Family

Alex Song
Professor Ortega
Sociology 1
What is Family?
The conventional definition of a family are people
connected by birth, marriage, or adoption.
The concept of family has been around and accepted
since prehistoric times.
The Functionalist view of a family is to reproduce to
create a biological lineage, provide the members
protection and affection, regulate sexual behavior,
socialize the offspring, and pass on social status.
A Conflict theorist views family as something that
creates more social inequality through the
reinforcement of the status quo.
ie: Inheritance and wealthy social status of parents
pass on wealth and social status to offspring, while
lower income families are unable to pass on wealth.
Initial Roles of Parents
More of a patriarchal society.
Fathers were viewed as the authority figure of the
family and were responsible for disciplining the
children .
Fathers then transitioned to being the
breadwinner, and were not involved in their
childrens lives.
It didnt matter if fathers were more distant and
unaffectionate.
Women carried the responsibility of staying at
home, catering to the domestic roles, and taking
care of the children.
The Evolving Roles and
the Importance
As society progressed, fathers became more
affectionate more involved in their childrens lives.
Transition from patriarchy to a more egalitarian
family.
It is proven that because of the fathers more rough
play style, children become more emotionally
rounded.
The fathers occupational and educational skills also
have an influence on their childrens academics.
Fathers who are involved in their childrens
academics result in better grades and are less likely
to repeat a grade.
More women entering the workforce allowed them to
leave the traditional role of a wife and mother.
The Evolving Roles and
the Importance
(continued)
Children of immigrant families view their mother
as more powerful and authoritative because
mothers are usually the ones who come to the U.S
with their children and gets employed first.
Once the father reunites with the family, he
usually takes on more domestic roles.
It is also more common now for immigrant
mothers to be employed in the U.S without their
children in order to be the breadwinner and send
back the money they earn.
Unconventional Families
More couples choose not to have children, calling
it child-free.
Americans still have the view that married
heterosexual couples with children as the ideal
family.
However, based on surveys from 2003 and 2006,
a majority of Americans also viewed married
heterosexual couples without children as a family.
The same survey showed that Americans also
thought single parents with children were a family.
A man with children was viewed 0.6% less of a
family than a woman with children.
However, father involvement has a powerful
impact in raising well-adjusted children and they
are more successful academically.
LGBTQ Families
In 2006, only a meager 32% of Americans believed
that same sex couples without children were a
family, but 91% believed that heterosexual couples
without children were a family.
Unmarried heterosexual couples without children
still have an 8% higher opinion of being a family
than same sex couples without children.
60% of Americans believed that same couples with
children were considered a family, but that is still a
significantly lower rate than heterosexual couples
without children.
Despite social stigma, it is proven that children of
LGBTQ parents do equally well socially and
academically as children of heterosexual parents.
Participants
The major participants in the Family are older
generations since they influence and determine
the social class and beliefs of the younger
generations.
The status of older generations depends on the
culture. For example, children in some cultures
are raised to revere and respect the elderly, while
some other cultures segregate the elderly.
Improvements Needed
People need to become more accepting of what
others want for themselves.
There are a rising number of people who want to
stay single. They are more likely connecting and
helping others than married couples.
Therefore, friends should be considered family as
well since they have significant roles in peoples
lives and can provide certain aspects of a
romantic relationship.
60% of Americans in 2010 believed that if you
considered yourself to be a family then you were
one. However, this statistic should be higher.
Works Cited
Berman, John, and Enjoli Francis. "What Makes a Family?
Children, Say Many Americans." ABC News. ABC News
Network, 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
Boundless. "The Conflict Perspective." Boundless Sociology
Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Accessed 29 March. 2017
DePaulo, Bella. "Families of Choice Are Remaking America."
Nautilus. NautilusThink Inc., 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.
Hawkins, Daniel N. "Fathers, Role in Families and Education."
Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, edited by James A.
Banks, vol. 2, SAGE Reference, 2012, pp. 892-896. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Accessed 28 March. 2017.
"Immigrant Families: Gender Roles, Transnational Motherhood,
and Domestic Conflicts." Immigrants in American History:
Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration, edited by Elliott Robert
Barkan, vol. 4, ABC-CLIO, 2013, pp. 1780-1783. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Accessed 28 March. 2017.
Works Cited Continued
James, Anthony, and Mark A. Fine. "Family, The."
Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, edited
by James A. Banks, vol. 2, SAGE Reference, 2012,
pp. 878-882. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Accessed 29 March 2017.
Sharp, Gwen. "How Do We Define a Family?" The
Society Pages. N.p., 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Mar.
2017.