Chapter 2 The History of the Family Prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College 1 © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

2 The Study of the Family Upper class bias of historians – Studied kings, nobles, wars, rise & fall of empires First, examination of “ordinary” families – Began in 1960

3 Philippe Aries-- CENTURIES OF CHILDHOOD Institution of childhood began to emerge Situation of young began to change New term: “children” A theory of innocence of the child emerged. Children to be protected from adult reality The facts of birth, death, sex, tragedy, world events hidden from the child.

Philippe Aries-- CENTURIES OF CHILDHOOD 4 Children increasingly segregated by age The fact of having an age became important In the "ancien regime" people’s ages were virtually unknown

17 th Century 5

18 th Century 6

19 th Century 7

8

20 th Century 9

10  Evolutionary theory—infants need care  Hunter-gatherers  Settled agriculture  Lineages: Form of kinship in which descent is traced  Patrilineage: Father’s line  Matrilineage: Mother’s line Origins of Family and Kinship

11 Origins of Family and Kinship (cont.)  Kinship Groups  Ensure order  Defend against outsiders  Provide labor  Assist others in group  Recruit new members  Through marriage

12 Origins of Family and Kinship (cont.) In most societies--smaller family units – Mother and children always – Husband/father (usually) – Other household members (sometimes)

13  Western culture—smaller kinship groups  Conjugal family: Husband, wife and children  Extended family: Other relatives in household Origins of Family and Kinship (cont.)

14 Polygyny: One man, many wives Polyandry: One woman, more than one husband Family and kinship systems developed to provide fundamental needs: – Food production – Defense Origins of Family and Kinship (cont.)

Families Across Culture – Na Kinship Brothers & sisters live in mother’s household for life Instead of taking wives, men visit women in other households – Visit any Na woman who consent to sex When children are born, they remain with mother and maternal aunts and uncles 15

Families Across Culture – Na Kinship  Fathers do not live with their children, but they are a presence in their lives  After Communist Revolution in China, government began to promote monogamy among the Na – they resisted  Government eventually backed down 16

17 The American Family before 1776 American Indian Families European Colonists African Slaves

18 American Indian Families: The Primacy of the Tribes American Indian - Indigenous people in the 48 territories that became United States Family units based on lineages Tribes, both matrilineal and patrilineal – Matrilineal ties to maternal kin – Patrilineal ties to paternal kin

19 European Colonists: The Primacy of the Public Family Families performed public services – Education – Hospitals – Houses of correction – Orphanages – Nursing homes – Poor houses

20 No room for privacy or private lives – Family affairs are public business – Houses not designed for privacy – Little privacy from other households – Conjugal family considered integral part of society, not apart from it European Colonists: The Primacy of the Public Family (cont.)

Family Diversity Not all families fit ideal of conjugal family Many stepfamilies due to deaths of parents Marriage not always official, could be informal – More common in Middle Colonies – A form of bigamy if man migrated to West and began a new family 21

22 The Emergence of the “Modern” American Family: 1776 to 1900 Four new characteristics: 1.Marriage—based on mutual respect and affection 2.Wife cared for home and children—seen as morally superior 3.Childhood as time to protect and support children 4.Number of children per family declined

The Emergence of the “Modern” American Family: 1776 to 1900 (cont.) Individualism Increase personal relationships in families Emotional rewards Autonomy 23

24 Change in the mode of production – Commercial capitalism – From “family labor” to “paid labor” Men worked outside the home – Work governed by business ethic – World outside the home From Cooperation to Separation: Men’s and Women’s Spheres

25 Women worked inside the home – Women renew husbands’ character & spirituality – True womanhood where women were: Pious upholder of spiritual values Pure Submissive to men Domestic From Cooperation to Separation: Men’s and Women’s Spheres (cont.)

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Happy Homemakers 27

28 Africans forced to immigrate – Captured or bought in West Africa – Sold as slaves Asians work as laborers on railroads, etc. African-American, Mexican-American, and Asian Immigrant Families

29 African-American Families An African heritage? – Historically maintained stronger ties to extended kin – Children before marriage – Women worked – African society was organized by lineages Marriage much more of a process – Slavery stripped elders of authority over marriage process

30 Impact of Slavery E. Franklin Frazier believed slavery had destroyed social organization among slaves In 1976, Gutman found substantial evidence that slaves often married for life, and kept track of extended family Most families—two parents Black women—work outside the home

31 Mexican-American Families Mexicans settled frontier of N. Mexico Landowners & farmer-laborers, compadres – Farmer-laborers—Mestizo—part Spanish and part Native American – Compadrazgo: In Mexico, the godparent relationship of wealthy or influential person outside the kinship group asked to become compadres

Mexicans Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 32 One of most far reaching treaties of American history Signed on Feb. 2, 1848 Ended the U.S.-Mexican War A war declared against Mexico by the U.S. Congress on April 23, 1846.

Mexicans Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 33 U.S. took from Mexico the land area of: Texas New Mexico California Arizona Nevada Utah Half of Colorado

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty defined border between the United States and Mexico Border has remained mostly the same along the Rio Grande (With the exception of the Gadsden Purchase called The Treaty With Mexico of Dec. 30, 1853 and the purchase of Chamizal land near El Paso, Texas) 34

Mexico & U.S. After Treaty 35

36 Mexican-American Families (cont.) Social structure disrupted by wars, revolts and land grabs in 1830s and 1840s U.S. acquired by conquest the current Southwestern U.S. Mexicans became more of a working class Many were forced into barrios: – Segregated neighborhoods in U.S.

Mexican-American Families 37 Five centuries of Spanish colonization Mexican contemporary family cultural hybrid character, combines: Feelings of indigenous peoples Traditional feminine subculture And Spanish expectations and norms The masculine machista orientation

Mexican-American Families 38 Estimated that 74.2% of contemporary Mexican families are nuclear The rest are extended family types Relations & structure appear to be nuclear In practice, they continue to be extended In fact, families give emotional & instrumental support and guidance at all times.

39 Asian Immigrant Families The Asian Heritage – Immigrants from China and Japan and their descendents – Family systems sharply different Fathers had authority over family Kinship—patrilineal Children expected to take care of elderly and live with them – Greater emphasis on family loyalty

40 – Few families, remittances, no citizenship, discrimination Arranged marriages – When Japanese migrated to Hawaii in 1880s, more balance of ratio of women to men, so more families formed – Figured out ways of building family-like ties in U.S. Asian Immigrant Families (cont.)

41 Asian Immigrant Families (cont.) Discrimination led to Japanese internment camps—WW II 1965 Immigration Act changed the restrictions that blocked most Asian immigration and substituted a yearly quota – Asian population expanded rapidly 2000 census: 11.9 million Asian Americans – Filipinos bilateral kinship —both sides

42 The Early Decades Rise in premarital sex, decline in births, rising divorce rate, “inappropriate behavior”—1920s Rise in marriage rate—greater emotional satisfaction from marriage The Rise of the Private Family: 1900-Present

43 Families becoming less of a dominant force in people’s lives – Marriage become less necessary economically and materially Marriage become more fragile The Rise of the Private Family: 1900-Present( cont.)

44 Privacy and private families on increase – Birthrate decline – Adult life expectancy increased – More apartments were built for independent living The Rise of the Private Family: 1900-Present (cont.)

45 Basis of marriage—economics to emotional satisfaction and companionship Men and women—more economically independent Marriage bonds weakened – Divorce more common The Rise of the Private Family: 1900-Present (cont.)

46 Affected family finances Undermined authority of father Divorce rate fell Postponement of marriage and childbearing – 1 in 5 never had children (1 in 10 norm) Children helped out by working The Depression Generation

47 Baby boom renewed emphasis on marriage and children – Young adults from depression married earlier and had more children than ever before – From a relatively small birth cohort – Preferred family size shifted Highpoint of breadwinner-homemaker model – Not really the traditional family – Faded quickly The 1950s

Figure 2.1 Percentage never married among men and women aged 20 to 24 48

Figure 2.2 Percentage of children aged 0-17 living in each of four types of families 49

50 Birthrate plunged Married on average 4-5 years later than before Young people wanted independence Divorce rate doubled 1960s–70s – Declined slightly since then Cohabitation—1970s Women working outside home 1960s and Beyond

51 Looking at Figure 2.3, show changes in family and personal life – Twentieth century—great change in the kinds of family lives individuals lead Social Changes in the 20 th Century

Figure 2.3 A life-course perspective on social change in the 20 th century 52

Emergence of Early Adulthood Early adulthood – period between mid-teens and about 30 Labor force – all people who are working for pay or looking for paid work 53

The Role of Education Education – main factor in lengthening of early adulthood More employment opportunities for college-educated Young adults may still marry, but they may postpone children to further education 54

Declining Parental Control A century ago, young people lived with parents until marriage – today they live apart and parents have less control The more unconventional young adults were (e.g. cohabitating w/out marriage), the more likely they were to have moved out of the state they were born 55

Early Adulthood and the Life Course Perspective  Life-course perspective: Study of changes to individuals’ lives over time and related to historic events  Focuses on key transition Lengthening period from adolescence to adulthood Historical changes such as – Decline of manufacturing jobs – Growing employment for well-educated – Greater acceptance of cohabitation and childbearing outside of marriage 56

57 Americans come from regions of the world Different family traditions Some mix of American and other traditions European American family systems Conjugal unit Division of labor Broke down in late 20th century Placed weight on individual satisfaction What History Tells Us

58 Family systems non-European – Place more emphasis on kin Sometimes lineages – Marriage still central Larger family structures could support Weakening of marriage left European family systems more vulnerable What History Tells Us (cont.)