Families & Intimate Relationships

Traditional Definition of Family

A group of people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption, live together, are an economic unit, and bear and raise children.

New Definition of Family

Relationships in which people live together with commitment, form an economic unit and care for any young, and consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.

The Family in History

1. Family of orientation 2. Family of procreation

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The Family in History

o Monogamy o Polygamy There are two types of polygamy: 1. Polygyny- a man may marry more than one wife (patrilineal descent more common) 2. Polyandry- a woman may have more than one husband (matrilineal descent more common)
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The Family in History: Lines of Descent

Patrilineal
Family name is traced through the fathers line Son is typically the inheritor of property Patriarchy

Matrilineal
Family name is traced though the mothers line Daughter is typically the inheritor of property

Bilineal
Use of both parents to trace descent Women still assume husbands surname No determination of which child will inherit property

Matriarchy

Family Structure
Size and form of family has typically been tied to the needs of subsistence and ability to reproduce itself Traditionally families were a source of productionmore and more they are a source of consumption Structure
Extended families Nuclear families

Changes in Family Structure (1950-2000)

American Families in 2000

Family Structure and Poverty

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Theoretical Perspectives on the Family

Functionalism
Family is a crucial institution in maintaining the stability of society Family is structured to meet certain needs of society in the best way possible Changes to the family structure or role expectations within can disrupt internal harmony and have broader implications on societal equilibrium Favors the traditional family model (Husband as breadwinnerWife as homemaker)
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Family Functions

Reproduction Regulation of Sexual Behavior Socialization Protection, affection, and companionship Social placement Others?

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Theoretical Perspectives on the Family

Conflict Theory
Emphasis on the social placement function of the family Family works to reproduce social inequalities within a society Argues that traditional family form contributes to the inequality of the sexes

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Theoretical Perspectives on the Family

Symbolic Interactionism
Emphasizes:
Changing meanings attached to family Overtime Across groups Across cultures Changing roles that are performed within families What are the roles to be performed by men and women What roles do children play and how are they valued
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Changes in Family Patterns Worldwide

1. The declining clans & other kin groups 2. The free choice of a spouse 3. Womens rights regarding initiating marriage & making decisions within the family 4. Kin marriages are less common. 5. Higher levels of sexual freedom 6. The extension of childrens rights
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Marriage and Family in the U.S.

o Cohabitation is increasing. o More women work in the labor market. o The average age at marriage increases. o Divorce rates stable but high. o Modernization and secular change in attitudes promote individualism & make marriage less important than it once was.
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Delaying Marriage

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Divorce in the United States

The average length of a marriage ending in divorce 7 to 8 years Nearly half of all new marriages end in divorce Over half of all second marriages end in divorce Risk of divorce is greatest in the first couple of years of marriage Divorced women are much more likely to live in poverty than men
Sources: U.S. Divorce Statistics. (n.d.) Retrieved June 1, 2003, from http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml Kreider, Rose M. and Jason M. Fields. 2001. Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 1996. Current Population Reports (February).U.S. Census Bureau. Washington, DC: Department of Commerce 18

Marriage and the Family in the U.S.: Other Reasons for Divorce
o Changes in the law made the divorce process easier (no-fault divorce laws). o As women become more economically independent, marriage is less of an economic necessity for them (independence effect). o Less stigma attached to divorce adds momentum to divorce. o Increasingly, marriage is evaluated in terms of the personal satisfaction it offers. o More people are engaging in premarital cohabitation, which also increases the divorce rate.
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Two-Parent Households
Parenthood in the United States is idealized, especially for women. Children in two-parent families are not guaranteed a happy childhood simply because both parents reside in the same household.

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Single-Parent Households
o Substantial numbers of children live in single-parent households or with stepfamilies. o In the United States in 1990, 28 % of all births were to single women. (In 1960, the figure was only 5 %.) o In the United States in 1988, 23 % of families were headed by single parents. (In 1960, the figure was only 9 %.) o Fathers are part of the household in only 40 % of black families. o All of family compositions, single-parent femaleheaded households most likely to be in poverty.
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Single Parenting
42% of white children and 86% of African American children spend part of their childhood in a single parent household. Lesbian and gay parents are often counted as single parents; however, many share parenting with partner.

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The Dark Side of the Family

Family violence: child abuse & spousal abuse
1. Spousal abuse is more common among lowincome couples. Goode (1971) suggested that low-income men may be more prone to violence because they have few other means to control their wives. 2. The high levels of stress induced by poverty and unemployment may lead to more violence within families. 3. Gelles & Cornell (1990) found that unemployed men are nearly twice as likely as employed men to assault their wives.
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Sociological Debate: Should We Save the Traditional Family?

1. To strengthen families, David Popenoe suggests that parents put children ahead of their own careers by limiting their joint work week to sixty hours. Do you agree? Why or why not? 2. Judith Stacey thinks that marriage is weaker today because women are rejecting patriarchal relationships. Do you agree? Why or why not? 3. Do we need to change family patterns for the well-being of our children? As you see it, what specific changes are called for?
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