The Family as a Social Institution By The

The Family as a Social Institution By: The Wonder Women

What is a Social Institution? - A social institution is defined as a complex social form that is able to reproduce itself (i. e. the government, hospitals, businesses, etc. ) -“a complex of positions, roles, norms and values lodged in particular types of social structures and organising relatively stable patterns of human activity with respect to fundamental problems in producing life-sustaining resources, in reproducing individuals, and in sustaining viable societal structures within a given environment. ” Turner 1997: 6

A Snapshot at The Family - In traditional societies the family that a person is born into determines their lifelong position - Even with many variations between family structures, the family is still the major agent to socialization -- Everywhere the mother is normally the most important contributor to early life, there will just be changes in the nature of the relationships depending on the culture of the societies - Children learn behaviors from their parents or the people that surround them, like neighbors or people in the community - A child’s family can shape the way they think and/or react in certain situations - Diversity among families offers children various, unique experiences when growing up ( i. e. small, large, extended, single parents, same sex parents, employed, etc. ) Because there are many other socializing agents in societies it will lead to divergences among the outlooks between children, adolescents, and parents

Marxist View of The Family -Karl Marx developed a view in which material and economic factors have a large role in historical change. -Society is seen as competing groups, which is the opposite view of Functionalist. ● ● Marxist views the family as a tool of capitalism. ○ Aids capitalism by being a large consumer of paid for goods. ○ As long as families are around they will keep buying goods which continue to pay the large corporation owners (the bourgeoisie- the highest class-most powerful). Marxist views the women of the lower class as procreators to the refill the retiring generation. ○ ● As lower class people retire from jobs of the large corps. new people are being created to refill these positions, which benefits the high class by being able to pay small amounts of money to the lower class. Marxist view the family of the main provider as cushions for him/her. ○ After a long day of being exploited by the bourgeoisie, the main provider goes home and is comforted by his/her family (cushions) which relaxes them and rejuvenates them for the next day of work. ○ The bourgeoisie loves this family support because it keeps the workers coming back the next day.

Feminist View of the Family - A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women - Feminists view the family as a historical institution that has maintained sexual inequalities There is often the view that mothers’ duties are confined to raising and looking after their children every minute of the day. • • • It has been shown that because children’s primary nurturers are mothers, it constrains their ability to pursue careers and compete for demanding jobs Many women are economically dependent on their partners, and in turn are vulnerable to poverty in the event that they were to get divorced If a woman withdraws themselves from their job in order to care for their family, it can be found that they end up falling behind in skill development and earning power. o Childcare is time consuming and those who do it by themselves are unlikely to pursue other things such as education, political office, or demanding careers o This forms a “cycle of vulnerability” that conditions the lives and choices of women

A Functionalist View on the Family ● Functionalism emphasizes larger scale structures and processes, focusing on the functions they perform. ● According to functionalists, the family provides statuses such as social class and ethnicity to new members. The family also gives individuals property rights and also affords the assignment and maintenance of kinship order. Lastly, families offer material and emotional security and provides care and support for the individuals who need care. • Functionalists believe that families are an important institution and keeps society running smoothly o Some additional functions include: reproduction; socialization; care, protection, and emotional support; assignment of status; and regulation of sexual behavior through social norms. o o Families insert social culture into the children, creating well-integrated members of society o Families bring order and consensus to society, which Functionalists deem the normal state of society Basic building block of society is the family, and clans grew out of them, which then formed societies.