SOCİOLOGY OF THE FAMİLY

Week 2

Family Forms: Changes and Definitions

Family Structures

Family structures have transformed significantly over time.

At the turn of the century most families had three generations living in one home, mostly involved in manual labor.

Families with multiple generations under one roof are rare today.

Nuclear Family

mother-father-children

single-parent family Blended Family

remarriage including step siblings and parents

Extended Family

relatives beyond nuclear and blended family

Marriage-centered family life remains the norm.

However, there is more toleration for family life without the constarint of marriage; the idea to never marry is acceptable

Traditionalists vs. Modernists Traditionalists

Childrearing is the central purpose of marriage

Poor parenting stems from single-parent households, women working outside home

Marriage should be encouraged through policies

Against same-sex marriage

ModernistsAdults should be free to choose their

lifestyleSociety can adjust to new family forms

through changes in workplace and school organization

Against the argument that working mothers hurt children

Stands for the idea that signle-parent families can function well with support

ModernistsState policies should support all types of

families (including same-sex couples)Legal protection of marriage should be

extended to same-sex couples

Is it possible to divide the society into traditionalists and modernists in terms of their beliefs about the family?

What is a family?

Diversity of families so great that a single concepts is insufficient

Singular form “family” signifies only one proper kind.Married couple with biological children

Economic importance of definitionRules specifying who is family determines

who qualifies for certain benefits

Families provide public responsibilities and private pleasures

Functions of the family

Economic support – food, shelter Emotional support – intimacy,

companionship Socialization of children - parenting Control of sexuality – marriage, spouse

selection Control of reproduction Ascribed status – contexts of race, SES,

religion

Group: Two or more people who share common identity, interact regularly, have shared expectations (roles), and function in their mutually agreed upon roles.

Primary vs. Secondary groups○ Primary groups: smaller, less formal, more

intimate (families and friends)○ Secondary groups: larger, more formal, less

personal

Family Systems TheoryFamily is a complex, dynamic and changing

collection of parts, subsystems and family members.

Sociological Imagination

Provides a framework for understanding the social world that surpasses any common sense notion that can be derived from our limited social experiences.

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both” Mills

Personal Troubles A college student dropping out

Larger Social IssuesSignificant percent of college students

dropping out

Sociological Viewpoint on Families Families perform services of value to society

and should be publicly supported when necessary

Despite diversity, families still constitute a coherent category worth studying

Families are the primary ibstitution for raising children (stable long-term rships regardless of sexual orientation)

Alternative family forms with adequate support can provide good enough environments for children

Industrial Revolution Social

Patterns

Pre-Industrial Revolution Post-Industrial Revolution

Farms/Cottages Factories

Family Work Breadwinners/Homemakers

Small Towns Large Cities

Large Families Small Families

Homogeneous Towns Heterogeneous Cities

Lower Standards of Living Higher Standards of Living

People Died Younger People Die Older

Family research (surveys) Family culture Ethnocentricism vs. cultural relativism

Socialization

Primary socializationFamily, friends, caretakers, media

Secondary socializationSchool, non-family members, peers

Tertiary socializationCollege, work, marriage, intimate r.ships

Demography: scientific study of population growth and change.Birth, death, migration

Population Change = (Births-Deaths) +/- ((In-mig)-(Out-mig))

Baby Boom Generation

The State and the Family

Why family policies are important? What does it mean to have a “young”

population? How does economic growth relate to

family size?