1. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS The Sociological Perspective4
part
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
The Sociological Perspective
McGraw-Hill
© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. THE FAMILY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS14
THE FAMILY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
Global View of the Family
Studying the Family
Marriage and Family
Divorce
Diverse Lifestyles
Social Policy and the Family: Reproductive Technology

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

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

5. Global View of the Family
Composition: What Is the Family?
Polygamy
Polygamy is a form of marriage allowing an individual to have several husbands or wives simultaneously.
Polygyny
Polygyny, a type of polygamy, is the marriage of a man to more than one woman at a time.
Polyandry
Polyandry, a type of polygamy, is the marriage of a woman to more than one husband at the same time.

6. Global View of the Family
Kinship Patterns: To Whom Are We Related?
Kinship
Kinship is the state of being related to others.
Bilateral Descent
Both sides of a person’s family are regarded as equally important.

7. Global View of the Family
Kinship Patterns: To Whom Are We Related?
Patrilineal descent
In patrilineal descent, only the father’s relatives are important.
Matrilineal descent
In matrilineal descent, only the mother’s relatives are significant.

8. Global View of the Family
Authority Patterns: Who Rules?
Patriarchy
When males are expected to dominate in all family decision making, that society is a patriarchy.
Matriarchy
When women have greater authority than men, that society is a matriarchy.
Egalitarian family
A family in which spouses are regarded as equals.

9. Global View of the Family
Figure 14.1: Households by Family Type, 1940–2000
Source: Fields and Casper 2001.

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

11. Studying the Family Conflict View
The conflict view believes that family reflects the inequality in wealth and power found within society.
The conflict view recognizes that historically, husbands exercised power and authority within the family.
The conflict view sees the family as an economic unit contributing to social injustice.

12. Studying the Family Interactionist View
The interactionist view focuses on the micro level of family and other intimate relationships.
The interactionist view is interested in how individuals interact with each other, whether they are cohabiting partners or long-term married couples.

13. Studying the Family Feminist View
Feminist theorists have urged social scientists and social agencies to rethink the notion that families in which no adult male is present are automatically a cause for concern.
Feminists stress the need to broaden family research to include not only gender, race, and social class, but human sexuality and the aging process.

14. Studying the Family Theoretical Perspective Emphasis
Table 14.1: The Four Major Perspectives on the Family
Theoretical
Perspective Emphasis
Functionalist The family as a contributor to social stability
Roles of family members
Conflict The family as a perpetuator of inequality
Transmission of poverty or wealth across generations
Interactionist Relationships among family members
Feminist Family as a perpetuator of gender roles Female-headed households

15. Studying the Family
Author James Steyer discusses his book The Other Parent
(Click inside frame to start video)

16. Marriage and Family Courtship and Mate Selection
Aspects of Mate Selection
Endogamy: Endogamy specifies the groups within which a spouse must be found and prohibits marriage with members of other groups.
Exogamy: Exogamy requires mate selection outside certain groups, usually one’s own family or certain kin.

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

18. Marriage and Family
Figure 14.2: Percentage of People Aged 20 to 24 Ever Married, Selected Countries
Source: United Nations Population Division 2001.

19. Marriage and Family Households by Size: 1970 to 2000 5 or more people
1 person
1970
1980
1990
2000
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census The Population Profile of the United States: Figure 5-2. (Internet Release) accessed at

20. Marriage and Family
Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships
Social Class Differences
The upper class emphasizes lineage and maintenance of family position.
Lower class families are likely to have only one parent at home, and children in lower class families typically assume adult responsibilities.
Women are often a significant source of economic support in poor families.

21. Marriage and Family
Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships
Racial and Ethnic Differences
The subordinate status of racial and ethnic groups profoundly affects their family life.
Family patterns differ among racial and ethnic groups.
Family ties can serve as an economic boost within racial and ethnic groups.

22. Marriage and Family
Figure 14.3: Rise of One-Parent Families among Whites, African Americans, Hispanic, and Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States
Source: Bureau of the Census 1994:63; Fields and Casper 2001:7.

23. Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life
Parenthood and Grandparenthood
One of the most important roles of parents is socialization of children.
Recently, the United States has witnessed the extension of parenthood, as adult children continue to (or return to) live at home. This phenomenon is referred to as the “boomerang generation” or “full-nest syndrome.”

24. Marriage and Family
Percent of Grandchildren in Poverty, Not Covered by Health Insurance, and Receiving Public Assistance by Selected Living Arrangements: March 2002
Source:U.S. Census Bureau, “Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002,” Current Population Reports P20-547, by Jason Fields, issued June

25. Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Adoption
Adoption is a process that “allows for the transfer of the legal rights, responsibilities, and privileges of parenthood” to a new legal parent or parents.
The largest single category of adoption in the United States is adoption by relatives. In most cases, a stepparent adopts the children of a spouse.

26. Marriage and Family
ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project Representative Matt Coles and Ken Connor from the Family Research Council Discuss Gay Adoption Ban Ruling
(Click inside frame to start video)

27. Marriage and Family
Table 14.2: Foreign-Born Adoptees by Top Ten Countries of Origin, and 2000
Number of Number of
Children Country Rank Children Country
3,544 S. Korea 1 5,053 China
736 Colombia 2 4,939 Russia
648 India 3 2,219 Guatemala
465 Philippines 4 1,779 S. Korea
253 Chile 5 1,106 Ukraine
252 Paraguay Kazakhstan
Total, all Countries 6, ,099
Source: Department of State 2003.

28. Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life
Dual-Income Families
Among married people between the ages of 25 and 34, 96 percent of the men and 72 percent of the women are in the labor force.

29. Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life
Single-Parent Families
A single-parent family is one 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

30. Marriage and Family Birth Rates for Married and Unmarried Females
Live births per 1,000 females
180
160
140
120
100 80 60 40 20
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995 35 30 25 15 10 5
Percent of all births
Births to unmarried females (right scale)
Birth rate for unmarried females (left scale)
Birth rate for married females (left scale)
Source: Office of the President Economic Report of the President: Transmitted to the Congress, February Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Chart 5-3 on p. 171.

31. Percent of Live Births, Born to Unmarried Women
Marriage and Family
Births to Unmarried Women, by Country: 1980 to 1998
Percent of Live Births, Born to Unmarried Women
1980
1998
United States 18 33
Canada 13 28
Denmark 45
France 11 40
Germany 8 14
Italy 4 9
Japan 1
Netherlands 21
Sweden 54
United Kingdom 12 38
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census Statistical Abstract of the United States Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Table 1331 on p Also accessible at

32. Marriage and Family
Children’s and Parents’ Nativity by Parent’s Education for Children Living with at Least One Parent: March 2002
Source:U.S. Census Bureau, “Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002,” Current
Population Reports P20-547, by Jason Fields, issued June

33. Marriage and Family
Children Under Age 15 with Married Parents, One Stay-At-Home and One in the Labor Force: March 2002
Source:U.S. Census Bureau, “Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002,” Current Population Reports P20-547, by Jason Fields, issued June

34. Marriage and Family
Children with Single Parents and Proportion with Cohabitating Single Parent: March 2002
Source: US Census Bureau, “Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002,” Current Population Reports P20-547, by Jason Fields, issued June

35. Marriage and Family Poverty Status of Custodial Parents:1993–1999
Source: US Census Bureau, “Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support,” Current Population Reports P60-217, by Timothy Grail, issued Oct

36. Marriage and Family
Custodial Parents Receiving Part of Full Child Support Payments Due: 1993–1999
Source: US Census Bureau, “Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support,” Current Population Reports P60-217, by Timothy Grail, issued Oct

37. Marriage and Family Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life Stepfamilies
The rising rate of divorce and remarriage have led to a significant increase in stepfamily relationships.
Stepfamilies are an exceedingly complex form of family organization.
The exact nature of these blended families has social significance for children and adults alike, and re-socialization is often required for children and adults alike.

38. Marriage and Family
Grandchildren in Grandparent’s Homes by Presence of Parents 6 5 4 3 2 1
1970
1980
1990
1998
Neither parent present
Only father present
Only mother present
Both parents present
Percent of children under 18 who live with a grandparent
Source: Office of the President, Economic Report of the President: Transmitted to the Congress, February Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Chart 5-5 on p. 174.

39. Marriage and Family
Number of Victims Murdered by an Intimate Partner
2,000
1,600
1,200
800
400
1976
1982
1988
1994
1998
Male victims
Female victims
Source: Callie Marie Rennison for the Bureau of Justice Statitics Intimate Partner Violence. NCJ , p. 1. Accessible at

40. Marriage and Family Rate of Intimate Partner Violence by Age, 1993199825 20 15 10 5
12-15
16-19
20-24
25-34
35-49
50-64
65 or older
Male
Female
Intimate partner violence per 1,000 females or males in each age category
Source: Callie Marie Rennison for the Bureau of Justice Statitics Figure 6 in Intimate Partner Violence. NCJ Accessible at

41. Divorce Statistical Trends in Divorce
Approximately one-third of all people in the United States will marry, divorce, and then remarry.
Divorce rates increased in the late 1960s but then started to level off and even decline since the late 1980s.

42. Divorce
Figure 14.4: Trends in Marriage and Divorce in the United States, 1920–2002
Source: Bureau of the Census 1975:64, 2000a; National Vital Statistics Reports 2003:3.

43. Divorce Factors Associated with Divorce
Divorce rates have increased largely because of the greater social acceptance of divorce.
Other factors include:
more liberal divorce laws
families have fewer children
greater family income
more opportunities for women

44. 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 the impact of divorce can extend beyond childhood, affecting a grown person’s ability to establish a lasting marital relationship.

45. Diverse Lifestyles Cohabitation
Male-female couples who choose to live together without marrying engage in cohabitation.
People who cohabitate include:
college students
working couples
the elderly

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

47. Diverse Lifestyles Figure 14.5: Unmarried-Couple Households by State
Source: T. Simmons and O’Connell 2003:4.

48. Diverse Lifestyles Lesbian and Gay Relationships
Lifestyles of lesbians and gay men vary greatly. They:
live in long-term monogamous relationships
live in relationships and have adopted children.
live with children from former heterosexual marriages
In Canada in 2003, same-sex marriages were upheld as legal in the province of Ontario.
Many lesbians and gay men do not publicly acknowledge their homosexuality.

49. Diverse Lifestyles Marriage Without Children
An increasing number of couples today choose not to have children.
They consider themselves to be child-free, not childless.
Many practices in the workplace like childcare and scheduling are being questioned by child-free couples.

50. Social Policy and The Family
Reproductive Technology
The Issue
Today we are witnessing aspects of reproductive technology that were regarded as science fiction just a generation ago.
To what extent should policy encourage or discourage innovative reproductive technology?

51. Social Policy and The Family
Reproductive Technology
The Setting
While using technology to enhance the ability to reproduce is a recent phenomenon, the first successful artificial insemination actually took place in 1884.
The ability to preserve sperm, beginning in the 1970s, made the process much simpler.

52. Social Policy and The Family
Reproductive Technology
Sociological Insights
Advances in reproductive technology allow childless couples to fulfill their personal, and societal, goals.
Conflict perspective analysts would note that available technologies are often accessible only to the most affluent.
Conflict theorists further note the irony that while lower-class women have broad access to contraceptive coverage, they have limited access to infertility treatments.
Continued...

53. Social Policy and The Family
Reproductive Technology
Sociological Insights
Feminist theorists are concerned that in societies where men enjoy a higher status, use of this technology will effectively reduce the presence of women.
Interactionists observe that the quest for information and social support connected with reproductive technology has created new social networks.

54. Social Policy and The Family
Reproductive Technology
Policy Initiatives
The legal and ethical issues connected with reproductive technology are immense.
Industrial societies are hard-pressed to deal with present advances in reproductive technology, much less future ones.