Transcript Chapter 13
The Family and Human Sexuality Chapter 13 Social Institutions • Organized patterns of beliefs and behavior that are centered on basic social needs. – Cultural universal Functionalist View • 5 major tasks – – – – – Replacing personnel Teaching new recruits Producing and distributing goods and services Preserving order Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose Family • A set of people who are related by blood, marriage (or some other agreed-upon relationship), or adoption who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society. Family Variations • Nuclear – a married couple and their unmarried children • Extended – a family unit that includes parents and children, as well as other kin • Accordion – composition changes based on changing circumstances Marriage • A legally sanctioned relationship, usually involving economic cooperation, as well as sexual activity, and childbearing. Who to Marry? • Endogamy – marriage between people of the same social category • Exogamy – refers to marriage between people of different social categories How Many to Marry? • Monogamy- marriage uniting two partners • Polygamy – marriage that unites three or more people – Polygyny- a man with multiple wives – Polyandry – a woman with multiple husbands • Serial monogamy – having several monogamous marriages over a lifetime Courtship and Mate Selection • Aspects of Mate Selection – Incest taboo: – Homogamy: Conscious or unconscious tendency to select mate with personal characteristics similar to one’s own Kinship • The state of being related to others Descent • Refers to the system by which members of a society trace kinship over generations Descent Patrilineal – kinship traced through father’s side of the family Descent • Matrilineal – kinship traced through mother’s side of the family Descent • Bilateral – kinship traced through both the father’s side and mother’s side Residential Patterns • Patrilocality – living with or near the husband’s family • Matrilocality – living with or near the wife’s family • Neolocality – living separate from both families Authority • Patriarchy – Male decision making • Matriarchy – Female decision making • Egalitarian – Spouses are equal Structural-Functional Analysis • Family performs many vital tasks – Ogburn (1934) • • • • • • Reproduction Protection Socialization Regulation of sexual behavior Affection and companionship Provision of social status Conflict Analysis • Family perpetuates inequality – Property and inheritance – Patriarchy – Race and ethnicity Interactionist Analysis • How individuals share and experience family life – Building emotional bonds – Building a way to view the world and interact Divorce • Causes of divorce – – – – – Individualism Romantic love subsides Women less dependent on men Divorce is socially acceptable Legally easier to get Figure 39-1: U.S. Households by Family Type, 1940 – 2010 Source: Bureau of the Census 2010b:Table HH1. Alternate Family Forms • • • • One-parent families Cohabitation Gay and lesbian couples Singlehood Transition to Parenthood • • • • Little anticipatory socialization Only limited learning during pregnancy Transition quite abrupt Society lacks clear and helpful guidelines for successful parenthood Child-Rearing Patterns • Adoption – “Transfer of the legal rights, responsibilities, and privileges of parenthood” to a new legal parent or parents – Functionalist: government has a strong interest in encouraging adoption • At any given time, around half a million children in the United States are living in foster care Child-Rearing Patterns • Dual-Income Families • Rise due to economic need, coupled with a desire to pursue careers Child-Rearing Patterns • Single-parent families: Only one parent is present to care for children – Households headed by single fathers more than quadrupled from 1987 to 2011 Child-Rearing Patterns • Stepfamilies – Approximately 45% of all people in U.S. will marry, divorce, and remarry Human Sexuality • Sexuality not limited to physical behaviors – Includes beliefs, values, and social norms that collectively govern its expression – Way human sexuality sanctioned differs widely geographically and historically – Sexual attitudes and practices change over time Human Sexuality • Labeling and Human Sexuality – Definition of deviant sexual behavior varied significantly over time and from one culture to another • Social stigma of homosexuality • Transgendered persons: people whose current gender identity does not match their physical identity at birth • Transvestites: cross-dressers who wear clothing of opposite sex