FAMILY
• A family is a social institution that oversees
the bearing and raising of children.
• Is a kinship group that consists of two or
more people who consider themselves
related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
• Family of orientation -- family into which a
person is born.
• Family of procreation -- family in which
people have or adopt children of their own.
• Marriage -- Legally recognized union
between two or more people that involves
sexual and economic rights and duties and
is expected be enduring.
• Aspects of marriage
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Legal
Economic
emotional
sexual
Political
Marriage Patterns
• Endogamy -- marriage between people of
the same social category
• Exogamy -- marriage between people of
different social groups.
• Monogamy -- marriage form that involves
two partners.
• Hypergamy-- marrying into a higher class
• Polygamy -- marriage uniting three or more
peoples.
• Further divided into two:
a) Polygyn --marriage uniting one male and
two or more females.
b) Polyandry -- marriage uniting one female
with two or more males.
• Sweden has the most egalitarian marriage
system. There is equality between spouses
• Arranged marriages are prevalent where:
a) newly weds become part of the extended
family
b) where wealth is exchanged
c) where elders have lots of power
• Families of affinity -- people with or
without legal or blood relation who feel
they belong together and define themselves
as family.
• Extended family -- includes parents,
children, also other kin. Also known as
consanguine family.
• Nuclear family-- one or two parents and
their children.
Residential Patterns
• Patrilocality -- married couple live with or
near their husbands family
• Matrilocal --married couple live with or
near their wife’s family
• Neolocal -- married couple lives apart from
both spouses families.
• Descent -- system of tracing kinship over
generations.
• Patrilineal descent -- trace kinship through
males
• Matrilineal descent -- trace kinship through
females.
• Bilateral descent -- trace kinship through
both females and males.
• All families in the world are patriarchal.
Theoretical Analysis of the Family
Structural Functional Analysis
• The institution of the family performs
certain functions:
• Socialization
• Regulation of sexual activity through
incest taboos.
• Social placement
• Material and emotional security
Social Conflict Analysis
• Family structure promotes inequality through:
• Property inheritance – perpetuate class
inequality
• Family is generally patriarchal – enhances
gender inequality.
• Endogamous marriages perpetuates racial and
ethnic inequality
Social Exchange Theory
• People enter into social relationships in
which they exchange rewards.
Divorce
GROUP WORK
• Discuss the reasons why divorce rate is high
in the U.S.
• Who are the greatest losers in a divorce
situations? Why?