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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
CHAPTER 12
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Section 2: The American Family
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Objectives:

Describe the norms that influence the ways in which marriage patterns are organized around the world.

Identify the basic societal needs that the institution of the family satisfies.
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Norms and Marriage Patterns
Around the World

Number of marriage partners
– in industrialized nations marriages are usually monogamous whereas in pre-industrial societies the normal pattern is polygyny

Residential Patterns
– once individuals are married they must decide where to live
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
4
Norms and Marriage Patterns
Around the World
(continued)

Descent Patterns
– in some societies people trace kinship through the father’s side of the family, in others descent is traced through the mother’s side of the family or through both parents

Authority Patterns
– the three basic types are patriarchy, matriarchy and egalitarian
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Basic Needs
Provided by the Family

Regulation of sexual activity – enforce incest taboo which is a norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives

Reproduction – societies establish norms governing childbearing and child rearing
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 1: The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Basic Needs
Provided by the Family
(continued)

Socialization – children must be taught the ways of the society into which they were born

Economic and Emotional Security – family acts as the basic economic unit in society and in most cases labor is divided on the basis of gender
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 2: The American Family
Objectives:

Explain how American families begin and describe some of the disruptions they might face.

Analyze some of the trends in American family life currently being examined by sociologists.
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 2: The American Family
Beginnings of the American Family and Disruptions

Marriage begins with courtship and marriage between either homogamous or heterogamous couples

Disruptions include family violence, divorce, empty nest, return of adult children and death of a spouse
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 2: The American Family
9
Sociologists Examine Trends in
American Family Life

Delayed Marriages – current trend is to marry later in life and being single has become an acceptable alternative to being married

Delayed Childbearing
– women are delaying childbirth to complete their education and establish a career

Childlessness
– couples are making the conscious choice to remain voluntarily childless
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY
THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Section 2: The American Family
Sociologists Examine Trends in
American Family Life
(continued)

Dual-Earner Marriages – increase in the number of dual-earner marriages due to the increased number of women entering the workforce

One-Parent Families
– come about in various ways such as divorce, death of a spouse, births to unwed mothers or adoption by unmarried individuals
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
Remarriage
– the majority of people who get divorced
 about 75 percent
 get remarried
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON