I. Social Institutions

II. The Social Institution of the Family

A. The theme of universality

B. The theme of decline

C. Contemporary Research on Family Forms

Social Institutions

•“clusters of roles, groups, organizations, customs and activities devoted to meeting fundamental social needs”

• All societies have social institutions, but their form and content vary greatly

• Common institutions include the family, religion, government, the economy, education, etc.

Discussion:

What is the family?

The family as an electoral issue: the debate over same-sex

marriage and families

video clip from syllabus

Countries recognize same-sex marriages include:

• Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Canada

U.S. states that give same-sex domestic partners rights similar to spouses include:

• Vermont and California

• Massachusetts is the first state to recognize same sex marriage

Stark’s definition: “a small kinship-structured group with the key function of nurturant socialization of the newborn”

• What are the key components?

• Why not include other functions in this definition?

Interpreting Table 13-1: Some Terms to Know

monogamy, polygamy, polyandrypatrilocal vs. matrilocal residence

extended vs. nuclear family

General Theme: the family may be universal, but its form varies enormously

The Theme of Decline: Was the family better in the past?

• High divorce rate: estimated 50% of currently-contracted marriages

• High rate of out-of-wedlock births (about 33% overall, much higher for some groups)

• Increase in female-headed households

• Increase in non-married couples living together

• Increase in people who never marry

Is the Family Institution in Decline?Some evidence from the US

Is the Family Institution in Decline?Some Counter-Evidence

• Myths about families in the past

• Family ties remain strong

• Divorce rate is declining--and in any case the divorce rate is a sign of the importance of marriage

• 80% of divorced people remarry

• Divorce has effect of raising level of marital happiness

“Ironically, a high divorce rate probably indicates that the marital relationship has become much more important than it used to be….as divorce rates rise, the average level of satisfaction in existing marriages should rise also.” (p. 387)

Discussion Question:

What do you think?

Is the institution of the family threatened or in decline in the U.S.?

Contemporary Research on Family Forms

• living together and divorce: a spurious correlation?

• the main problem with one-parent families

• the main reason for high divorce rates the second time around

• the myth of the “empty nest syndrome”

Most sociologists:

The family is changing, not declining, as a social institution

But marriage has declined somewhat (see The State of Our Marriages, assigned for our next class)

Many of these changes are worldwide

The family has always been an imperfect institution

Public policies are important.

Stark’s summary