Social Status 08 27 2014 Our choices even personal ones do not exist in a vacuum What s your social location Gender Race ethnicity Socioeconomic status Social Stratification Hierarchal ranking of categories of people within society All groups are NOT treated equally More less or different opportunities Sociological Imagination Personal experiences are shaped by forces within our society Not about feeling superior or inferior Think about how society either empowers us or constrains us Basics Difference between terms sex and gender Gender is socially constructed Androgyny having both masculine and feminine traits Men and Women o Biological differences o Some cognitive differences Hypothesis that males and females are similar on most but not all psychological variables Hyde 2005 Very few differences 78 of gender differences were small or close to zero Differences did exist in two areas o motor performance o measures of sexuality Gender socialization taught the cultural norms associated with being male or female Agents of Socialization o Parents o Schools o Toys o Peers o Mass Media How does gender influence family close relationships Patriarchy social organization in which the expectation is that men have a natural right to be in positions of authority Perhaps more similar than different Gender Similarity Hypothesis Differences are emphasized and differences are experienced Headline News Race vs Ethnicity Race real or perceived physical traits deemed important by society Ethnicity shared cultural characteristics Different Experiences Based on Skin Color Prejudice attitude o Stereotypes over simplification of a group of people Discrimination behavior o Individual discrimination what happens to a person in their daily interactions o Institutional discrimination in terms of government in our society in religion ex voters need driver s license lower class don t drive White Privilege By Peggy McIntosh 1988 White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions maps passports codebooks visas clothes tools and blank checks Racial Ethnic Family Groups Cultural Equivalent o Emphasizes similarities to mainstream white families o Views distinguishing qualities of minority groups as negative Cultural Deviant or pathological Cultural Variant o Emphasizes cultural contextual factors when understanding minority family groups Cultural Trends in Families review these in book Fastest growing minority group Why The model minority The highest infant mortality rate and lowest life expectancy Social Class Socioeconomic Status o Income o Education o Occupational prestige How does social class influence the family and our relationships Caste System in India Supreme court of India ruled in 2007 that social organization is based on caste is inherited and cannot be changed BUT discrimination against lower castes is illegal American Dream Social Mobility Upward movement from one class to another FAD 08 27 2014 Chapter 1 Why Study Families Families are a central social institution Family US Census Bureau Definition adoption Family Social Science Definition 2 or more people living together related by birth marriage or A relationship by blood marriage or affection In which members may o Cooperate economically o Care for children o Consider identity to be intimately connected to the larger group Types of Families Family of orientation origin Family of procreation Fictive kin Why definitions are important Shared meaning Social implications o DTR Policy implications o Taxes health insurance benefits Purpose of Family Economic cooperation Care warmth protection intimacy Reproduce and socialize children Regulate sexual behavior Social placement status roles Property inheritance In sum Purpose of family SOCIALIZATION Teaching Modeling children the rules and expectations of society the rules and expectations of society Headline News Definitions matter Families have many varied purposes Families facilitate socialization Linking the Micro level and Macro level Perspectives on Family 8 29 Themes of the Course Micro Level Factors o Personal choices o Behaviors o Feelings o Communication o Decisions o Constraints o Values o Interactions Macro Level Factors o Culture o History o Power Inequality o Social institutions o Social status o Social movements Social Structure found in our society interactions with others Our relationships are inextricably related to the social structure patterns of social organization that guide our Families are Always Changing Studying Families in American History o Colonial America o Indentured servants slaves o Industrialization o Families today companionate family you choose your families and who you marry because of love Profile of US Families today o Marry later o Smaller families o More working moms o Elderly population increased o More single parent households The Importance of Social Science Research Types of Research o Quantitative Research responses are quantifiable numeric choose from a pre determined group of possible answers check the appropriate response o Qualitative Research responses are open ended not restricted to a pre determined group of possible answers tell me about your experience with Different Goals of Research o Describe phenomenon prevalence o Examine factors associated with phenomenon correlation o Explain cause and effect causation o Examine meanings and experiences How Do We Study Families o Research question What do you want to know Independent and Dependent Variables The population you want to study o Theory o Hypothesis o Research methodology Research Theory Theory Our Lens of Families 9 22 14 9 51 AM Provide basic assumptions about nature society Range from macro to micro perspective Types of Research Quantitative Research Qualitative Research Research Design Structure Experiment treatments Case Study group or event Cross Sectional Longitudinal Research Methods Logistics Survey Focus group In Depth interview o People randomly assigned to groups given different o Descriptive exploratory or explanatory analysis of a person o Examination occurs at one time point o Examines the same individuals at several time points Observational study Secondary analysis Macro Level and Micro Level Research Ex What do we know about the high school class of 2013 o Out of 100 members of a HS class o 71 experience physical assault o 64 have had sex o macro level Ex How do views on marriage influence future action of attending premarital counseling o Theory
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