unit 1: defining family Flashcards
according to Cherlin (2009), what should we look out for when examining facts through a critical lens?
- bias in question asking, labelling, or categorizing
- facts may be cherry-picked to support a particular conclusion
- estimates may be manipulated or inflated for dramatic effect
according to Cherlin (2009) what kind of questions can we ask ourselves while analyzing facts?
who produced this fact? do they promote a particular view?
what was the purpose of making this fact known?
does it align or go against existing literature? what is the relationship between this fact to other facts or trends?
according to Coontz (2013), why are averages useful? give an example
they serve to generalize traits, behaviours, outcomes, etc so that they can be used in policymaking and urban planning decisions.
for instance, knowing averages of births in an area can be helpful so builders can decide how many bedrooms are likely to be needed in new houses
according to Coontz (2013) why must we be cautious when considering averages? give an example
outliers may skew the distribution, making the average misleading. therefore, treating averages as “normal” can lead to bad social policy.
for instance, most children with divorced parents turn out to be just as well adjusted as children of married parents, but the few who live troubled lives can lower the group average, producing exaggerated estimates of the impact of divorce
uaccording to Cowan and Cowan (2009), what factors are important to consider when attributing causality to two variables?
- causal facts are always directional
- when social trends vary together, it is not possible to conclude that one causes the other
- backward reasoning produces backward thinking - it is naive to assume that if we identify the cause then a quick fix is possible
- correlations can result from an unaccounted-for third variable
- many relationship studies focus on status (married vs unmarried/divorced) rather than relationship quality
according to Cowan and Cowan (2009), when a control group is not possible, how can alternative hypotheses be ruled out to establish causality?
- measuring other possible variables that could influence both groups, and then subtracting them from the outcome to see if any effect of the intervention remains (this method is limited by the experimenter’s ability to come up with these other variables)
- carrying out a longitudinal study to determine causality chronologically
True or False: married couples with children living at home are now a minority of all Canadian families (Luxton and Fox 2014). justify your answer
True. this is due to various changes in the political economy including women’s employment, access to contraception, popularity of cohabitation, pro-divorce policies, higher unemployment, and higher cost of education
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how has the rise of women’s long-term employment since WW2 affected the number of SNAF households in recent decades?
more dual income families and less dependence on the patriarch of the family
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how has access to effective contraception affected the number of SNAF households in recent decades?
couples have children later on in life, allowing for a more prominent “singles” lifestyle for both men and women, subsequently emphasizing women’s sexual agency and independence
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how have couples’ financial issues and unpredictable economic futures affected the number of SNAF households in recent decades?
more cohabitation leads to less or later marriage
why has there been a decline in marriage along class lines (Luxton and Fox 2014)?
financial insecurity is often seen as a prerequisite for marriage. an unstable economic climate thus leads to more cohabitation and delayed marriage among lower-class individuals
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how have various policies regarding divorce (particularly one in 1985 in Canada) affected the number of SNAF households in recent decades?
divorce has become more acceptable and accessible, resulting in more remarriages, blended families, and single parent households
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how has higher unemployment rates and elevated costs of higher education affected the number of SNAF households in recent decades?
children are more likely to move back into their parents’ household as adults, causing family structure to stretch and shrink (accordion families)
why is it so difficult to define family, according to Luxton and Fox (2014)
the definition of family is so subjective due to how familiar they are to each person. their everyday definitions contrived by individuals may get taken for granted
according to Luxton and Fox (2014) what have been the consequences of the rise of neoliberalism since the 80s on family-related policies and campaigns?
- centring of “traditional family values”.
- the family rather than the state is expected to be responsible for welfare
- encourages less reliance on government services and more on communities
- leads to reduced protection for citizens
- right wing ideas of “traditional family values” tend to ostracize non-hetero and otherwise non-standard families
name a key difference between Statistics Canada’s definitions of census family and economic family
economic families can include two co-resident census families living in the same household that are related to each other
what do Luxton and Fox (2014) propose as the appropriate definition of family? what are the advantages or disadvantages to this definition?
“the social relationships that people create to care for children and other dependents on a daily basis, and also to ensure that the needs of the adults are met”
- pro: emphasizes function over blood, allows for a certain level of self-definition of family
- con: not concrete enough to be applied as a legal definition for health services, immigration, etc
what is the structural functionalist view of family? why do feminist theorists argue against the structural functionalist view of family? (Luxton and Fox 2014)
structural functionalism argues that standard nuclear families living in a single household with gendered breadwinner/homemaker dynamic is necessary for society to run smoothly.
feminist theorists argue…
- gender norms/divisions of work in which men are the sole income earners have an inherent power imbalance
- structural functionalism makes the assumption that nuclear families exist in a vacuum, lacking intersectionality and failing to recognize gendered power imbalances
- structural functionalism also implies that all nuclear families are entirely self-sufficient
what does the theory of feminist political economy say about family, particularly in the context of capitalism? (luxton and fox 2014)
capitalism creates certain conditions for specific patterns of childrearing, in that the breadwinner/homemaker dynamic of nuclear families and unpaid domestic labour done by homemakers are central to a capitalist economy. this is bound to exacerbate gender inequality.
what do Luxton and Fox (2014) mean by “doing gender”?
doing gender involves adhering to socialized gender norms while conceptualizing gender as something that people achieve in the course of interpersonal interaction, through conformity with expectations
what is evolutionary psychology, and what is Luxton and Fox’s critique of this view?
evolutionary psychology falsely applies darwin’s model of evolution to overemphasize the importance of biology in maximizing reproduction. however, human behaviour is more than biology, and it cannot be removed from its environmental and social influences
according to Luxton and Fox (2014), how has the standard life cycle of humans changed?
as opposed to the traditional path of school -> job -> marriage -> family, job insecurity and individualistic culture have caused humans to adopt a more ongoing planning process
how does Powell (2014) define the exclusionist/traditional view of family?
values SNAF, heterosexual marriage with kids. emphasis on laws and blood ties.
how does Powell (2014) define the moderate/transitional view of family?
emphasizes commitment, whether it be long-term cohabitation, marriage, or raising children together.
how does Powell (2014) define the inclusionist/modern view of family?
values function and quality. includes same-sex, unmarried, single-parent, childless couples, and even sometimes roommates
how does Powell (2014) define the “golden girls effect”?
older generations, specifically women living together platonically, are becoming more likely to define themselves as family. this would cause them to fall under the inclusionist view.
when did structural functionalism first appear?
circa 1950s
does structural functionalism focus on the micro, macro, or both? how so?
both. macro focuses on family as a social institution, while micro focuses on who takes on what role in a family
what are the assumptions made by structural functionalists about humans and society?
everything in society has a structure and a function. certain needs must be fulfilled in order for society to survive (eg. reproduction). interdependency prevails. humans will resist change by seeking stability and survival, change thus comes slowly.
how does functionalism view family?
family is vital to overall societal functioning. it serves as a social institution that fulfills needs. it emphasizes gendered role differentiation, heteronormativity, interplay between social norms, and integration within society. functionalism examines what role a family plays in society, rather than what a family does for individuals
give an example of what kind of question a functionalist might ask on the topic of divorce.
what is the impact of divorce on family well-being?
does conflict theory focus on the micro, the macro, or both? how so?
macro, emphasizing haves and have-nots within society, with a distinct focus on class
who is often seen as the pioneer of conflict theory?
Karl Marx
what assumptions does conflict theory make about humans and society?
humans are self-interested, meaning that scarcity of resources on the production side shapes social life by causing conflict to ensue. conflict theory assumes that society exists as a state of constant competition.
true or false: according to conflict theory, conflict can be positive or negative
true, since certain conflict can produce positive outcomes
how does conflict theory view family?
conflict in and among families is inevitable. there is a strong focus on inequalities, particularly those of social class
