FAD2230 EXAM 1 Material Chapter 1 Why Study Families and Other Close Relationships How Do We Define Family Legal vs Social Science Definitions o Legal o Social Science Family 2 people who are related by birth marriage or adoption Family a relationship by blood marriage or affection in which members may cooperate economically may care for any children and may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group Much more broad This is the book s definition Ex Football team various clubs and organizations o Family of Orientation family you were born into o Family of Procreation the family you make through marriage partnering and or o Fictive Kin Nonrelatives whose bonds are strong and intimate parenthood Not blood related o All three of the above descriptions are included in the definition of family provided by the book Why Are Definitions So Important o How our society defines a family has important consequences with respect to rights including access to a spouse s or partner s Social Security benefits pensions and health insurance The Functions of Families intimate bonds Marriage An institutional arrangement between persons to publicly recognize social and o ALL societies have a certain marriage ceremony that fits in with their customs o ALL societies have norms that exist that define who can marry whom how many spouses you can have what the ceremony should be like and how married people should behave Ex We traditionally wear white wedding dresses in the US it usually isn t questioned o Anthropologist William Stephens Definition 1 Socially legitimate sexual union 2 Public announcement 3 Undertaken with some idea of permanence 4 Assumed with a more or less explicit marriage contract reciprocal contract that spells out the obligations between spouses and between spouses and their children More figurative contract 97 99 of people expect monogamy o Expect they won t beat us won t cheat typically not written out Marriage and families in all cultures include such functions as o Regulation of Sexual Behavior Incest taboo that is culturally universal Do not have sex with close family members Reduces the chance on inherited genetic abnormalities and it also forges broader alliances by requiring marriage outside of the inner family circler o Reproducing and Socializing Children All societies need to reproduce new members to keep society going Need to ensure socialization Socialization is teaching children the rules expectations and culture of the society in which they live When children are taught the rules of societies o How to behave in certain settings o What their expectations are Responsibility of this falls on the parents o Property and Inheritance As societies evolved they developed a surplus of food and property and therefore it s important to identify you heirs Led to the importance of monogamy in terms of identifying their heirs Monogamy ensured that men would know who were their hears without o Economic Cooperation monogamy paternity was uncertain Families cooperate to clothe feed and shelter their children and each other Very difficult to do on your own o Social Placement Status and Roles Families provide members with that sense of belonging Your identity your place in society your social class your racial and ethnic identity and your religious affiliation Ex Families give us our initial social class position provide us with a religious affiliation and give us a racial and ethnic identity o Care Warmth Protection and Intimacy We can t survive on food and shelter alone The absence of physical contact is deadly to us Those without it their growth is stunted Very powerful relationships Linking the Micro level and Marco level Perspectives on Families Social Structure A stable framework of social relationships that guides our interactions with others o Refers to the patterns of social organization that guide our interactions with others Micro level Focus on the individual and his her interactions in specific settings o Emphasizes the importance of relationship dynamics including personal choices or constraints but that doesn t place those family dynamics into their social context Although each relationship is unique families also behave in predictable ways o Because they operate within the larger social structure o Elements of social structures shape our daily experiences privileges and constraints Macro level Focus on interconnectedness of marriage families and intimate relationships with the rest of society o The social cultural political and economical forces that influence and shape your decisions o Reason why you want to have children macro level influences your decision Family as a Social Institution o Social Institution A major sphere of social life with a set of beliefs and rules that is organized to meet basic human needs o In early civilization families were the ones who educated children that cared for the sick the ones that practiced and passed on religions to children Very important institution Social Status and Families o Master Status The major defining status or statuses that a person occupies Many of us hold several masters statuses each with a set of privileges and constraints Sex race ethnicity and social class o Status is another element of social structure Refers to the social position that you occupy Woman man son daughter o Many times your master status is linked to your gender or race main things that define you Families Are Always Changing Marriage Patterns o Monogamy marriage between one man and woman o Polygamy A system that allows for more than one spouse at a time gender unspecified Polygyny marriage pattern in which husbands can have more than one wife Legal in places in South Africa Polyandry The marriage pattern in which wives are allowed to have more than one husband Most rare Patterns of Authority o Patriarchy a form of social organization in which the norm or expectation is that men have a natural right to be in positions of authority over women Reflected in most major institutions Man is in charge Most widespread around the world o Matriarchy A form of social organization in which the norm or expectation is that the power and authority in society would be vested in women No form is noted socially wide Referred to as a theoretical alternative because no known cases of true matriarchies have ever been recorded o Egalitarian the expectation that power and authority are equally vested in both men and women Patterns of Descent Most
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