EXAM 1 Study Guide Changing Definition of American Families Theoretical Frameworks in Family Life o Theories A definition Systems of prediction and explanation How we make sense of and predict behavior Key Features o Researchers use theory to guide their thinking and development of hypothesis in their studies They often will test different parts of a theory And or will attempt to improve on an existing theory Theories o Structure Function o Family Systems o Social Exchange Basis of Kinship Relations in Families o Type of Marriage Monogamy Polygamy have more than one wife at a time Polyandry having more than one husband at a time Group Marriage Temporary Marriage o Mate selection Arranged Free choice Basis of Variation o Significance of relationships Consanguine blood related Conjugal related by blood o Type of Descent Matrilineal Patrilineal Bilineal History of the Function of Love in American Marriage Meaning of love intimacy in mate selection and marriage has changed over time The role of love intimacy in adult romantic relationships is based on social group membership o Examples social class ethnicity country of origin Social and intimate relationships change and adapt to societal and economic changes Colonial Era End of Pre Modern Family FORMAL INTIMACY Societal organization family based economy o Little privacy controlled for individuals couples and families o Family life controlled regulated and observed by community o Male as authoritative head of household Yet spouses worked together as a team o Mate selected for community standing suitability Jacksonian Era 1800s Beginning of modern family Societal Organization Industrialization o work world beginning to be separated from home life Development of private life Development of separate spheres and mode of interacting for men and women Community surveillance of family behavior decreased o Cult of Domesticity Notion of a vulnerable female protective male Men working outside home women in charge of home life domestic tasks New Meaning of Love in Marriage Source of stability Provider of emotional needs Precursor to the private family Response to changing work environment Development of home as haven in a heartless world o Love provided stability for marriage Increased emphasis on sex as a spiritual bond for couples Cultural backlash among things undermining importance of love o Campaigns against prostitution and masturbation Important to Note most families didn t meet the desired standard breadwinner father and homemaker was mythical norm Progressive Era Early 1900s Liberated Intimacy Societal Organization continuation of industrial based change Full emergence of private family Emergence of sexual compatibility as important in marriage Emergence of dating Development of concept of personal identity Development of women as interpersonal experts Women moving outside of home as social reformers Commercialization of personal life and attractiveness Increase in divorce 1960 s 1980 s Technical Intimacy Rebound from intense family orientation of late 40s and 50s Growth of belief in personal fulfillment including sexual satisfaction Women s Movement o Legal equality between men and women established o Increased educational and economic growth for women o Increased sexual openness women emerging as sexual being Love Sex and Adolescent Independence Prior to WWII 1940 most young adults live with their parents if they were alive Culture shift to value time away from family before settling down o Large cultural variation Onset of love and sex at same age as in prior times BUT o Not tied to marriage permanent partner We marry later than we did before in our mid twenties o Sexual debut is common prior to 18 years old By 19th birthday 7 out of 10 teens of both sexes have had intercourse Adolescents only achieve partial independence in many cases o Unable to live alone and support self without further training education o Developing of marriage as necessary for love sex intimacy Structure Function Theory Functionalist Major sociological orientation applied to families o Macro theory Key concepts o Structure unit of our society that carries out basic function Example family local government o Function a basic societal task or responsibility 300 years ago the FUNCTION of families o Reproduction of new members education economic production assignment training of social roles status o Protection meet the physical and economic needs of its members FUNCTIONS in the US today o Reproduce new members o Socialization protection and meet the physical and economic needs of its members Structure and Function are Inter related o Concepts of structure and function can be defined separately But the emphasis of the framework is how the 2 concepts are related Structure affects functioning AND assigned functions affect structure o Example In economically hard times families have taken different structures to survive ex multiple families living together Assumptions of Theory 1 Family life SHOULD be organized in a particular way 2 Optimal structure Husband breadwinner Wife homemaker care provider 3 Organization of family Structure and the roles of the parents function in the family are goal directed i To run a household and to raise the children in the home ii STRUCTURE IS NOT RANDOM IT EXISTS FOR A REASON 4 Resistant to Change Theorists view the family as static o That is it is merely the organization of the family that matters for quality life o Whether family members get along or are happy or arranges things in a different way is not considered 5 Family Roles Organized by Gender Men provide instrumental function ensure family s physical survival Women provide expressive function love and nurturance Limitations of theory breadwinner homemaker o Humans need this for survival o Family structure tradition 2 parent family is viewed as optimal The Family in Trouble Since When For Whom Reading 1 1 Major Trends in 20th century American Families o People live longer o Reduction in birth rate Chance of survival is higher Not needed for economic reasons work on farms Invention of birth control Women pursuing careers o Women working outside home MAJOR TREND Moderate Changes o Changes in age at first marriage Gone up over time o Higher rates of premarital sex o What s going on with divorce o Role of remarriage Results in higher rates of non marital child bearing Marriage no longer just an economic institution o Single Parent Families vs Extended Families vs Nuclear