The Family Basic Concepts n Family a social

The Family: Basic Concepts n Family – a social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children. n Kinship – a social bond based on blood, marriage, or adoption. n Throughout the world, families form around marriage.

The Family: Global Variations n The extended family – includes parents and children as well as other kin. n The nuclear family – one or two parents and their children. n The nuclear family is the most common in the United States.

Marriage Patterns Cultural norms and laws n Exogamy – marriage identify people as between people of suitable or unsuitable different social marriage partners. categories. n Endogamy – marriage n In industrial societies, between people of the laws prescribe same social category. monogamy. n Polygamy – marriage that unites three or more. n

Residential Patterns Just as societies regulate mate selection, they designate where a couple resides. n In preindustrial societies, most newlyweds live with one set of parents. n Patrilocality – a married couple lives with or near the husband’s family. n Matrilocality – a married couple lives with or near the wife’s family. n

Patterns of Descent – the n Matrilineal descent system by which –tracing kinship members of a through women. society trace kinship n Bilateral descent – over generations. tracing kinship n Patrilineal descent through both men – tracing kinship and women. through men. n

Theoretical Analysis of the Family: Structural-Functional n The family performs several vital tasks: (1) Socialization. (2) Regulation of sexual activity. (3) Social Placement. (4) Material and Emotional Security. n Society depends on families.

Theoretical Analysis of the Family: Social-Conflict Analysis n Conflict theorists point out how the family perpetuates social inequality: (1) Property and inheritance. (2) Patriarchy. (3) Racial and ethnic inequality. n Family plays a role in social stratification.

Theoretical Analysis of the Family: Micro-Level Analysis This approach explores how individuals shape and experience family life. n Family living offers an opportunity for intimacy. n Family members share activities and build emotional bonds. n Courtship and marriage may be seen as forms of negotiation. n

Stages of Family Life n n n In courtship our culture celebrates romantic love. Our society arranges marriages by encouraging homogamy. Our culture gives the young an idealized picture of marriage. Adults in the United States identify raising children as one of life’s greatest joys. Increasing life expectancy means that couples are likely to remain married for a long time.

U. S. Families: Class, Race, and Gender n n n What women think they can hope for in marriage is linked to their social class. Regardless of race, every marriage is actually two different relationships: a woman’s marriage and a man’s marriage. Few marriages are composed of two equal partners. Married women are less happy than single women. Married men live longer than single men.

Transitions and Problems in Family Life The United States n Historically, the law has the highest defined women as divorce rate in the property of men. world. n Domestic violence n Four out of five was once people who divorce, considered a private, remarry. family matter. n

Alternative Family Forms Twenty-nine percent of n In 1996, U. S. Congress families with children passed a law banning under age eighteen have gay marriage. only one parent in the n Most gay couples are home. raising children of n Cohabitation – the previous unions. sharing of a household by an unmarried couple. n Many women are choosing to remain single, and see having a husband as a matter of choice. n

New Reproductive Technology and the Family n Within a decade, 2 or 3 percent of births in high-income nations may be the result of new reproductive technologies. n Test-tube babies are the products of in vitro fertilization. n These techniques eventually may help reduce the incidence of birth defects.

Religion: Basic Concepts Emile Durkheim stated as human beings, we define most objects, events, and experiences as Profane. n Sacred – that which people set apart as extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence. n Religion – a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on a conception of the sacred. n

Theoretical Analysis of Religion: Structural-Functional Analysis n Society has a power of its own beyond the life of the individual. n Society itself is a “godlike” being. n People engage in religious life to celebrate the awesome power of their society. n People transform everyday objects into sacred symbols of their collective life.

Theoretical Analysis of Religion: Symbolic-Interaction Analysis n Religion is socially constructed. n Through various rituals, individuals share in the distinction between the sacred and the profane. n Whenever humans confront uncertainty, we turn to our sacred symbols.

Theoretical Analysis of Religion: Social-Conflict Analysis n Religion serves ruling elites by legitimizing the status quo and diverting people’s attention from social inequities. n Religion encourages people to look hopefully to a better world to come. n Religion and social inequality are also linked through gender.

Religion and Social Change At some points in history, religion has promoted dramatic social transformations. n It was the religious doctrine of Calvinism that sparked the Industrial Revolution. n Christianity has a long standing concern for the poor and oppressed people. n Liberation theology – a fusion of Christian principles with political activism. n

Church, Sect, and Cult Church – an organization that is well integrated into the larger society. n Sect – an organization that stands apart from the larger society. n n Cult – an organization that is largely outside a society’s cultural traditions.

Religion in the United States The United States is a relatively religious nation. n Religiosity – the importance of religion in a person’s life. n Religion is tied to social class and ethnicity. n Overall, although most people claim to be religious, probably no more than one-third actually are. n

Religion In A Changing Society Secularization – the historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred. n Civil religion – a quasi-religious loyalty binding individuals in a basically secular society. n Although some dimensions of religiosity are weakening, citizenship has taken on religious qualities. n