1 Public and Private Families Andrew Cherlin, author 6th Edition McGraw-Hill Publishers Prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Public and Private Families 2

3  On one hand, marriage-centered family life remains the preference  On the other, there is much more toleration for family life without the boundaries of marriage.  The idea to never marry is acceptable Marriage and Individualism

4 Marriage and Individualism (cont.) ◦ Individualism:  Pursuing own interest  Priority on developing personally rewarding life

◦ Utilitarian Individualism: Emphasis on:  Self-reliance  Personal achievement 5

◦ Expressive Individualism: Emphasis on:  Developing one’s feelings  Emotional satisfaction 6

7  Most Americans want to marry  Feel less of a need (pressure)  Marriage may compete with: ◦ Staying in school ◦ Developing a career ◦ Cohabitating ◦ Having children outside of marriage Marriage and Individualism (cont.)

8 How does the following chart indicate individualistic values?

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10 What is a Family?  Social Conservative definition—one “correct” family ◦ Two parent ◦ Breadwinner-homemaker family  Economic definition—rules about who qualifies to be family member ◦ Two or more persons residing together and related by:  Blood  Marriage  Or adoption ◦ Only those that “qualify” are eligible for benefits

11  Cultural definition—varies from culture to culture ◦ Western Nations ◦ Monogamy—one husband and one wife ◦ Serial monogamy—one husband and one wife at a time ◦ African, Arabic and Asian nations ◦ Polygamy—more than one spouse at a time  Polygyny—Men have more than one wife  Polyandry—Women have more than one husband What is a Family? (cont.)

12 What is a Family? (cont.)  Two key questions about public responsibilities and private pleasures of a family 1. How well are families taking care of children, the frail elderly, and the ill? (public family) 2. How well are families providing emotional satisfaction? (private family)

13 The Public Family  Cost and Benefits Externalities:  Costs or benefits that accrue to others  When an individual or business produces something

Negative externalities: Costs imposed when an individual or business produces something of value to itself 14

 Positive externalities: Benefits received by others when an individual or business produces something that is not fully compensated for to that business or individual 15

 XQrc XQrc  Family ties  OA OA 16

17 The externalities issue based on distinction between private goods and services Use benefits only the consumer And public or collective goods Consumption affects the welfare of third or "external" parties

18 The Public Family (cont.)  Public Goods ◦ Things that might be enjoyed by or benefit people who did not pay for or produce them: ◦ Children ◦ Social Security ◦ Highways ◦ National Defense

19 ◦ Functions for society: ◦ Families “produce” children ◦ Families care for young, poor, and elderly ◦ Performing these tasks saves public funds The Public Family (cont.)

 The free-rider problem  Tendency for people to obtain public goods  By letting others produce the goods that they enjoy 20

21  Definition of the “Public Family”:  One adult or two adults  Related by marriage, partnership, or shared parenthood  Taking care of dependents  And the dependents themselves The Public Family (cont.)

22 The Private Family  Provides:  Intimacy  Emotional support  Love  Financial support  Children first form attachments  Teenagers move toward independence  Adults share inner selves with someone else

23 Definition: “Private Family”:  Two or more individuals  Maintain an intimate relationship that they expect will last  Live in the same household  Pool their income and household labor The Private Family (cont.)

24 The Private Family (cont.)  Kinship ties in Private Family ◦ Created kinship—have been constructed ◦ Assigned kinship—have been acquired

25 ***How Do Family Sociologists Know What They Know? Objectivity—allows conclusions that are unaffected by own beliefs Scientific method – “systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem”

 Hypothesis—a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables 26

27  Rarely possible for sociologists to conduct randomized experiments on families  Research generally done by one of two methods: 1.Survey 2.Observation How Do Family Sociologists Know What They Know? (cont.)

28 ◦ Survey: Individuals are selected, usually at random, and asked a set of questions ◦ Observational study: Researcher spends time directly observing participants How Do Family Sociologists Know What They Know? (cont.)

29  National Surveys ◦ Larger ◦ Use in-person interviews ◦ Longitudinal ◦ Intended to be public resources ◦ Conducted by academic researchers How Do Family Sociologists Know What They Know? (cont.)

30 Sociological Theory and Families  Research Methods and Questions are influenced by sociological theory  Four perspectives or theories 1.Exchange Perspective 2.Symbolic Interaction Perspective 3.Feminist Perspective 4.Postmodern Perspective

Based on economic model Calculation of Rewards and Costs of relationships Costs and benefits of family members’ behaviors 31

32 Exchange Perspective ◦ Women exchange household & childcare services for men’s income ◦ Men perform paid labor in exchange for household & childcare services performed by women ◦ When women earn own money, their dependence decreases and husbands’ power over them decreases

33  Interpretation of symbols  Shared understandings of how people should act (social roles)  Useful in analyzing family relations-- interaction 2. Symbolic Interaction Perspective

34 3. Feminist Perspective  Gender defines social roles  Domination of women by men  Focus on power & inequality  Men & women experience family life differently

35 4. Postmodern Perspective Personal life has changed over the last several decades Modern era—Mid 19th century to mid-to-late 20th century Late modern era began mid-to-late 20th century (aka Postmodern era) In the modern era, individuals moved through a series of roles (student, spouse, parent, housewife, breadwinner) that seemed “natural”

36 Postmodern Perspective (cont.) ◦ In Postmodern era, individuals must make choices about nearly all aspects of their lives  Whether or not to get married, have children; not necessarily both  Self-identity: Person’s sense of who he/she is & where she/he fits in social structure.  Reflectivity: Process through which individuals take in knowledge, reflect on it, and alter their behavior as a result

 Functionalist Perspective  Conflict Perspective 37

 Dominant in 1950s  Focus on men and women’s different but complementary roles  Stability and cooperation  The family as a social institution contributing to the stability of society 38

 Conflict theory ◦ Focus on inequality, power, and social change ◦ Male dominance: ◦ Physical force ◦ Control of economic resources 39

40 A Sociological Viewpoint on Families  Treats family as a social institution  Recognizes major functions ◦ Rearing children, ◦ Caring for elderly ◦ Providing comfort and emotional support to its members  Look at how individual actions change family as an institution