Changing definition of American families Basis of kinship relations in families Types of marriage 01 30 2014 o Monogamy o Polygyny having more than one wife at one time o Polyandry having more than one husband at one time o Group marriage more of a clan multiple spouses goal is to take care of the unit children within the unit normally in less industrialized cultures o Temporary marriage spouses come together legally as a married couple it is understood that the marriage is only going to last for a limited amount of time at the end of that period you can decide if you want to stay married or not o Arranged typically outside of western culture families of future spouses select the individuals who they want their kids Mate selection to marry o Free choice Basis of variation Significance of relationships o Consanguine blood related o Conjugal related by marriage Type of descent o Matrilineal mother s bloodline o Patrilineal father s bloodline Dominates more in US because women take man s last name o Bilineal both changed over time History of the function of love in American marriage Meaning of love intimacy in mate selection marriage has The role of love intimacy in adult romantic relationships is based on social group membership o Applies today o Examples Social class ethnicity country of origin Social intimate relationships change adapt to societal economic changes o Women are working more have more economic power gives more of a power of choice 4 eras Colonial era Jacksonian era Progressive era Technical intimacy era 1960 s 1980 s o Birth control Colonial era End of pre modern era Formal intimacy Societal organization family based economy o Little house on the prairie had families that were responsible for producing their own goods for the community had to grow own food o Need partners that will help run the household Little privacy for individuals couples or families Family life controlled regulated observed by community Male as authoritative head of the household yet spouses worked together as a team Mate selected for community standing suitability Today is different a more globalized economy Role of love was basically non existent Structure functional theory functionalist Major sociological orientation applied to families o Macro theory Key concepts o Structure unit of our society that carries out a basic function o A family is an example of a societal structure Expected to carry out an action to fulfill the needs of society Example take care of the next generation Another structure would be a local government o Function a basic societal task or responsibility 300 years ago the function of families Reproduction of new members kids as a good for society to carry out jobs etc Education Economic production Assignment training of social roles status Protection food shelter clothing etc Meet the physical economic needs of its members Functions in the US today Reproduction of new members Socialization Protection Meet the physical economic emotional needs of its members o Structure function are interrelated Concepts of structure function can be defined separately But the emphasis of the framework is how the 2 concepts are related Nature of the family structure shapes the function Structure affects functioning assigned functions affect structure Example in economically hard times families have taken different structures to survive such as multiple generations living together Assumptions of structure function theory o Family life should be organized in a particular way o Optimal structure Husband as the breadwinner wife as the homemaker care provider o The organization of the family structure the roles of the parents function in the family are goal directed To run a household to raise the children in the home Keep the house clean pay bills buy clothing etc o Thus structure is not random it exists for a reason Many who support this theory are resistant to change These theorists view the family as static It is merely the organization of the family that matters for the quality of family life o Whether family members get along or are happy or arrange things in a different way is not considered Gets into the issue of public vs private families In the colonial era families were very public a lot of focus was on the function of the family not personal life or satisfaction o Family roles organized by gender Men instrumental function ensure family s physical Women expressive function provide love survival nurturance Based on research we know that humans need this for survival Limitation of structure function theory breadwinner homemaker o Family structure heterosexual traditional 2 parent married families is viewed as optimal Jacksonian era 1800 s Beginning of modern American family Major economic change societal organization industrialization o Mass production of consumer goods modern day example grocery store o Need for staff to produce these goods work world beginning to be separated from home life Development of private life o Paychecks changed what people sought in their personal relationships want home to be a safe nurturing place after working under bad conditions at the time Community surveillance of family behavior decreased Development of separate spheres mode of interacting for men Cult of domesticity notion of a vulnerable female protector women male women rights o Assumed that families should be organized this way to protect o Women began thinking about their status in society their o Men should work outside the home women should be in charge of home life domestic tasks Economic change shaped family life New meaning of love in marriage Jacksonian era Marriage was viewed as a source of stability anchor Provider of emotional needs emotional connection intimacy Precursor to the private family Response to the changing work environment Development of home as a haven in a heartless world o Love provided stability for marriage o Legislation was not yet put into place to protect workers Increased emphasis on sex as a spiritual bond for couples o Valuable byproduct of marriage not all about reproducing Cultural backlash toward things undermining importance of love which in turn would undermine the stability of the marriage o Campaigns against prostitution masturbation Important to note most families did not meet the desired standard of breadwinner homemaker o Was a mythical norm Progressive era early 1900 s liberated intimacy Post civil war Societal organization continuation of industrial