McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Public and Private Families: An Introduction

Dr. Andrew J. Cherlin, author 3rd Edition McGraw-Hill

1-1

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Chapter One

Public and Private Families

1-2

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-3

How Do We Feel About the American Family? Attempts at same sex marriage brought

up questions Widespread disapproval of

homosexual relationships 64% said it was wrong or always wrong

Why do we care about the definition of “family” when Cohabitation is common Births outside marriage are common

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-4

On one hand, marriage-centered family life remains the preference

On the other, there is much more toleration for family life without the boundaries of marriage and the idea to never marry is acceptable

Are We Ambivalent?

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-5

Postpone marriage for career or education

Women in the labor market Greater acceptance of premarital

sex Decline in young men’s earning

power Able to avoid unwanted

pregnancy Willingness to cohabitate

Characteristics of Today’s Singles

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-6

Working toward self-fulfillment Staying in school for higher degrees Developing careers Cohabiting Having children without marrying Many ambivalent about marriage

The Young Middle Class

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-7

Not immune to cultural trends Economics plays a greater role

Job prospects for men without college degrees has greatly declined

Income has declined in terms of cost of living

Gap between rich and poor is widening

Poor or Near Poor

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-8

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-9

Social Conservative definition - only one family is “correct” Two parent Breadwinner-Homemaker

family Economic definition - specific rules

about who qualifies to be a family member Only those that “qualify” are eligible

for benefits

Definition of Family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-10

Cultural definition - varies from culture to culture Western nations practice monogamy -

one husband and one wife Many African, Arabic and Asian

nations practice polygamy - more than one spouse at a time

Cultural Definition of Family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-11

What is a Family?

How well are families taking care of children, the frail elderly and the ill?

How well are families providing emotional satisfaction people value ? Intimacy Love Personal fulfillment

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-12

The Public Family: Cost and Benefits Externalities = costs or benefits that

accrue to others when an individual or business produces something

Negative = costs imposed when an individual or business produces something of value to itself

Positive = benefits received by others when an individual or business produces something that is not fully compensated for to that business or individual

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-13

The Public Family: Cost and Benefits Families “produce” children Families care for young, poor,

and elderly By performing these tasks they

are saving the public funds it would cost to do so

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-14

Public Goods Things that might be enjoyed by

people who did not pay for or produce themselves

Children might be considered a public good

A look at Social Security as an example

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-15

The Free-Rider Problem

Tendency for people to obtain public good by letting others produce the good and they enjoy them.

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-16

Definition = one adult, or two adults who are related by marriage, partnership, or shared parenthood, who is/are taking care of dependents, and the dependents themselves The presence of dependents is the

key to this definition

The Public Family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-17

The Private Family

Provides intimacy, emotional support and love

Relationship by blood = sharing of common ancestor, including both horizontal and vertical kinship ties

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-18

The Private Family Definition = Two or more individuals

who maintain an intimate relationship that they expect will last, and who live in the same household and pool their income and household labor

The intimacy, whether it be parent-child attachment, sexual among the partners, or sharing of inner selves is the crux of this family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-19

Kinship Ties From the Private Family

Created = have been constructed

Assigned = have been acquired

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-20

Two Views, Same Family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-21

Sociological Perspective on the Family Looks at the family as a single unit

and a social institution Comes with a set of roles and rules

that define its importance to society Sociologists view the social world of

the family by looking at important external forces

Sociologists are uncertain of the current and future role of the family in American society

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-22

Optimistic (political liberal view) Family is changing, but it has

always been changing Changes in women’s lives in work

and family roles has given them broader opportunities

Americans value increased independence

Contrasting Views of the Family

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-23

Contrasting Views of the Family Pessimistic (political conservative

view) Marriage has weakened as an

institution With fewer children and more women

working Dire warnings of families failing

health, but not fatally wounded

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-24

Steering a Middle Course Changes in families have

benefits and costs Great changes have occurred

since mid-1900s self-fulfillment is highly valued more women working outside the

home increase in divorce rate increase in single parent rate a “thinner” culture in the home

fewer joint familial activities

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-25

Diversity

American families are becoming more diverse Two parent and single parent families Many immigrant families from Latin

America and Asia Bring their own cultural traditions Married women more likely to work

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-26

How Sociologists Look at the Diversity of Families Objectively collect and analyze

scientific data by using: The scientific method and forming a

hypothesis Random samples/selection Survey method Observational study

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-27

The National Survey

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-28

Five Views of the Family

Functionalist Perspective Conflict Perspective Exchange Perspective Symbolic Interaction Perspective Feminist Perspective

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-29

Functionalist Perspective Focuses on stability and

cooperation Each partner performed certain

functions Husband worked outside the home Wife did housework and childcare Breadwinner-Homemaker Model

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-30

Conflict Perspective

Conflict Theory Focuses on inequality, power, and

social change Male dominance = physical force and

control of economic resources Men cannot be as dominant in

societies where women produce valuable goods and the state regulates physical force

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-31

Exchange Perspective Exchange theory

Women choose to exchange performance of household and childcare services in return for benefit of men’s income

Men choose to perform outside labor in exchange for household and childcare services performed by women

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-32

Exchange Perspective

When men are sole earners, they are in a “bargaining position”

When women earn money, they are less dependent on men economically

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-33

Symbolic Interaction Perspective Symbolic Interaction Theory

We interpret symbols of how people act Shared understandings of how people

should act creates the basis of social roles that people play

Spouse, parent, breadwinner, homemaker, child, etc.

Valuable in these times of more stepfamilies, dual career marriages, and single parent families

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-34

Feminist Perspective

Feminist Theory Gender defines social roles and

cultural characteristics These roles have no biological reason

behind them, but are culturally dictated, therefore are socially constructed

These roles appear to be constructed to give men power

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

1-35

Perspectives From Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology Women reproduced and tried to find

men who provided protection and support

Men maximized their reproductive potential by impregnating many women and controlling sexual access to women