Marriage and Family Flashcards
Marriage
A group’s approved mating arrangement, usually marked by a ritual
- Polygyny, men having more than one wife
- Polyandry, women having more than one husband
Family
Group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption
- Nuclear vs. extended
- Orientation vs procreation
Household
All the people who occupy the same housing unit
Endogamy vs Exogamy
Endo - marrying within one’s group
Exo - marrying outside one’s group
Descent
Tracing kinship over generations
- Bilineal, Patrilineal, Matrilineal
Authority
Patriarchy, matriarchy, egalitarian
Functionalists Perspective
Examine how the family contributes to the well-being of society
Ex. economic production, socialization of children, care of the sick and aged, recreation, sexual control, and reproduction
Incest Taboo
Rules specifying which people are too closely related to have sex or marry
Helps family avoid role confusion and forces people to look outside the family, creating an extended network of support
Conflict Theorists Perspective
The issue is the struggle over power
The conflict over housework is really about control over scarce resources
Women still pull the second shift
The balance between power in marriage has led to the rising divorce rate
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The meanings people give to their experiences
Housework and childcare is more equally shared
Jesse Bernard; husbands and wives view their marriages in different lights which causes lots of dissatisfaction
Romantic Love
The ideological context in which people in the US seek mates and form families
Emotional, feeling of sexual attraction
Cognitive, feeling ‘in love’
Social Channels of Love and Marriage
Age, education, social class, race, and religion
- Homogamy, the tendency to marry someone with similar characteristics, usually due to spatial nearness
Interracial marriage
More than 10% of the US population are in an interracial marriage
Number of Children
Has decreased due to birth control, sexual revolution, and women’s perception of work
Religion and age are factors in size of the family
Child Rearing
Fathers have begun taking on child rearing, recently
Grandparents help fill childcare gaps left by absent fathers
One in four children are in daycare
Social Class w/Children
Melvin Kohn, parents socialize children into the norms of their respective work worlds
- Working class: conformity w/social expectations
- Middle: curiosity, self-expression, and self-control
- Upper Middle: nannies to provide individual attention
Empty Nest Today
Those aged 25-29 represent more than 20% of those who have moved back home
Problems include disruption of routines and disagreements about turf, responsibility, and authority
More US children are leaving home later or returning after initially leaving home
Marriage squeeze
Fewer unmarried males than unmarried females, exists among Black Americans
Black women are more likely to remain single or marry men with less education or who are unemployed/divorced
African American Families
Depends on social class
Upper - maintaining family lineage and preserving privilege and wealth
Middle - achievement and respectability
Poor - sharing scarce resources and including fictive kin
Latinx Familes
Depends on social class and country of origin
Distinguished by the Spanish language, Roman Catholic religion, strong family ties, and disapproval of divorce
Asian American Families
Depends on country of origin
Bob Suzuki: adopted nuclear family pattern of the US, but retained Confucian values
Native American/Indigenous Families
Face the issue of whether to follow traditional values or to assimilate
Traditionals speak native languages and emphasize distinctive values and beliefs
Elders play an active role in their children’s families
One Parent Families
Increased due to high divorce rate and increase in unwed motherhood
Most are poor because they are headed by women who earn less than men
Kids are more likely to drop out, become delinquent, be poor, divorce, and have kids outside of marriage
Voluntarily Childless Families
Increasing type of this family
The more education a woman has, the less likely to have kids
Due to weak relationships, financial constraints, and demanding careers
