Introduction to Sociology Review Guide Exam 3 Exam Date June 21 from 2 3 15 pm 06 20 2013 Topics Family Education Religion Sports Health and Aging Videos Robinson TED Talk Not Just a Game Sick Around the World What do sociologist mean by family Critical social institution that functions as a part of society Family is also a distinct social group with its own roles patterns and behaviors It is a cultural universal though structure varies across time space Origins of term Family Romans Familia means household property the fields house money and slaves Famulus servant Greeks Oikos means property or domicile Arabia Nikah word for marriage literally meaning sexual intercourse Change in definition of family over time Colonial families were organized around work and community obligation and were kept in line with highly structure authority With modernity came a separation of spheres for men and women o Men went to work for capitalists and women stayed at home Not matter of choice Child labor was commonplace traditional 1950s family not so golden women felt trapped Current trends in U S Families Rising age at first marriage Increasing numbers of people living alone Sharp rise in cohabitation Increasing numbers of single parent and stepparent families Ongoing high rate of divorce Sharp rise in dual earner families U S Trends in Household Types Global Trends in Marriage Declining influence of clans and kin groups Increasing freedom of mate selection Expanding rights for women Fewer kin marriages Increasing degree of sexual freedom Declining birthrates Increasing room for children s rights Family Composition Set of people related by o blood marriage or some other agreed upon relationship or adoption who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for member of society Nucleus or core upon which larger family groups are built aka Family group consisting of a pair of adults and their children Middle class idea o two parents and their children Family in which relatives live in same house as parents and their children o Everyone with Shared blood Marriage between people of the same social category marriage between people of different social categories Nuclear Family Extended Family Endogamy Exogamy Homogamy Conscious or unconscious tendency to select mate with personal characteristics similar to one s own Variation in family and relationships by class Social Class position o Upper class emphasizes lineage and maintenance of family o Lower class families likely to have one parent at home and children typically assume adult responsibilities Racial and Ethnic Differences o Subordinate status of racial and ethnic groups profoundly affects family life Monogamy Serial Monogamy Marriage unites TWO partners When a person has several spouses in his her lifetime but only one spouse at a time Polygamy Polygyny Polyandry Individual has several husbands wives simultaneously Marriage of a man to more than one women at a time Marriage of woman to more than one husband at a time Functionalist View of the Family Family serves six functions for society o 1 Protection o 2 Socialization o 3 Reproduction o 4 Regulation of sexual behavior o 5 Affection and companionship o 6 Provision of social status Primary socialization of children Personality stabilization of adults Conflict View of Family Family reflects inequality in wealth and power found within society In wide range of societies husbands exercised power and authority within the family Interactionist View of Family View family as economic unit contributing to social justice Focuses on micro level of family and intimate relationships Interested in how individuals interact with each others whether they are cohabiting partners or longtime married couples Feminist View of Family Urged social scientists to rethink notion that families with no adult male present are automatically cause for concern Family as a perpetuator of gender roles Focus on the way traditional models of family reinforce our system of gender inequality Child rearing preindustrial societies Big families pay off in o Children supplied labor o High death rate Industrialization transformed children from asset to liability Parenting is expensive lifelong commitment Recently U S witnessed extension of parenthood with adult children living at home boomerang generation Family in Later Life Increasing life expectancy in U S o Couples who stay married do so for a longer time Empty Nest o Requires adjustments o Less sexual passion more understanding and commitment Adults in midlife now provide more care for aging parents Baby Boomers in the 60 s are the sandwich generations o Many especially women spend many years caring for aging parents as they did for their children Final and most difficult transition in marriage life o Death of a spouse o Wives typically outlive husbands o Challenge greater for men o Fewer friends than widows lack housekeeping skills Transitions in Family Life Causes of Divorce o Individualism on the rise o Romantic love fades o Women are less dependent on men o Many of today s marriages are stressful o Divorce is socially acceptable o A divorce is easier to get Divorce Rate for the United States 1890 2006 o Over the long term the U S divorce rate has gone up o Since about 1980 however the trend has been downward Who divorces Young couples are at greatest risk o Especially after brief courtship o Lack of money and emotional maturity Also rises if couple married after an unexpected pregnancy People whose parents divorce has a higher divorce rate More common if both partners have successful careers Men and women who divorce are more likely to divorce again Divorces and Children Mothers gain custody but fathers earn more income Well being of many children depend on court ordered child support payments Courts award child support in 57 of all divorces involving children 3 2 million deadbeat dads Federal legislation requires employed to withhold money from earnings of parents who fail to pay Remarriages and blended families Four out of five people who divorce remarry Blended families composed of children and some combinations of biological parents and step parents Adjustments are necessary Change to relax rigid family roles Single Parenthood Approximately half of children in the United States spend a part of childhood in single parent families Nearly always headed by women Small movement of single mothers by choice made up of affluent never married women For most single
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