Chapter 1 Why Study Families and Other Close Relationships Notes from the Book I How do we define families a Sources of strength to help families cope with stressors i Education ii Legislation iii Cultural change decline b Traditional families husband wife and children living together is on the II Legal vs Social Science Definitions a U S Census Bureau two or more people living together who are related by birth marriage or adoption this definition i Heterosexual or homosexual unmarried partners are excluded from ii People feel this definition isn t accurate enough b Family relationship by blood marriage or affection in which members may cooperate economically may care for children and may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group parenthood e Fictive kin family that you are born into family you make through marriage partnering and or c Family of orientation d Family of procreation nonrelative bonds who are strong and intimate i Ex close friends unmarried homo hetero sexual partners ii Can provide care life transitions financial support etc III The function of Families a Marriage social and intimate bonds institutional arrangement between persons to publicly recognize i Some norms construct who can be married to whom can be married to and how many people an individual can marry b Anthropologist William Stephens s broad definition of marriage i Socially legitimate sexual union ii Begun with a public announcement iii Undertaken with some idea of permanence iv Assumed with a more or less explicit marriage contract that spells out reciprocal obligations between spouses and between spouses and their children c Marriages families in all cultures include functions such as i Regulation of sexual behavior circumstances one can have a sexual relationship with who or with whom and under what 1 Incest taboo forbids sexual activity and marriage among close family members a Reduces the chance of inherited genetic abnormalities and forges broader alliance by requiring marriage outside of the inner family circle ii Reproducing and socializing children done within the confines of a family to ensure both parents will assist in socialization of the children societies prefer reproduction 1 Socialization expectations and culture of the society process by which people learn the rules iii Property and inheritance humans were once hunter gathers then agriculture made owning property and obtaining resources easier Thus heir identification became important so monogamy ensured me would know their heirs iv Economic cooperation Often there is a gendered division of labor in different societies v Social placement status and roles an identity and position in society food shelter clothing and other basic needs family provides their family with 1 Status social position that people occupy in a group or in a society 2 Roles behaviors associated with these positions vi Care warmth protection and intimacy care needed to survive Spouses are expected to care for one another and their children families provide emotional IV Theme 1 Micro level and Macro level Perspectives on Families a Social structure stable framework of social relationships that guides our interactions with others b Micro level perspective a specific setting focus on the individual and his or her interactions in Individual uniqueness i ii Personal decision making iii iv Emphasizes the importance of relationship dynamics personal Interactions between small groups of people in specific situations choices and constraints but does not place those family dynamics into their social context c Elements of social structures shape our daily experiences privileges and d Macro level perspective constraints families and intimate relationships with the rest of society focuses on the interconnectedness of marriage i Families are not isolated entities V Family as a Social Institution a Social institution that is organized to meet basic human needs In early human civilization family was the center of all activities major sphere of social life with a set of beliefs and rules b i Modern day other institutions take on those functions school church education in schools etc c People want to marry though the high divorce rate d Family cannot be understood without examining how they influence and are influenced by social institutions VI Social Status and Families a Status social position that a person occupies VII i We hold many statuses i e friend student employee daughter son etc b Master status major defining status or statuses that a person occupies i Ex sex race ethnicity and social class Example of Interrelationship of Macro level and Micro level perspectives Unemployment and marriage rates a Single parent households are far more likely to be poor b Poor women value marriage too highly and believe their relationships will not meet the standard of a partner with a steady job chance to own a home and lavish wedding i Makes them avoid marriage c High unemployment rate of inner city urban dwellers contributes to the low marriage rate i Marriage to inner city men risky to poor women d Changing economy macro effects individual relationship choices micro ability of human beings to create viable lives even when e Human agency constrained or limited by social forces i Though there are powerful forces one can exercise free will VIII Theme 2 Families Are Always Changing a Marriage Patterns i Monogamy ii Polygamy gender unspecified 1 Two Types marriage between one man and one woman system that allows for more than one spouse at a time a Polygyny marriage which husbands can have more than one wife Most common Illegal in the U S but people still practice i Legal parts of Africa Middle East South America or supported by religion ii Can be a sign of wealth education and dimensions of high status iii Men use it to increase fertility wives are allowed to have more than one b Polyandry husband i Rare occurs in societies with harsh environmental conditions where poverty is widespread ii Popular in Nepal rural northern chia or India iii Marriage occurs to provide economic advantages more husbands are brothers iv Often shortage of women in societies because of female infanticide b Patterns of Authority i Patriarchy form of social organization in which the norm expectation is that men have a natural right to be in positions of authority over women c Patterns of Descent 1 Can be manifested in legal educational religious economics social organization in which the
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