Wolf
Sociology Textbook
Chapter 12 - Family
The Nature of a Family
Families
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity,
affinity, or co-residence. In most societies, it is the principal institution for the
socialization of children. Occasionally, there emerge new concepts of family that
break with traditional conceptions of family, or those that are transplanted via
migration, but these beliefs do not always persist in new cultural space. As a unit
of socialization, the family is the object of analysis for certain scholars. For
sociologists, the family is considered to be the agency of primary socialization and
is called the first focal socialization agency. The values learned during childhood
are considered to be the most important a human child will learn during its
development.
Conjugal and Consanguineal Families
A "conjugal" family includes only a husband, a wife, and unmarried children who are
not of age. In sociological literature, the most common form of this family is often
referred to as a nuclear family. In contrast, a "consanguineal" family consists of a
parent, his or her children, and other relatives. Consanguinity is defined as the
property of belonging to the same kinship as another person. In that respect,
consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another
person.
Other Types of Families
A "matrilocal" family consists of a mother and her children. Generally, these
children are her biological offspring, although adoption is practiced in nearly every
society. This kind of family is common where women independently have the
resources to rear children by themselves, or where men are more mobile than
women.
Common in the western societies, the model of the family triangle, where the
husband, wife, and children are isolated from the outside, is also called the oedipal
model of the family. This family arrangement is considered patriarchal.
Family Structures
The traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family
support system which involves two married individuals providing care and stability
for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become
less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common. The family
is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the
extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can all hold significant
emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family.
Nuclear Family
The nuclear family is considered the "traditional" family and consists of a mother,
father, and the children. The two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent,
and alternative family forms such as, homosexual relationships, single-parent
households, and adopting individuals are more common. The nuclear family is also
choosing to have fewer children than in the past. The percentage of marriedcouple households with children under 18 has declined to 23.5% of all households in
2000 from 25.6% in 1990, and from 45% in 1960. However, 64 percent of children
still reside in a two-parent, household as of 2012.
Single Parent
A single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the
assistance of the other biological parent. Historically, single-parent families often
resulted from death of a spouse, for instance during childbirth. Single-parent
homes are increasing as married couples divorce, or as unmarried couples have
children. Although widely believed to be detrimental to the mental and physical
well-being of a child, this type of household is tolerated. The percentage of singleparent households has doubled in the last three decades, but that percentage
tripled between 1900 and 1950. In fact, 24 percent of children live with just their
mother, and 4 percent live with just their father. The sense of marriage as a
"permanent" institution has been weakened, allowing individuals to consider leaving
marriages more readily then they may have in the past. Increasingly single parent
families are a result of out of wedlock births, especially those due to unintended
pregnancy.
Step Families
Step families are becoming more common in America. Divorce rates, along with the
remarriage rate are rising, therefore bringing two families together as step
families. Statistics show that there are 1,300 new step families forming every day.
Over half of American families are remarried, that is 75% of marriages ending in
divorce, remarry.
Extended Family
The extended family consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In some
circumstances, the extended family comes to live either with or in place of a
member of the nuclear family. About 4 percent of children live with a relative
other than a parent. For example, when elderly parents move in with their children
due to old age, this places large demands on the caregivers, particularly the female
relatives who choose to perform these duties for their extended family.
The Nature of Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between spouses that creates kinship.
The most frequently occurring form of marriage is between a woman and a man,
where the feminine term 'wife' and the masculine term 'husband' are generally
used to describe the parties of the contract . Other forms of marriage also exist,
however. For example polygamy, in which a person takes more than one spouse,
exists in many societies. Currently, the legal concept of marriage is expanding to
include same-sex marriage in some areas as well.
Wedding Ceremony
The reasons people marry vary widely, but usually include the desire to publicly and
formally declare their love, to form a single household unit, to legitimize sexual
relations and procreation, for social and economic stability, and for the education
and nurturing of children. A marriage can be declared by a wedding ceremony,
which may be performed either by a religious officiator or through a similar
government-sanctioned secular process. The act of marriage creates obligations
between the individuals involved, and, in some societies, between the parties'
extended families.
Types of Marriage
Outside of the traditional marriage between monogamous heterosexual couples,
other forms of marriage exist. Same-sex is marriage between two persons of the
same biological sex or gender identity. Supporters of legal recognition for samesex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality. It is believed
that same-sex unions were celebrated in Ancient Greece and Rome, some regions
of China, such as Fujian, and at certain times in ancient European history. In the
United States, although same-sex marriages are not recognized federally, samesex couples can legally marry in six states (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New York, Vermont) and the District of Columbia and receive statelevel benefits.
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of
partnership similar to marriage. Group marriage is a form of polyamory in which
more than two persons form a family unit. All the members of the group marriage
are considered to be married to all the other members of the group marriage. All
members of the marriage share parental responsibility for any children arising
from the marriage. In some jurisdictions, such as Brazil, New Zealand, Uruguay,
France and the U.S. states of Hawaii and Illinois, civil unions are also open to
opposite-sex couples.
Polygamy and polyandry are two less recognized (or supported) forms of marriage.
In polygamy, a man usually takes on a number of different wives, although the
literal translation of the term means marriage "between two or more partners".
Polyandry is specific to a woman taking on two or more husbands at a time, although
it can more loosely mean having multiple sexual partners.
Cohabitation
Marriage is an institution which can join together people's lives in a variety of
emotional and economic ways. In many Western cultures, marriage usually leads to
the formation of a new household comprising the married couple, with the married
couple living together in the same home, often sharing the same bed, but in some
other cultures this is not the tradition. Conversely, marriage is not a prerequisite
for cohabitation. Cohabitation is an arrangement where two people who are not
married live together in an intimate relationship, particularly an emotionally and
sexually intimate one, on a long-term or permanent basis.
The Sociological Perspective on the Family: The Functionalist Perspective
Functionalists view the family unit as a construct that fulfills important functions
and keep society running smoothly.
Structural functionalism is a framework that sees society as a complex system
whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. In this way, society
is like an organism and each aspect of society (institutions, social constructs, etc.)
is like an organ that works together to keep the whole functioning smoothly. This
approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus
on the social structures that shape society as a whole. Functionalism addresses
society in terms of the function of its constituent elements: norms, customs,
traditions and institutions. Functionalists, in general, identify a number of
functions families typically perform: reproduction; socialization; care, protection,
and emotional support; assignment of status; and regulation of sexual behavior
through the norm of legitimacy.
The Family
Radcliffe-Brown proposed that most stateless, "primitive" societies that lack
strong centralized institutions are based on an association of corporate-descent
groups. Structural functionalism also took on the argument that the basic building
block of society is the nuclear family, and that the clan is an outgrowth, not vice
versa . Durkheim was concerned with the question of how certain societies maintain
internal stability and survive over time. Based on the metaphor above of an
organism in which many parts function together to sustain the whole, Durkheim
argued that complicated societies are held together by organic solidarity.
Functions of the Family
For functionalists, the family creates well-integrated members of society and
instills culture into the new members of society. It provides important ascribed
statuses such as social class and ethnicity to new members. It is responsible for
social replacement by reproducing new members, to replace its dying members .
Further, the family gives individuals property rights and also affords the
assignment and maintenance of kinship order. Lastly, families offer material and
emotional security and provides care and support for the individuals who need care.