Chapter Eleven
The Family
What would you look for in a spouse?
What’s your dream man/woman like?
How many of these traits do you have?
What would life be like without families?
What is your definition of a family?
Family – A group of people related by marriage, blood or tradition
Marriage – A legal union based on
mutual rights and obligations
Nuclear Family – Family structure
composed of one or both parents
and children
Extended Family – Two or more adult generations of the same family
whose members share economic resources and a common household
Patrilineal v. Matrilineal v. Bilateral
Patriarchy v. Matriarchy v. Equalitarian
Patrilocal v. Matrilocal v. Neolocal
Monogamy v. Polygamy v. Polygyny v. Polyandry
Exogamy v. Endogamy v. Homogamy v. Heterogamy
Incest Taboo – A norm forbidding marriage between close relatives
Fig. 11.2 pg. 354 – What are these pie charts showing us?
Do you think you will marry someone of a different race?
Think back to your “dream” spouse…what if someone had all of
those traits, but was from a different race?
Pg. 355 #4
Answers: A-H, B-Ex, C-H, D-Ex, E-En, F-H
What role do families play in socialization?
Socioemotional maintenance – Provision of acceptance and support
Fig. 11.3 Pg. 358 – Do you mostly agree or disagree?
Which ones are the easiest to agree with?
Which ones are the hardest to believe?
What is the reproductive role of families?
How does the family regulate sexual activity?
How did this experiment make you feel?
Conflict v. Symbolic Interactionism
Pg. 361 #1
Answers: A-F, B-F, CSI, D-SI, E-C, F-F
Do #1
Do you think the experiment on page 362 is a reliable one?
What is the best way to decide who to marry?
Love?
Family Gains?
If marrying for love is the best
way…why do we have some of the
highest divorces rates in the world?
Fig. 11. 5 pg. 364 do A,B,C
Marriage Rate – The # of
marriages per year for every
1000 members of a population
Divorce Rate – The # of
divorces per year for every
1000 members of a population
Arranged Marriage?
What generalizations can you make from “Snapshot of America”
about marriage rates? (pg. 365)
What are some factors that influence why people get divorced?
Does their “future” of marriage make sense to you?
Abuse
Is it common?
Is it always against
women?
What type of abuse to
women usually use?
Is it always physical?
What is the most
common type of
family abuse?
Abuse Quiz
Wife battering is a predominantly lower class
phenomenon: T/F False, wealthy women tend to hid their injuries
Wife battering occurs more often in some ethnic groups
than in others: T/F False, it is a result of unequal power, not ethnicity
Alcohol is the main cause of domestic violence: T/F
False, however being under the influence usually gives the
abuser an excuse for what they have done
Women who are battered must be crazy or neurotic: T/F
False, studies show no difference, but women may adopt
behaviors labeled as “crazy” to protect themselves
Once a battered woman, always a battered woman: T/F
False, most women who escape abusive relationships are careful
to choose a different type of relationship in the future
Blended family – A family
formed when at least one of
the partners in a marriage
has been married before and
has a child or children from
a previous marriage
What are problems of a
blended family?
25% of children live in a single parent family
Why are most single parent families headed by women?
What are the effects on the adolescents of single parent families?
Adolescent – Youths from the ages of 12-17
Historically, childless
couples were looked
down upon…DINKS
Why would childless
couples have been
looked down upon?
Are childless marriages
happier?
Dual-Employed
marriages – Marriages
in which both spouses
work outside the home
Pros v. Cons
Pg. 376-377 Focus on Research
Is spanking your children okay or not?
Cohabitation – A marriage like living arrangement
without the legal obligations and responsibilities of
formal marriage
Is this an acceptable alternative to marriage?
How do you feel about same-sex domestic partners?
Why are more people choosing to remain single?
Boomerang kids – Adult children who return to the home of
origin or who continue to live with parents Why would they?
What will the future of families look like?
Small groups have to agree on family rules dealing with: chores,
curfew, dating, allowance, time with family, and who are their friends