Family Chapter 7 Lecture PowerPoint © W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
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Transcript of Family Chapter 7 Lecture PowerPoint © W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
Family
Chapter 7
Lecture PowerPoint
© W. W. Norton & Company, 2008
Social Institutions Permanent features of society Embedded in culture and structure Carry out necessary functions Maintain and reproduce social arrangements Family is the most basic institution (others:
Religion, Economy, Political System, Education, Health Care)
Family Structures – changes over time The Preindustrial Family
Functioned like a miniature economy. Everyone worked to produce items needed to survive work took place in or near home. Children were economic assets Depended heavily on kinship networks Based in agricultural system – land ownership and
inheritance Kinship weakened as families became more mobile.
Family Structures – changes over time The Industrial Revolution
Removed work from home. Men participated in public wage-earning work. Women remained in private world of household Devaluation of women’s work (unpaid) Meritocracy raised aspirations for standard of
living Children became economic liabilities Family size declined
Family Structures – changes over time Post Industrial Families
Transition to service economy by 1970’s Increased demand for labor, opportunity for
women Married women entered labor force Changed balance of power in marriage Changed family roles from obligatory to optional
Family structure Mode of production
Institutional marriage, extended family
Agricultural production
Companionship marriage, nuclear family
Industrial production
Individual marriage, diversity of forms
Service based economy
Contemporary Family Forms – Individual Choice
You May Ask YourselfCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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2 parent biological or adoptive family Childless couple 2 parent stepfamily or step-adoptive family 1 parent family, usually
Divorced woman Never married woman
Cohabiting male and female Same sex couple, with or without children Single person
Figure 7.1 | Changing Structure of American Families
Family and Work: A Not-So-Subtle Revolution
You May Ask YourselfCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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changes in the organization of work and family life since the 1970s Increased participation of women in work force Decreasing marriage and birth rate Changes in balance of power in marriage Increasing divorce rate (leveled off in 80’s) Changes in childrearing practices
Figure 7.2 | Women in the Labor Force, 1970-2004
Marital Power and Work Women’s employment may change household
gender roles Three ideologies about wives’ employment
(Arlie Hochschild) Traditional – wife still responsible for home and
family, work takes 2nd priority Egalitarian – 50-50 sharing of work and home Transitional – husband more traditional, wife
more egalitarian (most common, led to conflicts)
Employed Wives Do More Housework Than Their Husbands:
Self-reported housework
Male (%) Female (%)
All or almost all 10.4 53.6
About half 52.6 38.1
Some 30.8 6.4
Little or none 6.2 1.8
Total 100.0 100.0
Source: 2006 General Social Survey (N = 467 married persons, employed full time).
Why don’t men do equal housework? Comparison – doing more than their fathers Needs reduction – wife seems to be handling it Different standards – “what mess?” Wives don’t ask
May still hold traditional views Avoid conflict Enjoy having power over household issues
Women’s strategies for coping “Supermom” – do it all
Difficult to maintain Can lead to resentment
Re-order priorities, cut back on job, family, self, or housework
Get help (assign chores or pay someone) Ask husbands to share
sometimes succeeded, generally improved marriage
Ethnicity and American Families
You May Ask YourselfCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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African American Families women have taken leading role in providing for
families Less emphasis on formal marriage, but 2 parent
families were common during era of slavery Strong kinship ties, reliance on informal networks 20th century: 2 main trends
Rise of middle class – increasing gap between middle and bottom
Decline in marriage – fewer “eligible” young black men
Swimming and Sinking: Inequality and American Families
You May Ask YourselfCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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W. E. B. DuBois argued that the high rate of female-headed families in the African American community was a result of racial oppression and poverty, not a cause of it.
William Julius Wilson argued an outright shortage of employed, un-incarcerated black men with whom black women could hope to form a stable family unit, thus leaving them with little choice in terms of taking responsibility for their families.
Latino Families
You May Ask YourselfCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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Not a unified group - different countries and cultures some characteristics can be identified as common
Strong family and community ties Adherence to traditional gender roles Devout Catholicism High marriage rates (not always formal marriage) Low divorce rates
Native American Families Based on tribe or lineage Relationships may not be all blood High respect for elders Strong value of children – community
responsibility Strong sense of tradition, stories May still be marginalized due to culture
Female headed families
Disadvantaged financially May face stigma – assumption that raising
child alone is selfish choice Often criticized for using welfare and services Face many obstacles to finding good jobs
Lack of child care, limited work hours Lower education, lack of support for school Often employed in “care work” or domestic work
– low status, low income
Children and childrearing Two approaches have been dominant
Traditional– raising a competent adult Focus on discipline, obedience conformity Closer to working class culture Fits institutional marriage and family People have children because it is expected
Developmental – developing child’s potential Focus on creativity, self-direction Closer to middle class values Fits individual marriage and family People have children to enhance their lives
Is “Childhood” a recent concept? Traditional view: childhood as separate stage came with
industrialization Education separated children from outside world Industrialization created homemaker/mother role Children expected to choose own path in life
Contemporary view: childhood was always unique stage separate children’s cultures have always existed “coddling” view of children seems to occur in cycles
Divorce Currently just under 1 divorce per 2 marriages Rate doubled in 1970’s – great concern
Women’s employment provided alternatives “No Fault” system made divorce easier (but may
have been in response to demand) Rate has leveled off Biggest concern is for well-being of children
Figure 7.4 | Divorce Rate over the Past Century
Divorce and children – chain of negative events (Cherlin and Furstenburg) Loss of noncustodial parent Loss of financial support, standard of living Possible loss of home, neighborhood, school Loss of custodial parent due to emotional trauma,
more work hours – “diminished parenting” Loss of childhood, problems in later relationships Most of these could be prevented by well managed
divorce
Future of families, children Often pessimistic predictions, stereotypes Many children’s lives are better than ever
Standard of living Education Health
Worse prospects for: Children of young single mothers Minority children Children of working poor