Chapter 15
Families
and Intimate
Relationships
Anthony Giddens
Mitchell Duneier
Richard P. Appelbaum
Theoretical Perspectives on the
Family
Basic Concepts
– Kinship comprises either genetic ties or ties
initiated by marriage
– A family is a group of kin having responsibility
for children’s upbringing
– Marriage is a union of two persons living
together in a socially approved sexual
relationship
Theoretical Perspectives on the
Family
Basic Concepts (cont)
– Nuclear family is a household in which a
married couple or single parent lives with their
own or adopted children
– Extended family is where kin in addition to
parents and children live in the same
household or have close relationships
Theoretical Perspectives on the
Family
Basic Concepts (cont)
– In Western societies, marriage and family are
associated with monogamy, a culturally
approved sexual relationship between one
man and one woman
• Other cultures tolerate or encourage polygamy, where
an individual may have two or more spouses at a time
• Polygyny (man marries more than one wife) is far more
common than polyandry (woman marries more than one
husband)
Theoretical Perspectives on the
Family
Functionalism
– Family performs important tasks that
contribute to society’s basic needs,
perpetuate social order
• Family’s two main functions according to Parsons:
primary socialization (children learn social norms)
and personality stabilization (adult personalities
kept healthy)
Nuclear family best equipped to handle industrial
society
Theoretical Perspectives on the
Family
Feminist Approaches
– Challenge the vision of family as harmonious
and egalitarian
– Three main themes:
• Domestic division of labor
• Unequal power relationships
• Caring activities
The Family in History
The Development of Family Life
– Three phases in development of family
– From 1500s to early 1600s
• Nuclear family with deep ties to other kin,
community
• Family not major focus of emotional attachment
• Choice in marriage up to interests of parents, kin,
community
The Family in History
The Development of Family Life (cont)
– Early 1600s to early 1700s
• Nuclear family became more distinct from
community
• Growing stress on marital and parental love
• Authority of father increased
The Family in History
The Development of Family Life (cont)
– Mid-1700s to Mid-1900s
• Affective individualism—marriage partners chosen
based on love
• Family tied by close emotional bonds
• Domestic privacy
• Preoccupation with childrearing
Changes in Family Patterns
Worldwide
Directions of Change
– Most important changes occurring worldwide:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clans, kin groups declining in influence
Trend toward free choice of spouse
Rights of women more widely recognized
Kin marriages are less common
Higher levels of sexual freedom
Extending children’s rights
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Directions of Change (cont)
– Major changes in family life in the United
States post—World War II
• Higher percentage of working women
• Rising divorce rates
• Greater rates of single-parent households and
stepfamilies
• Cohabitation is increasingly common
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Race, Ethnicity, and the American Family
– Asian-American families
•
•
•
•
Characterized by dependence on extended family
High median family income
Lowest fertility rates
Low divorce rates
– Native American families
•
•
•
•
Kinship ties are very important
Highest rates of intermarriage
High fertility rates
High divorce rates
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Race, Ethnicity, and the American Family
(cont)
– Latino families
• Diverse family patterns
• Mexican American families live in
multigenerational homes and have high birthrates;
half of women work out of necessity
• Puerto Ricans are most economically
disadvantaged; have high birthrates and
cohabitation rates
• Cubans are most prosperous; lower levels of
fertility
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Race, Ethnicity, and the American Family
(cont)
– African American families
• History of slavery and discrimination has
contributed to higher rates of childbearing outside
of marriage, lower rates of marriage, and femaleheaded families
• Adapted to poverty by forming large, complex
support networks
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Nonmarital Childbearing
– Number of children born out of wedlock is
increasing among the poor of all races
• Why do women have children out of wedlock?
Stop using contraception
Young people in poor communities feel confident
about their ability to raise children because they
helped raise other children in their family
The poor place extraordinarily high value on
children
Women are setting bar higher for marriage
Marriage and the Family in the
United States
Divorce
– Why has divorce become more common?
• Changes in law have made it easier
• Marriage is no longer about perpetuating property
and status
• Economic independence of women
• Growing tendency to evaluate marriage in terms of
personal satisfaction
The Dark Side of the Family
Family Life Is Not Always Harmonious
– The “dark side” of the family includes abuse
and family violence
– No social class is immune to spousal abuse,
but it is more common among low-income
couples
Alternative Forms of Marriage
and the Family
Alternative Families
Cohabitation and homosexuality have become
more common recently
Alternative forms of social and sexual relationships
will flourish further
• But marriage and family remain firmly established
institutions
Review Questions
1. The nuclear family consists of __________.
a)
two adults living together in a household with their biological or
adopted children
b)
a single generation in a familial network
c)
parents and stepparents and their biological, adopted, and
stepchildren, who may or may not all live together all or part of
the time
d)
whatever family members—parents, children, grandparents,
cousins—regularly live together in the same household
Review Questions
2. The notion that the nuclear family fulfills
specialized roles in modern societies and helps
perpetuate social order is associated with the
________ approach to sociology.
a)
symbolic interactionist
b)
micro-level
c)
functionalist
d)
postmodern
Review Questions
3. Which of the following is a characteristic of the
modern or post-industrial family?
a)
Dependence on kinship networks
b)
Marriage based on personal choice
c)
Decreased emphasis on child rearing
d)
Blurring of the boundaries between home and work life
Review Questions
4. Why has there been an increase in the age at
which people get married for the first time?
a)
As women gain greater economic independence, they are less
inclined to view marriage as a necessary way to guarantee their
financial security.
b)
More couples are choosing cohabitation over marriage.
c)
As more and more women and men attend college, they wait
longer to get married.
d)
All of the above
Review Questions
5. How have black women who are single parents
adapted to create a stable family situation for
their children in the absence of a father?
a)
Black women who are single parents often work two jobs in
order to provide their families with financial stability and not
depend on welfare.
b)
Black single mothers often rely on their fathers or another male
relative to serve as a role model and nurturing male presence
for their children.
c)
Many black women who are single parents move in with other
single mothers in order to combine their resources and create a
more stable home environment.
d)
Many black single mothers form a close and supportive network
of extended family members and even friends whom they can
rely on to help with child care and other family responsibilities.
Review Questions
6. Why has divorce become more common in the
United States?
a)
People do not value the institution of marriage as highly as they
did in the past.
b)
The pressure of balancing work, child-rearing, community
activities, and other family responsibilities overwhelms many
people, and increasingly divorce is seen as a way to reduce
some of these pressures.
c)
There is a growing tendency to evaluate marriage in terms of
personal satisfaction, and people are less willing than in the
past to stay in a marriage that is not rewarding.
d)
As average incomes have risen significantly in the past thirty
years, people are less compelled to stay together for financial
reasons.
Review Questions
7. There is a high correlation between _________
and indicators of poverty and social
deprivation.
a)
multiple births before the age of 25
b)
rates of birth outside marriage
c)
divorce rates
d)
All of the above