SOCIETAL NORMS, VALUES, AND CULTURAL PRACTICES in their members > facilitating the transmission of essential knowledge and skills from one generation to the next
- SEXUAL TEMPERING: emphasizing the REGULATION and CONTROL of SEXUAL BEHAVIOR within the family unit
- ECONOMIC: the PROVISION OF RESOURCES and FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Talcott PARSONS
Extended family:
- not just parents and children, but also other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc
- better adapt to AGRARIAN SOCIETIES: bcs these societies are more LOCALIZED and SELF-SUFFICIENT (mandiri)
- MULTIFUNCTIONAL: serve a variety of purposes – from economic support to child-rearing (membesarkan anak)
- SELF-SUFFICIENT: functioning almost as small communities within themselves
Nuclear family:
- smaller units; just parents and children
- better suited to INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES: these societies often demand that people move to where jobs are
- MORE FLEXIBLE in terms of GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY
- emphasize SOCIAL STATUS MOBILITY: the idea that people can move up or down the social ladder based on their achievements, rather than their birth status (meritocracy)
NUCLEAR FAMILIES ARE MORE LESS TIED DOWN by the expectations of an extended family and can more easily adapt to these changing social and economic conditions
William GOODE: World Revolution and Family Patterns (1963)
Argued that GLOBAL FAMILY SYSTEMS would converge toward the NUCLEAR FAMILY model due to INDUSTRIALIZATION and URBANIZATION
Assumptions:
- A linear path to industrialization and urbanization that mirror the west
- The NUCLEAR FAMILY model was optimal for modern, industrial life
Predicted:
- The decline of EXTENDED FAMILIES
- Move away from arranged marriages
- Smaller families and family planning
- Older age at marriage
Forces of change:
1. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: smaller units are more adaptable to modern urban economies
2. URBANIZATION: with more people living in the cities, extended family ties would weaken, and the nuclear family would become the NORM because urban environments dont support LARGE HOUSEHOLDS the way rural ones might
3. INDIVIDUALIZATION: as societies modernize, people place more emphasis on PERSONAL GOALS, INDEPENDENCE, SELF-FULFILLMENT
Functional Linguistics
- def: language evolves as a practical toolkit for communication
- focus: the functions of language in real-life use (offering, advising, suggesting)
- key idea: verbs, nouns, adjectives are tools that enhance communication and understanding
- core principle: linguistic elements emerge to make communication SMOOTHER and MORE EFFICIENT
Structural Linguistics (Ferdinand de Saussure) 1857-1913
- Ferdinand de Saussure: pioneer of structural linguistics
Structural Linguistics:
- Main idea: language is a system of connected parts
Ex: words are like puzzles pieces that only make sense when you look at how they fit together
- Focus: the RULES (GRAMMAR) that organize and connect these parts, not the individual words
- Words as symbols: it doesnt have a fixed meaning by itself (bank can mean institutions/riverbank), so context and structure tell us which meaning to choose
WHY IMPORTANT?
- structural linguistics helps us understand how meaning is created by the relationships between words, not just the words themselves
- Ferdinand de Saussure: LANGUAGE WORKS LIKE A SYSTEM OF RULES AND RELATIONSHIPS, not just collection of words
Functional Linguistics VS Structural Linguistics
- Functional linguistics: focuses on how people use language to communicate (practical use)
- Structural linguistics: focuses on how the language system itself is structured and organized
Structuralism in Sociology
Main idea: things only make sense because of the RULES and RELATIONSHIPS around them
ex: chessboard
- a chess piece (king/queen) isnt special on its own
- its meaning comes from how it MOVES and its ROLE in the game, based on the RULES OF CHESS
KINSHIP EXAMPLE (FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS)
- Biology: all cousins are just children of your parents’ siblings
- CULTURE ADDS RULES:
Some cultures create EXTRA CATEGORIES, like:
(1) CROSS-COUSINS: cousins from a different-sex sibling (your mom’s brother’s child)
(2) PARALLEL COUSINS: cousins from a same-sex sibling (your mom’s sister’s child)
these categories might come with different expectations:
- you might be expected to treat a cross-cousin differently (eg. you could marry them in some societies)
IN CULTURE: FAMILY ROLES ONLY MAKE SENSE BASED ON CULTURAL RULES (cross and parallel cousins are defined differently bcs of society’s rules, not biology)
The big idea:
- meaning isnt something NATURAL or FIXED
- its created by the STRUCTURE of relationships and RULES in a system
Claude Lévi-Strauss’s Alliance Theory
Main idea: kinship (family relationships) is built on RECIPROCAL (give-and-take relationship) EXCHANGES between groups, especially through the EXCHANGE OF WOMEN in early human societies
- The “gift” of women
- Lévi-Strauss believed women were the most valuable “gifts” in early human societies because their fertility was essential for the group’s survival
- women were exchanged in marriages between groups to create ALLIANCES and MAINTAIN BALANCE - reciprocity
- ex: one group gives their sisters in marriage to another group and in return expects to receive a wife
- this exchange builds bonds between groups, fostering COOPERATION and ALLIANCES - early kinship categories:
- the exchange system created 2 main roles:
(1) wife givers: gives women in marriage
(2) wife takers: receives women in marriage - cross-cousin marriage
- in some societies, marrying a cross-cousin (a cousin from a different family line, like your mother’s brother’s child) reinforces ALLIANCES and ensures resources are shared between groups
STRUCTURALIST POV:
1. kinship isnt just about individual families but about RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GROUPS
2. the exchange system creates a SOCIAL ORDER that structures how societies function
WHY IT MATTERS
- Levi-Strauss theory explains how human societies used exchanges (of women) to establish COOPERATION, MANAGE RESOURCES, AND CREATE A SOCIAL STRUCTURE THAT WENT BEYOND INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES
Lévi-Strauss Alliance Theory
Main idea: the family is not just about roles (what men/women should do), but about RELATIONSHIPS between individuals and how those relationships are structured by simple rules
- Family as a network: web of connections between individuals and the focus is on RELATIONSHIPS rather than specific gender or generational roles
- two fundamental rules:
- incest taboo:
> across cultures, its taboo to have sexual relationships between close family members (siblings, parents, and children)
> this taboo forces people to look outside their immediate family for partners
- reciprocity principle:
> marriage isnt just about individuals - it creates LONG-TERM EXCHANGES and moral obligations between families, tribes, or groups - it’s a way to build ALLIANCES and maintain peace between groups
- Marriage as an exchange system
- marriage becomes a way to:
(1) forge alliances between extended families/communities
(2) manage property, responsibilities, and social relationships - The STRUCTURALIST APPROACH
- start with the basics: simple rules (like the incest taboo) set the foundation for understanding family structures
- relationships come first: the structure of these relationships leads to functional solutions (managing property or peace) not the other way around
WHY IT MATTERS?
Lévi-Strauss shows that faily systems are not random-they are built on simple, universal rules that shape relationships, influence cultural norms, and help societies function. By focusing on relationships instead of roles, he provides a deeper understanding of how families work across different cultures.
Lévi-Strauss - Alliance Theory
- Incest taboo: avoid marrying within close kinship relationships because of SOCIAL RULES
- Reciprocity principle: the exchange of daughters creates MORAL and SOCIAL obligations between the villages > ensuring MUTUAL SUPPORT AND COOPERATION
- Family as a network: marriages connect individuals and families into a broader system of relationships, creating a STABLE and BALANCED SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Function: the practice helps MANAGE RESOURCES, REINFORCES PEACE BETWEEN VILLAGES, and ENSURES THE SURVIVAL of the community
- Structuralism: how relationships are structured and how simple rules (like incest taboo/reciprocity) shape those relationships
Structural Marxism
Main concept:
- focusing on how MATERIAL and ECONOMIC SYSTEMS shape social structures like the family
- Unlike Lévi-Strauss’s CULTURAL focus, Structural Marxism analyze KINSHIP and FAMILY as TOOLS FOR ECONOMIC CONTROL in capitalist systems
Key terms:
1. Historical materialism:
- the idea that material conditions (economy, production, and property relations) shape social structures and institutions, incld the family
- Ex: the nuclear family developed during industrialization to suit the needs of capitalism. Men were sent to factories, while women managed households, ensuring the next generation of workers
- Economic base and superstructure
- base: the economic system (capitalism) that determines the structure of society
- superstructure: the cultural and social institutions (family) that reinforce the base
- Ex: Capitalism required a system where families:
(1) produced new workers (children)
(2) provided unpaid labor (household management, caregiving):
> work like cooking, cleaning, and caring for family members that is done at home without pay (if families didnt do this work for free, companies/govs would need to spend money on services like childcare/eldercare)/
> a mother stays at home to care for her children, which saves the system from having to pay for childcare (isnt counted as part of the economy but her role is ESSENTIAL)
(3) Absorbing the emotional toll (dampak) of harsh working conditions
- workers in a capitalist system often face long hours, low pay, and stressful conditions. Families provide emotional support, helping workers recover so they can keep working (w/o emotional support, workers would get burned out and rebel against the system) - Reproductive labor
- families produce and socialize new workers to sustain the capitalist system (eg. raising children to become laborers)
- ex: women’s unpaid caregiving ensures the survival of the labor force but is undervalued by capitalism. Eg. mothers provide essential care for children (future workers), yet this labor is not economically compensated - Urban development as a tool for control
- urban housing systems isolate nuclear families into private units, reducing collective community ties
- ex: working-class families are confined to low-resource areas, limiting their access to education and upward mobility
Dependency Theory (Wallerstein - World-Systems Theory) & (Saskia Sassen - The Role of Global Cities)
- main idea: dependency theory explains how poorer countries (peripheral regions) depend on richer countries (core regions). This dependency changes family structures in poorer areas because the richer countries influence their economy, culture, and society, often disrupting traditional family systems
Economic dependency: opportunities are concentrated in core regions
Key terms:
1. Peripheral and Core regions
- peripheral regions: economically dependent on core regions; often pooper and reliant on external resources
- core regions: wealthier, economically dominant areas that control resources and production
- effects on economic dependency
- migration and family separation: men from peripheral regions often migrate to core regions or urban hubs for work, leaving families behind for long periods
- resource imbalances: access to education, healthcare, and basic necessities is often limited in the periphery compared to the core, creating stress on families - cultural imposition
- core regions spread their way of life (culture) to peripheral regions
- how it affects families?
> in core regions, small, nuclear families are common
> in peripheral regions, extended families/communal living are more traditional
- when peripheral regions try to follow core’s nuclear family model, it disrupts traditional ways because it doesnt fit their culture/needs (nuclear families in peripheral regions can cause stress and weaken traditional support system) - Global cities and family impact (Saskia Sassen’s idea)
- global cities in core regions (NY, London) act as hubs of power and influence, attracting workers from peripheral regions and reinforcing economic inequalities
- this migration reshapes family dynamics in per areas, such as single-parent households - World-systems model (Wallerstein) (CORE-PERI RELATIONSHIPS & GLOBAL INEQUALITY)
- world-systems: division between core and peri regions and ho the core exploits the per economically and socially
- core-periphery relationships are based on exploitation, where resources and labor flow from the periphery to benefit the core
- families in the per bear the cost of this exploitation, often sacrificing stability to support global econ systems
Feminism & Patriarchy
- Main idea: patriarchy (male dominance) isnt limited to workplaces/economics. It exists in almost every part of society - laws, schools, traditions, and esp families
- feminist perspective: while marxism focuses on class and wealth as the source of oppression, feminism argues that patriarchy is deeply rooted in all social systems
- violence and patriarchal control: most violence against women happens WITHIN FAMILIES (partners, fathers, brothers, etc) not from strangers. This violence is a way for patriarchy to MAINTAIN CONTROL and KEEP MEN DOMINANT
- freedom for women: true freedom requires changing the entire social order, not just fixing one part like economy
