1. 10/11/2015 Sociological Theory Family Sociology Montclair State University

2. Sociological Inquiry  Individuals or families do not exist in isolation  Rather, they react to and influence changes in the social world around them  In this class, we will focus on how families are influenced by the larger social structure  Social structure: is a stable framework of social relationships that guides our interaction with others

3. 10/11/2015 The Sociological Approach Macro Level Micro Level

4. 10/11/2015 The Sociological Approach – The Macro Level Family sociologists examine how these social institutions interact and how they influence behaviors, attitudes, and opportunities in families Economy Families GovernmentEducation Religion Healthcare

5. 10/11/2015 The Sociological Approach – The Macro Level Example:  A macrolevel analysis of a woman who feels the tension of balancing work and family would focus on this as a social problem  Solutions might be implementing a family leave policy at the federal level or corporate level

6. 10/11/2015 The Sociological Approach – The Micro Level  Micro level deals with issues of social life at the level of individuals or small groups  At the micro level we focus on patterned behaviors of people that are due to the social conditions in which we find ourselves  We act differently in different settings and places  Micro level analysis focuses on personal choices

7. 10/11/2015 The Sociological Approach – The Micro Level Example:  A microlevel analysis of a woman who feels the tension of balancing work and family would focus on this as a personal problem  Solutions might be focus on her personal choices -- she should find a way to improve her time management skills

8. 10/11/2015 Social Science Research  How do we know what we know?  Most of us understand the world around us through our personal experience -- the people and situations we have been in or have seen  This personal experience leads to our conclusions about the world  While there is nothing wrong with these ways of knowing -- social scientists are skeptical about relying ONLY on these sources because:  An individual’s experience of those around them is not representative of the broader society

9. 10/11/2015 Social Science Research  How do we know what we know?  Social scientists use a systematic and more scientific mode of investigation  Social scientists rely on: Observations of the social world based on representative samples Example: If we wanted to study why people in the U.S. get married, we should not just survey college students We avoid the error of overgeneralization: i.e. using what we know about a small group of people to conclude something about all people

10. 10/11/2015 Sociological Theories  Social science theories explain or help us make sense of patterns in social life  Theories shape and direct research – they point us in a direction  That direction influences what we look for, what we find, and how we explain it

11. 10/11/2015 Sociological Theories  Theories about families and relationships are made up a set of statements that explain why certain relationships occur

12. 10/11/2015 M acrolevel theories  Macrolevel theories focus on:  a whole society or a large part of it  the BIG PICTURE Examples:  Are marriages less stable in the U.S. compared to Japan?  Compare U.S. divorce rates to Japanese divorce rates

13. 10/11/2015 M acrolevel theories  Macrolevel theories focus on:  a whole society or a large part of it  the BIG PICTURE Examples:  How has the decline in “real” male wages influenced husbands’ and wives’ involvement in the paid labor force  Research might examine cost of living and employment rates by gender and compare data from 1968 to 2008

14. 10/11/2015 Sociological Theories  Theories used to explain relationships at a more personal level are micro level theories Examples:  A researcher wants to know how often husbands and wives argue on a weekly basis  They might observe a husbands and wife in their home – or tape their conversations over the week

15. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Structural Functionalism  Operates at the macro level  Structural functionalists view society as a social system with interacting parts  The functionalist perspective views society as a vast organism whose parts are interdependent or interrelated  Think about how social institutions interact: families and the economic system

16. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Structural Functionalism  Operates at the macro level  Structural-Functionalists focus on how social institutions like families meet the basic needs or functions of a society.  The family as a social institution is analyzed from two perspectives: 1) How does the family contribute to the maintenance of the larger social system ? 2) And, in what ways does society and other social institutions (like education or economic system) affect families?

17. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Conflict Theory (based on Marxist Theory)  Operates at the macro level  Focuses on inequality, power, and social change  Basic form of interaction is competition not cooperation  Individuals and groups compete for advantage

18. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories Conflict theorists might ask: How do some family members come to dominate others? Under which circumstances can the oppressed reduce or eliminate their disadvantages?

19. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Conflict Theory (based on Marxist Theory)  Operates at the macro level  Inequality generates conflict – may lead to revolution by the proletariat or “have-nots”  This inequality affects the lives of many people while benefits the powerful few  Emphasis is on the economic system  Within marriages men may have more power than women because they earn more on average

20. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Exchange Theory  Operates at the micro level  Similar to economic theories that view humans as rational beings who make decisions about the exchange of goods and services  In doing so, they weigh the costs and benefits of exchanges  Emphasis is on efficiency

21. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Exchange Theory  Operates at the micro level  In relationships, for example, people have some resource that is valued by the other person  This is when exchange can take place  In relationships -- what do women hold of value?  How about men?

22. 10/11/2015 Major Sociological Theories  Gender Theory  Operates at both macro and micro level  Central concept is gender—the social and cultural characteristics that distinguish women and men in society.  Oriented toward power in relationships.  Feminist theory argues that differences between men and women are socially constructed to maintain power of men over women.  Emphasizes culture, rather than biology.

23. 10/11/2015 Summary  Families are one social institution among many  Families are influenced by and influence the larger society  Family theories guide research on families  These theories may operate at the:  macro level (big picture level) or  micro level (more personal individual level)