13 Families and Religion Chad Baker/Jason Reed/Ryan McVay/Getty Images Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter Outline Defining the Family Sociological Theory and Families Diversity among Contemporary American Families Marriage and Divorce Family Violence Changing Families in a Changing Society Families and Social Policy Defining Religion The Significance of Religion in the United States Sociological Theories of Religion Diversity and Religious Belief Religious Organizations Religion and Social Change Family diversity is the norm in American society, with no one type of family shaping people’s experience. LWA/Dann Tardif/Blend Images/Getty Images BananaStock/Jupiter Images/Alamy Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Defining the Family (slide 1 of 2) The family is: A primary group of people connected by blood, marriage, or adoption, in a cooperative economic unit to care for offspring and each other. They are committed to maintaining the group over time. A kinship system: pattern of relationships that define people’s relationships to one another within a family. Kinship systems vary enormously across cultures and over time. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Defining the Family (slide 2 of 2) Polygamy - the practice of men or women having multiple marriage partners. polygyny: 1 man, 2+ women polyandry: 1 woman, 2+ men Monogamy: a sexually exclusive marriage with one spouse at a time. Patrilineal kinship systems trace descent through the father. Matrilineal kinship systems, through the mother. Bilateral kinship traces descent through both. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Extended Families Extended families: the whole network of parents, children, and other relatives who form a family unit. sometimes extended families live together, sharing their labor and economic resources in some contexts, “kin” are not related by blood or marriage Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Nuclear Families Nuclear family: married couple together with their children. Nuclear families develop in response to economic and social conditions. The origin of the nuclear family in Western society is tied to industrialization. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity among Families (slide 1 of 4) Family is one of the most rapidly changing of all institutions. There is no static or natural form for the family. Changes in families are social facts. Families today are smaller than in the past. There are fewer births, and they are more closely spaced. Childbearing and child rearing now occupy a smaller fraction of parents’ adult life. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity among Families (slide 2 of 4) Demographic & structural changes create diversity in family forms. Married couples now make up a smaller proportion of households. Single-parent, divorced and never-married households have increased. Female-headed households one of the greatest changes in families. One-quarter of all children live with one parent. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity among Families (slide 3 of 4) Married-couple families: The percentage of women in married-couple families who work has increased. Commuter marriages: one partner in a dual- career couple resides in a different city because of work. Stepfamilies are now fairly common in the United States. Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriages in all 50 states. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity among Families (slide 4 of 4) Single people make up half of the population including those never married or are widowed, divorced, or separated Among singles, patterns of establishing relationships have changed significantly. 17 Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Marriage and Divorce (slide 1 of 4) The United States has the highest rate of marriage of any Western industrialized nation, as well as a high divorce rate. Gender roles are a significant reality of family life roles shape power dynamics within marriage Gender roles can affect allocation of work, the degree of marital happiness, and the amount of leisure time each partner has. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Marriage and Divorce (slide 2 of 4) Women do far more work in the home and have less leisure time than men. Second shift – refers to women’s housework after working all day in a paid job Sociologists have now even identified a third shift of women’s work: the greater amount of help that women (compared to men) give to family and friends Men do more housework than in the past, but only slightly more Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Marriage and Divorce (slide 3 of 4) Marriage statistics can be misleading: The marriage rate = number of marriages formed in a year This does not include the number of continuing marriages. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Marriage and Divorce (slide 4 of 4) Factors contributing to high U.S. divorce rate: Demographic changes Individualism is a U.S. cultural norm; high value placed on a person’s satisfaction within marriage Changes in women’s roles also are related to the rate of divorce. Women are less financially dependent on husbands. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Family Violence (slide 1 of 2) 33% of women will be raped, physically assaulted, or stalked by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Women who experience violence are also twice as likely as men to be injured. Violence is usually accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior. Women’s relative powerlessness in the family is at the root of the high rates of violence against women. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Family Violence (slide 2 of 2) Child abuse: Child abuse is behavior that puts children at risk and may include physical violence and neglect. The most common forms of child abuse are: neglect (majority of reports) physical abuse sexual abuse Incest is a particular form of child abuse involving sexual relations between people who are closely related. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Families and Social Policy Balancing work and family is a major challenge. Difficult to take time to care for new children, or care for elderly parents People feel pulled in multiple directions, trying to find time to get everything done Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Elder Care The proportion of elderly people is growing faster than the number of younger potential caretakers. Elder care becomes a greater and greater need with longer life expectancy Family members provide almost all long-term care for the elderly—work that is often taken for granted. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Defining Religion Religion: an institutionalized system of symbols, beliefs, values, and practices by which a group of people interprets and responds to what they feel is sacred and that provides answers to questions of ultimate meaning. Religious spirituality takes many forms but produces feelings of awe and reverence among believers, as in this Orthodox Christian baptism and this Jain ceremony of soaking in vermillion in recognition of a sacred tradition. David Silverman/Getty Images Mario Tama/Getty images Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

The Significance of Religion The U.S. is one of the world’s most religious societies. 2/3 think religion can solve all or most of society’s problems 80% say they depend on God to make decisions in their daily lives 60% think God has set the course of their lives Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Measuring Religious Faith Religiosity: the intensity & consistency of practice of faith. Measured by asking people about their religious beliefs, and by measuring members in religious organizations and attendance at religious services. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity and Religious Belief The world is marked by diverse religious beliefs. Christianity has the largest membership, followed by Islam. Hindus, Jews, Confucianists, Buddhists, and observers of folk religions also comprise the world’s religions. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

The Influence of Race and Ethnicity (slide 1 of 2) Race is one of the most significant indicators of religious orientation. African Americans are much more likely than Whites, Hispanics, or Asian Americans to say that religion is very important in their lives. Hinduism and Buddhism are common among Asians, but so is Christianity. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

The Influence of Race and Ethnicity (slide 2 of 2) Muslims are a growing segment of U.S. society; 2/3 of Muslims are immigrants, but a substantial portion are native born. Muslim Americans are actually more liberal than the general public—for example, they are more likely to vote Democratic. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Religious Organizations Churches are seen by society as the primary and legitimate religious institutions. Sects have broken off from an established church. Cults are religious groups devoted to a specific cause or charismatic leader. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter Summary (slide 1 of 2) How are different kinship systems defined? What does sociological theory contribute to our understanding of families? What changes characterize the diversity in contemporary families? Is marriage declining? Why is family violence such a problem? What major changes are affecting contemporary families? What are the elements of a religion? Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter Summary (slide 2 of 2) How do sociologists measure the significance of religion for people, and what forms does religion take? How do the different sociological theories analyze religion? What diversity exists in religious faith and practice? How is a religion organized? How has religion been affected by social change? Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Question 1 The family is an established system that persists yet changes over time. These types of systems that fulfill the basic needs of society are called _____. kinship groups social institutions social networks primary groups Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Answer 1 B. social institutions Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Question 2 ______ are formal organizations that tend to see themselves, and are seen by society, as the primary and legitimate religious institutions. Churches Sects Cults None of the above. Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Answer 2 A. Churches Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Question 3 The term _____ refers to the work performed at home by women who work all day in paid employment. second shift double burden domestic duties mother’s job Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Answer 3 A. second shift Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.