The Real World An Introduction to Sociology

Sociology doesn’t define a family by who its members are but by what they do, how they relate to one another, and what their relationship is to the larger society -family- as two or more individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living in the same household -contemporary sociologists use the world family- to mean a social group whose members are bound by some type of tie-legal, biological, emotional, or a combination of all three. --they may or may not share a household, but family members are interdependent and have a sense of mutual responsibility for one anothers cares -most people recognize family as an integral social institution found in every society -family tended to mean extended faimly- a large group of kin, or relatives, which could include grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins living in one household -nuclear family- a heterosexual couple, usually married, living in their own household and raising children -social change- such as the women's liberation movement and the move toward individual independence and self-fulfillment, have began to erode the dominance of the married, heterosexual nuclear family, as increased divorce rates, working mothers, single parents, same-sex marriage, LGBTQ families, and other alternative family arrangements have become more common, -not of the family but rather of families -unmarried couples, both gay and heterosexual, are more likely to be considered a family if children are present -unrelated roommates who are not romantically involved are significantly more likely to be considered family by those over 65 Sociologist perspective on families: Structural functionalists view it as a cultural universal and try to identify its functions for society. Conflict theorists argue that there are inherent inequalities both within and between families. Symbolic interactionists focus on the family as the product of interactional processes, while feminist and queer theoretical perspectives question male dominance and heteronormativity as yardsticks for determining what is “normal” when it comes to family Structural functionalism: -in suicide: emile durkheim argued that the industrial revolution and the division of labor had undermined the older social institutions that formally regulated society, leaving some people suffering from anomie, that sometimes resulted in suicide -marriage and family, at least for men, decreased the chances of suicide because they provide the structure and regulation that durkheim believed people require to be happy -men who are married and had kids are less likely to kill themselves because of their obligations to their families, while single men had less to tether them to this mortal coil, and hence would be more likely to commit suicide -society's survival requires institutions that can serve its essential functions: economic production, the socialization of children, instrumental and emotional support, and sexual control. family performs the functions that allow production to happen -the family is responsible for the reproduction of society as it produces and socializes children who will in turn become future workers and produce and socialize more new members of society -pattern maintenance- the values and norms of a society are passed onto the next generation -brings emotional support for its members by providing us w significant others such as spouses. Parnets, siblings, and regulates sexuaility by helping define w whom we can and cannot mate with -help society run smoothly and maintain stability and order, and family as a social institutions contributes to social order as a result Conflict theory: -family produces and socializes children to function efficiently in a capitalist economy, but they see this function as problematic -the nuclear family, a relatively recent historical invention, acts at the primary economic unit in modern capitalist society, and science conflict theorists see capitalism as oppressive, they claim that this form of family contributes to that oppression -society revolves around conflict over scarce resources and that conflict within the family is also about the competition for resources, time, energy, and the leisure to pursue more interesting recreational activities Family can allso exploitation through a sexual rather than a class-based division of labor -conflict perspectives overlap w a feminist perspective on the family -feminists- assume that the family is a gendered social institution and that men and women, experience family differently =in patriarchal societies, men wield greater power than women, both within and outside the family, and women's contribution to family and society is devalued and unpaid of underpaid -conserding men to be the head of household and providing them with legal rights that women don't have, means that families themselves are places in which women are discriminated against -gender is not the only system of stratification that shapes our experience in families -age and ability may be the basis for inequality, conflict, and even violence within families Symbolic Interactionism: -the family does not exist, only families -how family relations are created and maintained in interaction than how they are structured -individual marriages may have very different expectations and rules for behavior. -One couple may require sexual monogamy within their marriage, while their neighbors may not; one couple may pool their finances while the neighbors may not: -family as a fluid= adaptable set of concepts and practices that people use “for constructing the meaning of social bonds”, a set of vocab to describe particular relationships When we describe people in terms of family, we are making claims about the rights, obligations, and sentiments that exist within their relationships -we are constantly evaluating and re evaluating the attitudes and behaviors of those around us, assigning family status to new people and dismissing others from our circle of meaning family relations. -family members do not merely passively conform to others expectations but rather actively and creatively construct and modify their roles through interactions -the people who help each other out, who care for each other and who express that care are family, whether or not they are legally or biology related Feminist and queer theory: -the interplay of gender and sexuality in family and society -question male dominance, both within and outside families Why do we refer to the male partner as the head of the household?- designation bestows upon men the power to make decisions, control financial and other resources, and expect domestic labor and emotional support from the women in their families -not taking husbands last names -critique traditional perspectives on family by resisting heteronormativity as well as sexism in their analyses -if men are assumed to be heads of famlies- who then heads nonheterosexual familes =neither mascuility nor heterosexuality should be a requirement for individuals to have power and autonomy within families (or outside them) -that more diverse and egalitarian family structures are possible Homogamy- like marries like, we tend to choose mates who are similar to us in class, race, ethnicity, age, religion, education, and even levels of attractiveness Endogamy- some groups encourage and even enforce this practice by requiring that their members choose mates from within the group Exogamy- punishing them if they choose mates from outside the group Propinquity- to geographical proximity- we tend to choose people who live nearby, -courtship, romance, and intimacy are all influenced by the larger culture- and are also historically specific -marriage between people of different racial, ethnic, or national backgrounds was actually prohibited for most of us history -from the time of slavery through the 1960s, mixed- race relationships were considered criminal and were also punished outside the law -fears of interracial relationships led to the lynching of african americans men and the creation of anti miscegenation laws in several states that prohibited the mixing of racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, or sexual interaction. -the most significant of these laws fell after the 1967 supreme court declared that virginia's law banning marriage between persons of different races was unconstitutional under the 14th amendment -mixed- race unions are increasing -in 1960 only 0.4 percent of all couples were interracial, increasing to 2.2 percent by 1992 Mixed race couples still face discrimination, respondents were far more threatened by interracial marriage, than by persons of color moving into white neighborhoods or competing for jobs -same- sex marriage has been one of the most high profile issues of the past decade -the us was deeply divided over the issue, with some states passing bans on same-sex marriage and others making it legal -in 2015 the supreme court ruled that such bans were unconstitutional, effectively allowing gays and lesbians to marry nationwide -neither lgbtq nor hetrosexual persons need legal marriage to form romantic relationships or establish families -so the notion that marriage is the basis for family- as well as the traditional definitions of marriage and family- are called into question by modern family trends Monogamy- or marrying only one individual at a time, is still considered the only legal form of marriage in modern western culture Polygamy- or having multiple spouses, may be practiced among some subcultures around the world but is not widely acknowledged as a legitimate form of marriage Polygamy- which a man is married to multiple wives Polyandry- in which a woman has multiple husbands Polyamory- a type of multiple= person partnership in which each individual, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, is in relationship with each of the other individuals belonging to the group -the average american now spends the majority of his or her own life unmarried because people live longer, delay marriage, or choose a single lifestyle Unmarried life: -Married couples were the dominant model through the 1950s, but their numbers have slipped from nearly 80 percent of households in 1960 to 48 percent in 2014 -Married couples with children—the traditional model of family—totaled less than 20 percent of households in 2014, and that number is projected to drop. -The remaining households are single parents, cohabiting partners, or others. 28 percent of all households in 2014 consisted of people who lived alone, and unmarried people have been the majority in the us since 2005 -cohabitation- some unmarried couples live together before or instead of being married -this has increased signify between 1960-2010 -marriage is no longer the prerequisite for childbearing -2013- nearly 41 percent of all births were to unmarried couples, 56 cohabiting parents -most couples that choose to cohabit rather than marry are 25-35 -reason for this may be: growing economic independence of individuals today, resulting in less financial motivation for marriage as a legal contract -changing attitudes about religion have made sexual relationship outside marriage more socially acceptable -unmarried people can sometimes feel if the world is purposely trying to excuse them -single people are usually charged more for auto and health insurance than married people; -some tax breaks are only available to married couples, and even hotel rooms and vacation packages are usually advertised with double occupancy rates -unmarried equality- engage in research, education, and advocacy for unmarried and single adults of all types and are concerned about discrimination that is built into the american social system, especially at an economic and political level but also in terms of culture and values =one of their efforts is to increase recognition of unmarried and singles as a constituency of voters, workers, taxpayers, and consumers worthy of equal rights and protection -intentional community an inclusive term for a variety of groups who form communal living arrangements that include cohousing, communism monasteries and ashrams, etc -purpose of living here: working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values -Single and Solo Parenting, -attitudes about solo mothers vary greatly and often depend on the mother's age, education level, occupation, income, and support network of friends and extended family members -women with more resources are less critized, than women who are younger, earn less money and have less education or social support -a prevailing middle-class assumption about single mothers is that young women in the inner city become mothers to access welfare benefits -young women having a baby is a symbol of belonging and being valued- being a good mother is an accessible role that can generate respect and admiration in that community -of the 11.2 mil single parents households in the us, 2.6 mil of them are headed by single men, -solo dads face dilemmas similar to those faced by single moms, but with suspension and stigma with society notions of men who spend time w children -the number of single dasd has increased almost tenfold single 1960, and this increase seems likely to continue Blended families Four in ten americans are members or stepfamilies or blended families -statistics about stepfamilies are inconsistent and often contradictory because quantifying and defining the intricate relationships involved in a stepfamily are difficult -stepfamilies face special challenge, when there are children in different stages of life cycle -the needs and concerns of teeneagers may be vastly different from those of their infant-half sibling, and it may take more work to adjust to the new living situation -remarriages are even more likely to end in divorce than first marriages -in successful remarriages, partners are usually older and have learned important lessons about compatibility and relationships -4 percent of heterosexual marriages have one gay or bisexual partner Childfree Living -90 percent of adults surveyed in a 2013 poll either had children or wanted them -a growing number are choosing to live childfree rather than childless -children are expensive and exhausing and raising them takes energy away from other things that individuals may value more, careers, avocations, and other relationships -women are stigmatized for their choice and are often the object of pity, suspicion, and discrimination -our cultural values support childbearing and child rearing as the normative and preferred practice, and those who choose to remain childfree battle against judgment Breaking up: -127 mil people were married while about 25 mil were divorced -about 50 percent of the entire us population were married while about 10 percent were divorced -the percentage of married people who have divorced has greatly increased since 1950, but it is not accurate to say the approximately 50 percent of all marriages now end in divorce -about 40 percent of those who divorce eventually marry other people -nearly a quarter of currently married adults have been married before -gender gap in remarriage patterns- with 64 percent of previously married men have remarried compared to 52 percent of previously married women -remarriage rates among younger americans in the us are actually lower now than they were before the 1960s, a fact attributable to the increase in cohabitation among unmarried couples -the children of divorced parents are more than 3x more likely to divorce than their peers from intact families -the decline of intergenerational divorce and marriage rates probably has 3 sources -growing acceptance of divorce, the age of marriage has changed, children of divorced parents are more likely to cohabitate with their partners and are less likely to marry than children of non divorced parents -the decline in marriage rates among children of divorced parents can be explained by both increased rates of cohabitation and an increased propensity not to marry at all -divorcing isn't the only way to break up Custody, visitation, and child support -custody- is the physical and legal responsibility for the everyday life and routines of children -in previous decades it was mothers who were awarded sole custody of children -but more recently there has been a dramatic shift toward shared custody between both parents -by 2008- mother sole custody has declined from a high of 8- percent to just 42 percent -this decline reflects an increased in shared custody from 5 percent to 27 percent of all cases -there has been little change in father sole-custody, which has remained at about 10 percent -courts award visitation to non custodial parents to protect parent-child relationships -many parents make informal arrangements or decisions without the legal system, about -as children are more likely to live in poverty after their parents divorce, child support policies are important -women are more likely to suffer downward economic mobility after divorce, especially if they retain custody of their children -in 2011 the poverty rate for custodial mother families was 32 percent, compared to 16 percent for custodial father families -women experience on average 25 percent decline in their economic well being after a divorce The work of family -many types of work- both paid and unpaid are necessary to keep a family operating, child care, housecleaning, car maintenance, cooking, bill, paying, helping w homework, and doing laundry -instrumental tasks- generally achieve a tangible goal (washing the dishes, fixing the gutters) Expressive tasks- generally achieve emotional or relational goals (remembering relative birthdays, playing chute and ladders with the kids) -the expressive work: remembering and celebrating birthdays, includes all sorts of instrumental tasks, such as buying presents, writing cards, and baking cakes -instrumental tasks, such as cooking dinner, include expressive elements as well -not only is the knowledge of cooking needed, but there must be appropriate shopping to keep a stocked kitchen, to make meals that account for family members likes, dislikes, and allergies, and to create a varied and balanced menu. -Producing meals that please, satisfy, and bring individuals together is just one of the ways that family is created and sustained through interactional work—both instrumental and expressive. -We constitute family in and through meals and every other mundane activity of everyday life. Gender, sexuality, and family labor -women are more likely to have the dual workload of paid labor outside the home and unpaid labor inside the home -after the industrial revolution- at that time men began to leave their homes to earn wages working in factories -women remained at home to take care of the house and children -as mens earned wages replaced subsistence farming- in which women had always participated- these wages became the primary mechanism for providing food, clothing, and shelter for families, thus giving men economic power over women -women are more likely to perform the bulk of household and caregiving labor -women bear the brunt of unpaid household labor -women were indeed working two jobs: paid labor outside the home or the first shift, and unpaid labor inside the home, or the second shift -supermoms- who do everything are most likely unhappy -before college educated women were encouraged to work in the paid labor force, working class women were there out of necessity -women rarely getting the privilege of downtime that men enjoy -in same sex couples- the household chores can't be unequally distributed by gender, but they aren't always divided equally either -lesbian families- the division of labor was a way of establishing power relationships within the family, rather tha na way of enacting externally prescribed gender roles, -the partner who does more household labor may be able to transform that roll into more influence over domestic decision making in general and decision having to do with the children -this is itself a type of relationship power and may be more valuable in such relationships than the power associated with higher income from paid labor Family and life course -the family molds everyone -when we are children- our families provide us with our first lessons in how to be members of society -the presence of children shapes the lives of parents -relationship satisfaction tend to decline when there are small kids in the house -children can pressure their parents to quit smoking or eat healthier food- then care for their parents when elderly- sandwich generation effect Aging in the family -the number of americans 65 or older is growing twice as fast as the population as whole -this because of the baby boom generation the large number of americans born in the post world war 2 era moving into middle age and beyond -average life expectancy 79- women living an average of five years longer than men -retirement income is an important part of planning -social security benefits are the major source of income for about 65 percent of the elderly in the us and the only source of income for 24 percent of americans retired population -without other sources of income: retired citizens may find themselves with limited resources, poverty -some live with their kids as a result of this or nursing home, -coping with the transitions of retirement, loss of one's partners, declining health, and death are central tasks for seniors Trouble in families -the concept of private nuclear families did not emerge in the us until the early 1900s -in colonial times child rearing was collective effort in which community leaders and neighbors often overruled parental decisions about children -in the the late 1800s, mothers looked to other mothers for advice about their children -journals from mom at that time show the the opinions of other women were often more important than the husbands in family decisions Domestic abuse -in the us one out of every 4 women suffers physical violence and the hands of an intimate partner -millions of women suffer verbal, financial, and psychological abuse from those who are supposed to love them -domestic abuse- is an umbrella term for the behaviors abusers use to gain and maintain control over their victims -5 main categories: physical, verbal, financial, sexual, and psychological or emotional abuse -Rates of domestic abuse vary somewhat across racial, ethnic (Truman and Morgan 2014), and religious groups (National Resource Center on Domestic Violence 2007); -LGBTQ partners experience up to twice as much relationship violence as heterosexual couples (Stiles-Shields and Carroll 2014). - Women are certainly not the only group to suffer from domestic abuse, but statistically, they are more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner: between 2003 and 2012, 76 percent of domestic violence was committed against women -women between the ages of twenty and twenty-four are victims of abuse at the hands of an intimate partner more frequently than women in any other age group (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2007). -Poor women are also more likely to be abused than women with higher incomes -most abusive partners are not out of control nor do they have anger problems -they often seem charming and calm to people, they delivery decide to be violent with those least likely to report the crime and over whom they maintain the most control, their family members -domestic abuse results from the abusers desire for power over the victim, and abusers often blame their victims -a four stage cycle of violence: seems to occur in almost every abusive relationship 1st stage: the abusive partner is charming, attentive, thoughtful, disagreements are glossed over and the relationship looks stable and healthy, but tension is building up to the second stage 2nd stage: walking on eggshells: both parties sense that something will happen no matter what the victim may do to try to avoid it 3rd stage: acute abuse and violence occur, lasting for seconds hour or even days. Whatever happens the abuser will invariably blame the victim for incident 4th stage: often referred to as loving contrition, is the honeymoon phase and is one of the reasons victims remain in abusive relationships -after the violence the abuser will apologize profusely, and promise that it will never happen again. Buy gifts, beg -most abusers have no interest in actually changing because they want that control -victims of domestic abuse stay with their abusers for many reasons -after years of abuse, victims often believe what their abusers tell them, that they can't make it on their own and they are responsible for the abuse -often children are involved, or abusers threaten to harm other family members Child and elder abuse -child abuse and elder abuse are likely to be underreported, partly because of the relative powerlessness of the victims and the privacy settings of abuse -1 1 percent of children in the us are abused in some way -about 5 percent of all seniors in the us have been subjected to elder abuse ins osme form -both children and elders with chronic diseases have a increased risk of abuse -neglect- inadequate nutrition, insufficient clothing or shelter, and unhygienic of unsafe living conditions -close to 80 percent of child abuse victims suffer from neglect -incest- the trust that children must place in their caregivers. Inappropriate sexual relationships between parents and children have devastating lifelong consequences for child victims, which many include destructive behavior, such as eating disorder, substance abuse, and inability to have good relationships -those who were physically or sexually abused have a higher risk of become abusers themselves -elder abuse: financial exploitation or theft; relatives or other caregivers may steal of misuse the elders property or financial resources -another form is neglect and abandonment: refusal to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection Postmodern families: the new normal -in 1960- over ⅔ thirds of families consisted of a married couple with a male breadwinner, a stay-at home mom, and their children -by 2012 less than 1 quarter of families looked like this -we are looking at a growing diversity of family forms: unmarried parents, blended families, multiracial families, LGBTQ families, and extended family houseland. -this diversity is a result of social changes including technology innovations, improved birth control, greater employment, increasing educational attainment for women, rising divorce rates, increasing acceptance of gays and lesbians and mixed race, and changes in social welfare programs