SOCIOLOGY: A Brief Introduction Richard T. Schaefer SOCIOLOGY: A Brief Introduction Sixth Edition McGraw-Hill © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE FAMILY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS 12 THE FAMILY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS Global View of the Family Studying the Family Marriage and Family Divorce Diverse Lifestyles Social Policy and the Family: Gay Marriage

Global View of the Family Composition: What Is the Family? Nuclear Family: nucleus or core upon which larger family groups are built Extended Family: family in which relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles live in same home as parents and their children

Global View of the Family Composition: What Is the Family? Monogamy: form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married only to each other Serial Monogamy: when a person has several spouses in his or her lifetime, but only one spouse at a time

Global View of the Family Composition: What Is the Family? Polygamy: when an individual has several husbands or wives simultaneously Polygyny: marriage of a man to more than one woman at a time Polyandry: marriage of a woman to more than one husband at the same time.

Global View of the Family Kinship Patterns: To Whom Are We Related? Kinship: state of being related to others Bilateral Descent: both sides of a person’s family are regarded as equally important Patrilineal descent: only the father’s relatives are important Matrilineal descent: only the mother’s relatives are significant

Global View of the Family Authority Patterns: Who Rules? Patriarchy: males are expected to dominate in all family decision making Matriarchy: women have greater authority than men Egalitarian family: family in which spouses are regarded as equals

Global View of the Family Figure 12.1: Households by Family Type, 1940–2003 Continued…

Global View of the Family Figure 12.1: Households by Family Type, 1940–2003

Studying the Family Functionalist View Family serves six functions for society: Reproduction Protection Socialization Regulation of sexual behavior Affection Providing of social status

Studying the Family Conflict View Family reflects inequality in wealth and power found within society Throughout human history, husbands have exercised power and authority within the family View the family as an economic unit contributing to social injustice

Studying the Family Interactionist View Focuses on the micro level of family and other intimate relationships Interested in how individuals interact with each other, whether they are cohabiting partners or long-term married couples

Studying the Family Feminist View Urged social scientists and social agencies to rethink notion that families in which no adult male is present are automatically a cause for concern Feminists stress the need to investigate neglected topics in family studies

Studying the Family

Marriage and Family Courtship and Mate Selection Aspects of Mate Selection Incest taboo: social norm common to virtually all societies, prohibits sexual relationships between certain culturally specified relatives Exogamy: Requires mate selection outside certain groups, usually one’s own family or certain kinfolk Endogamy: Specifies groups within which a spouse must be found and prohibits marriage with members of other groups

Marriage and Family Courtship and Mate Selection The Love Relationship Coupling of love and marriage is not cultural universal Many of world’s cultures give priority in mate selection to other factors, such as in an arranged marriage

Marriage and Family Figure 12.2: Percentage of People Aged 20 to 24 Ever Married, Selected Countries Source: United Nations Population Division 2001.

Marriage and Family Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships Social Class Differences In upper class, emphasis is on lineage and maintenance of family position Lower class families likely to have only one parent at home, and children typically assume adult responsibilities In poor families, women often significant source of economic support

Marriage and Family Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships Racial and Ethnic Differences Subordinate status of racial and ethnic groups profoundly affects family life

Marriage and Family Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships Racial and Ethnic Differences Family patterns differ among racial and ethnic groups

Marriage and Family Figure 12.3: Rise of One-Parent Families among Whites, African Americans, Hispanic, and Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States Continued…

Marriage and Family Figure 12.3: Rise of One-Parent Families among Whites, African Americans, Hispanic, and Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States Continued…

Marriage and Family Figure 12.3: Rise of One-Parent Families among Whites, African Americans, Hispanic, and Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States Continued…

Marriage and Family Figure 12.3: Rise of One-Parent Families among Whites, African Americans, Hispanic, and Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States

Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Parenthood one of most important social roles in U.S. One recent development in family life in U.S. has been the extension of parenthood, as adult children continue to (or return to) live at home after college.

Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Adoption “Allows for the transfer of the legal rights, responsibilities, and privileges of parenthood” to a new legal parent or parents (E. Cole 1985) In many cases, these rights are transferred from a biological parent or parents to an adoptive parent or parents

Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Dual-Income Families Among married people between the ages of 25 and 34, 92% of men and 75% of women are in labor force

Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Single-Parent Families Family in which there is only one parent present to care for the children In 2000, a single parent headed about: 21% of White families with children under 18 35% of Hispanic families with children 55% of African American families with children About 82% of single parents in U.S. are mothers

Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Stepfamilies The rising rate of divorce and remarriage has led to significant increase in stepfamily relationships Children raised in families with stepmothers likely to have less health care, education, and money spent on food than children raised by biological mothers

Divorce Factors Associated with Divorce Perhaps most important factor in increase in divorce over last hundred years has been the greater social acceptance of divorce Other factors include: Greater family income More opportunities for women More liberal divorce laws Families have fewer children

Divorce Statistical Trends in Divorce Divorce rates in U.S. and many other countries began to increase in the late 1960s but then started to level off and even decline since the late 1980s About 63% of all divorcees in the U.S. have remarried

Divorce Figure 12.4: Trends in Marriage and Divorce in the United States, 1920-2003

Divorce Impact of Divorce on Children It would be simplistic to assume that children are automatically better off following the breakup of their parents Recent research suggests that impact of divorce can extend beyond childhood, affecting a grown person’s ability to establish a lasting marital relationship

Diverse Lifestyles Cohabitation Male-female couples who choose to live together without marrying Working couples are almost twice as likely to cohabitate as college students Recent research documented significant increases in cohabitation among older people in U.S.

Diverse Lifestyles Remaining Single More people are postponing entry into first marriages The trend toward maintaining a single lifestyle for longer period of time is related to growing economic independence of young people, especially women Remaining single represents a clear departure from societal expectations

Diverse Lifestyles Marriage Without Children There has been a modest increase in childlessness in the U.S. Regard themselves to be child-free, not childless. Childless couples beginning to question current practices in workplace

Diverse Lifestyles Lesbian and Gay Relationships Lifestyles of lesbians and gay men are varied Because of inequities, many gay and lesbian couples demanding the right to marry

Social Policy and The Family Gay Marriage The Issue Idea of same-sex marriage strikes some people as the latest of many attacks on traditional marriage To others, it seems an overdue acknowledgment of the formal relationships that faithful, monogamous gay couples have long maintained

Social Policy and The Family Gay Marriage The Setting In 1999, Vermont gave gay couples the legal benefits of marriage through civil union, but stopped short of calling the arrangement a marriage In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that under the state’s constitution, gay couples have right to marry

Social Policy and The Family Gay Marriage Sociological Insights Functionalists have traditionally seen marriage as a social institution closely related to human reproduction Conflict theorists charged that denial of right to marry reinforces the second-class status of gays and lesbians

Social Policy and The Family Gay Marriage Sociological Insights Interactionists focus on nature of same-sex households Recent national surveys of attitudes toward gay marriage have been showing volatile shifts in public opinion

Social Policy and The Family Gay Marriage Policy Initiatives Recognition of same-sex partnerships is not uncommon in Europe However, many nations have strongly opposed to such measures In U.S. many local jurisdictions passed legislation allowing for registration of domestic relationships