CHAPTER 3 The family as a social institution and a social construction Gender based division of labor he does this and she does that Establishes unequal social roles Traditional gender structures suggest that women should be supportive to their husbands TRADITIONAL institution established roles expected women to get married and get married Patriarchal Family male dominated giving men more flexibility and privileges Modern families aren t as patriarchal today Patriarchal Bargain traditional families back then means that each partner is doing something young for the other Men provide for the women with money protection and security Women provides for the men with support safe home deference These were the roles This was called the nuclear family Many people are nostalgic for this time Many people strived to have this Less than 10 of households today fit this model Cultural conservatives people who want those family values return to women being mothers and men being providers Golden Age A nostalgic myth to how they used to be Cultural conservatives think that the new structure is a problem they want things to revert back The traditional family was very conservative Cultural progressives would say that change is a good thing Being nostalgic for it and thinking that is is the golden age is a MYTH Whats wrong with it The roles of women womens power was subordinated to men Not a good bargain for women or men Institutional sexism Changes in Marriage and Family Women have entered the labor force Transformed the economy and marriage in the family About 25 of the time the women makes more than the man does in a household Some families move because of the women s job rather than the mens Since women have entered the labor force it has delayed the age of marriage because they Changes in marketing families heat up meals and get take out more now instead of cooking complete school get a job ect meals More children in daycare because women are at work Single motherhood Having a child outside of marriage Same sex marriages Step families divorce Adoption Number of children that people are having the number has decreased Interracial families Relates to the myth of individualism families could have difficulties The responsibility is put on them they are to blame Post Modern family Myths and realities Families are expected to raise and nurture you Religion as a Social Construction and Social Institution Construction Institution Religions are argued to be created by groups of people religious ideas are human creations We look at how religions were created and how we talk about religions being created Institutions are macro and they shape our behaviors and attitudes RELIGION Religion is tied into other institutions education families government law Need to talk about social institutions with some degree of authority on exam Social Functions of Religion Creates community and in group solidarity Gives peoples something to have faith in something that explains something gives people Heaven and Hell social control gets people to conform the fear of going to hell keeps people comfort and answers in line All religions have teachings regarding what is acceptable and what is not prescriptions and proscriptions about how people are supposed to live Teachings Social stratification and differentiation religion does this Religion socializes us to believe what is what isn t acceptable Religion is the opium of the people Carl Marx This means that religion can be addictive makes people easier to control Religiosity can be measured in a bunch of ways Whether or not someone goes to church if they read the bible ect Church state prayer Other topics from readings Should there be prayer before public meetings Governments ultimately decides whether or not this should be allowed Talking about the Amish As a Subculture What does it mean to be Amish boys didn t There is a gender divide During rumspringa the girls wore their Amish clothes while the Their patriarchal beliefs are more institutionalized The girls wear the Amish clothes so they can be clearly identified The girls also usually do not drive During rumspringa the girls will be kept on a tighter leash than the boys are The church is a big part of their life there is a higher degree of religiosity once the Their lives are more simple than our English lives we have more going on Amish people join the church Simplicity sociologists call them folk societies Speaking a different language It keeps the tradition alive Dropping out of school after 8th grade to work They say that education leads to pride Knowledge could lead to power and superiority They don t want the people to become more worldly The Amish are communalistic They contrast our individualistic society Big families Big benefit when you live agriculturally About Their Social Institutions In OUR world the biggest social institution is the economy It rules our world The most powerful social institution in the AMISH world is the church and family A lot of things that affect our lives do not affect their lives That is what makes their lives simpler About Constructions of Adolescence RUMSPRINGA There is a 90 retention rate of people that come back to the church Fear of going to hell so they come back to the church The church may do it deliberately so that all of the partying gets old and they eventually want to come back There is a lot of pressure to join the church They would have a hard time living in the English modern world with an 8th grade education there are limitations Mass Media as a Social Institution What are mass media Forms of communications that reach a large audience Examples advertisements relate to the economy usually ads are trying to sell things video games television internet telephones newspapers comics Technology is an agent for mass media spreading The world is so fast paced trying to stay on top of things are hard Mass media and violence Media desensitizes us to violence Makes us think that there is a lot more violence in society than there really is Exposure to pornogrophy Does it degrade women Does it increase violence towards women Are people able to separate fantasy from reality Mass media in your lives is it good or bad Should we restrict media or not lost all these other notes Social Change and Social Movements Types of Social Movements Social change can be defined by social movements The people who make the change are the groups more so than the leaders contentious politics social