1. Social Institutions: Family and Religion
(or how sociology takes on traditional values)

2. Social Institutions: Family and Religion
Sociological perspectives on social institutions
The family: a global view
Sociological perspectives on the family
Religion as a social institution
Components of religion

3. Social Institutions
Social institutions: organized patterns of belief and behavior centered on basic social need
All societies have social institutions
Cultural universals
Functionalist view of institutions:
Any society must accomplish 5 major tasks:
Replace personnel
Teach new recruits
Produce and distribute goods and services
Preserve order
Provide and maintain a sense of purpose

4. Social Institutions Conflict view of institutions
Object to the implication that the outcome of institutions is efficient and socially desirable
Major institutions, such as education, help maintain privileges of most powerful individuals and groups
Social institutions inherently conservative
Social institutions operate in gendered and racist environments
Interactionist view of institution
Emphasize that social behavior conditioned by the roles and statuses we accept, groups we belong to, and institutions within which we function

5. Family: a Global View
Composition: what is a family?
Set of people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society
Nuclear family- married couple and their unmarried children living together
Extended family- family in which relatives- grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.- live in the same home as parents and their children
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

6. Family Compositions
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

7. Kinship Patterns 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

8. Authority Patterns
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

9. Functionalist Perspectives on the Family
Family serves 6 functions for society (Ogburn):
Reproduction
Protection
Socialization
Regulation of sexual behavior
Affection and companionship
Provision of social status

10. Conflict Perspectives on the Family
Family reflects inequality in wealth and power found within larger society
In many societies, husbands have exercised power and authority within the family
View family as economic unit that contributes to societal injustice

11. Interactionist & Feminist Perspectives on the Family
Focuses on micro level of family and other intimate relationships
Interested in how individuals interact with each other whether they are cohabiting partners or longtime married couples
Feminist:
Interest in family as social institution
Urged social scientists and agencies to rethink notion that families in which no adult male is present are automatically cause for concern
Contributed to research on single women, single-parent households, and lesbian couples

12. Religion As A Social Institution
Religion: unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things (Durkheim)
Durkheim believed religious bonds often transcend personal and divisive forces
Offers people meaning and purpose
Religion allows us to “do something” about calamities we face
Encourages us to view personal misfortunes as relatively unimportant

13. Religion and Social Change
Weber: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism ([1904] 2009)
Protestant ethic: followers of Protestant Reformation emphasized a disciplined work ethic and a rational orientation for life
“Spirit of capitalism” emerged as generalized cultural trait
Marx: Religion impeded social change
People focus on other-worldly concerns
Religious values reinforce other social institutions and the social order as a whole
To whatever extend religion influence social behavior, it reinforces existing patterns of dominance and inequality

14. Feminist Perspectives on Religion
Theorists stressed fundamental role women play in religious socialization
Women generally take subordinate role in religious governance
Because most religions are patriarchal, they tend to reinforce men’s dominance in secular as well as spiritual matters
Women play vital role as volunteers, staff, and educators

15. Components of Religion
Religious Beliefs: statements to which members of a particular religion adhere
Fundamentalism: rigid adherence to fundamental religious doctrines
Religious Rituals: practices required or expected of members of a faith
Generally affirm beliefs
Religious Experience: feeling or perception of being in direct contact with ultimate reality or of being overcome with religious emotion
Being “born again”