Project 2: Institutions AnalysisThe Family

Arineh Abram
Sociology 001

Global view OF The FAMILY

Families come in many shapes and sizes.

A family is defined as a socially defined set of relationships linked
by blood, birth, marriage, etc.
The substantive definition of family focuses on blood and law. Blood
meaning that people are related through the sharing of biological
heritage passed on directly from a parent to a child and law
referring to the bond of a family, typically in the form of marriage
and adoption.

The roles in a family (power differentials)

In most families, the parents are the leaders

of the family and the children are expected
to follow the leadership of their parents.
Observing the roles of the parental figures
in a family, there is a distinct set behavior
between the roles of men and women:
The man in the family is stereotypically
looked upon as the authoritative figure; the
one who provides the family with money and
has the major-decision making power.
Women have control over certain aspects of
the family which does not consist of much
power. The women are meant to stay at home
and cook, clean and comply with their
husbands needs, all while nurturing their
children.

The types of families/marriages

An extended family consists of a family in which relatives such as

uncles, grandparents, etc. live in the same household as parents and
their children.
A nuclear family consists of a married couple and their children living
together which is the most traditional view of family.
A monogamy is a form of marriage in which one woman and one man are
only married to each other.
A serial monogamy is a form of marriage in which a person has several
spouses in his/her lifetime but only one spouse at a time.
A polygamy is a marriage in which a person has several husbands or
wives at a time.

Functions of the family

Functionalists define society as a system of

interconnected parts that come together to
create balance and a sense of stability.

Functions of the family include reproduction, socialization, regulation of sexual

behavior, affection and companionship, and provision of social status.

-The family is the basic

building block of society
which performs the
function of socializing the
young and nurturing them.

Reproduction
-In order for a society to keep going, it
must replace those who die.
-The family is in charge of raising children
to become members who give to society.

Socialization

Regulation of Sexual Behavior

-Standards of sexual behavior are
languages due to interactions with their family.
-Parents monitor their childs behavior and teach defined within the family.
-Children learn to communicate and speak
them values and the norms of society.

Provision of Social Status

-People inherit social statuses from birth because
of their family backgrounds and reputations.

Affection & Companionship

-Families provide their members with love and
emotional support which is a necessity for one
to remain sane, secure, and satisfied.

The two essential functions of the family

Primary Socialisation

The nuclear family is

the only institution that
can provide these two
core functions:

Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

The nuclear family is responsible

for teaching children the common

values, beliefs, and norms of
society.
Typically, boys learn to take on the
instrumental role which requires
them to be the masculine figures who
work to provide for the family;
meanwhile, the girls learn to take
on the expressive role which
requires them to take care of the
household chores and the children.

Refers to the emotional security found

between a married couple which acts to
balance out the stresses and pressures
of everyday life.

The decrease in birth rates

(changes in the family over the years)

The number of children in families has been decreasing over the years because of the cost it takes to
provide for and raise them.

The nations birthrate today is half what it

was in 1960, and last year hit its lowest point
ever. At the end of the baby boom, in 1964, 36
percent of all Americans were under 18 years
old; last year, children accounted for just 23.5
percent of the population, and the proportion
is dropping, to a projected 21 percent by
2050 (Angier 5).
According to the Department of Agriculture, the average middleclass couple will spend $241,080 to raise a child to age 18 (Angier
5)

The Decline in traditional families

There has been a great decline

over the years in the number of
traditional families in
America.
A traditional family is one
that consists of two parents
and children.

Statistics
-Fewer than half (46%) of U.S. kids younger than 18
years of age are living in a home with two married
heterosexual parents in their first marriage
(Livingston 1).
-15% of children are living with two parents who are
in a remarriage (Livingston 2).
-34% of children today are living with an unmarried
parentup from just 9% in 1960, and 19% in 1980
(Livingston 3)

The increase in divorce rates

The number of children living

in single-parent homes has
nearly doubled over the years.
Before 1970,one of the spouses
must have had committed a crime
that justified a divorce.
However, after 1970, no-fault
divorce became an option which
increased the divorce rates in
marriages.

The number of two-parent households

decreased by 1.2 million (Andersen 1).
One-third of American children a total of 15
million are being raised without a father.
Nearly five million more children live without a
mother (Andersen 1).

The conflict perspective of family

refers to how power and authority is
distributed in a functioning family.

Conflict perspective of family

The man is the more authoritative

and masculine figure in the family
who is also the source of income.
The woman takes care of the children
and the household chores.
This power differential in families
relates to the idea of capitalism
because in a capitalist society,
there is conflict between the means
of production and the workers which
is essentially the people with power
vs. the people without power.

Patriarchy refers to a society

that expects males to control
all of the decision-making in a
family.
A matriarchy is a society in
which women have greater
authority than men.

The Conflict Perspective is a

paradigm that views society as a
place of inequality and imbalance
that generates conflict and social
change.

Works Cited

Angier, Natalie. "The Changing American Family." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2016.
"The Functionalist Perspective on The Family." N.p., n.d. Web.
Livingston, Gretchen. "Fewer than Half of U.S. Kids Today Live in a traditional Family." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 22 Dec. 2014.
Web. 24 July 2016.
"The Number of US Children Living in Single-parent Homes Has Nearly Doubled in 50 Years: Census Data." N.p., n.d. Web.
"Roles Within the Family." HealthyChildren.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2016.
"Six Functions of the Family." Six Functions of the Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2016.
"Why Have Divorce Rates Increased Over Time? | Attorneys.com." Attorneys.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2016.
Witt, Jon. Soc. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.