SOC 338: The Family

Wednesdays 6:30-9:30
Room 212 NGE
Fall 2019

CHAPTER 1
Choices in Relationships
 Office Hours/Contact Information:
Contact Information:
Dr. Regina E. Brisgone rebrigone@nsu.edu
• Sociology Dept. Brown Memorial Hall, Room 203.07
• Dr. B. Phone: 823-8931
• Main Office Phone: 823-8436

OFFICE HOURS:
MWF: 10:15-12:15
Mondays: 3 to5 p.m.
And by appointment
 Information for In-class assignments
• These will be assigned at the time of class and you
will work in assigned groups on these projects
• Typically you will present your group findings at the
end of class and turn in a paper with your work and
participants’ names or points
– If you miss class, you can make up the work with a 20%
deduction.
• You will present your findings individually.
 Aug. 28, 2019
Assignment 1
First Day Discuss Family Topics
In-class Group Work 15 points

You will be assigned to partners. Work in groups and

present at end of class. Directions:

1- Stand up at your desk.

2-Introduce yourself to the class

3-Talk about your topic _ or topics and why you would like
to do a presentation on this topic.
 Sept. 4 2019
Assignment 2
Discussion: What do you Think of the Bachelorette
Way of Relationships
10 points. In-class assignment
• How well do contestants get to know one another

• How is this like or not like an “arranged marriage.”

• Do you think any of these relationships are

destined to proceed to marriage

• What is wrong with this show’s premise?

 Chapter 1 : Choices in Relationships
Introduction

• Quote: It is not in the stars to hold our

destiny but in ourselves.
– William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

• Discussion:
– What is the purpose of family? How many
different types of families currently exist in our
society today? What are their differences and
similarities?
 Chapter 1: Choices in Relationships
Chapter Outline

• Marriage
• Family
• Differences between Marriage and Family
• Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing Marriage and the
Family
• Research Process and Caveats
• Future of Marriage
• Summary
 Chapter 1: Choices in Relationships
Introduction

• Food for thought…

– In a nationwide study of 165,743
undergraduates in 234 colleges and
universities, 73% identified raising a family as
an essential objective.
– Over 95% of U.S. adult women (96%) and
men (95.6%) aged 75 and older report having
been married at least once.
 Marriage: Elements of Marriage

• Legal Contract
– Common Law Marriage
– Same-sex marriage
– Religious ceremony
• Emotional Relationship
– Conscious relationship and shared values
• Sexual Monogamy (one person commitment)
• Legal Responsibility for Children
• Announcement [engagement]
 Marriage: Benefits of Marriage

Health Spouses have fewer hospital admissions,

see a physician more regularly, and are sick
less often.
Longevity Spouses live longer.
Happiness Spouses report being happier.

Sexual Spouses report being more satisfied with

satisfaction their sex lives.
 Marriage: Benefits of Marriage
Money Spouses have more economic
resources.
Lower expenses Two can live more cheaply together
than separately.
Drug use Spouses have lower rates of drug use
and abuse.

Connectedness Spouses are connected to more

individuals.
 Marriage: Benefits of Marriage

Children Rates of high school dropouts, teen

pregnancies, and poverty are lower.
History Spouses develop a shared history across
time.
Crime Spouses are less likely to be involved in
crime.

Loneliness Spouses are less likely to report loneliness.

 Negative Aspects of Marriage
• Obesity
• Less sleep
• In stressful marriages, more chance for
– Heart, diabetes, stroke and early death
 Marriage: Types of Marriage

• Polygamy: type of marriage involving more than

two spouses.
• Polygyny: type of marriage involving one
husband and two or more wives.
– Three-way marriage
• Polyandry: type of marriage in which one wife
has two or more husbands.
• Pantagamy: a group marriage in which each
member of the group is “married” to the others.
 Family Definition the U.S. Census:

Family is a group of two or more persons related

by blood, marriage, or adoption.
 Family: Definitions of Family
• Family
– Challenges to the definition
• U.S. Census Definition
• Same sex couples; separated Hanai Adoption
supportive – Hawaiian
culture allowed
• Sociological Definition: a child to be
– Kinship system of all relatives living adopted by
together or recognized as a someone in the
social unit extended family
or by a childless
• Civil Unions couple.
• Domestic Partnerships. Living together
 Family: Definitions of Family
Food for thought…
 86% percent of U.S adults say a single parent and child constitute a
family; nearly as many (80%) say an unmarried couple living together
with a child is a family. 63% percent say a gay or lesbian couple raising
a child is a family.
 Short of marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships are growing
in popularity amongst same sex couples, increasing in frequency both
domestically and internationally.
 Some individuals view their pets as part of their family. In a Harris Poll
(2007) survey of 2,455 adults, 88% regarded their pets as family
members—more women (93%) than men (84%), and more dog owners
(93%) than cat owners (89%).
 Family: Types of Families
• Family of Origin: Family you were born into or reared in.
• Family of Procreation: The family you begin when you marry and
have children
• Nuclear Family: Family or origin/procreation. Two adults who
reproduce and have offspring
• Traditional: Husband/wife/children with husband as breadwinner
(money-maker)
• Modern: Dual-career family in which both spouses work.
• Postmodern Family: Lesbian/gay couples and mother who are single
by choice
• Binuclear Family: Nuclear family living in separate households
• Blended Family: Re-marriage and children kept together
• Extended Family: Nuclear and other relatives (different generations)
Differences Between Marriage and
Family
 Differences Between Marriage and Family:
Changes in Marriage and the Family in the Last Sixty Years

1950 2015
Family Individuals who wanted to Individuals who remain single or
Relationship remains single or childfree experience social
Values childless were considered understanding and sometimes
deviant. encouragement.

Gender Roles Rigid gender roles Egalitarian gender roles

Sexual Values Marriage was regarded as Concerns about safer sex have
the only appropriate taken precedence over the
context for intercourse. marital context for sex. Hooking
up is new courtship norm.

Homogamous Strong social pressure Dating and mating have become

Mating existed to date and marry more heterogamous, with more
within one’s own racial, freedom to select a partner
ethnic, religious, and socially different than oneself.
social class groups.
 Differences Between Marriage and Family:
Changes in Marriage and the Family in the Last Sixty Years

1950 2015
Cultural Silence on Intimate relationships Mass media is open
Intimate Relationships were not an appropriate about sexuality and
subject for the media. relationships behind
closed doors.

Divorce Society strongly Divorce has replaced

disapproved of divorce. death as the endpoint of
a majority of marriages.

Familism vs. Families were focused on Adult agenda of work and

Individualism the needs of the children. recreation have taken on
an increased importance
with less attention given
to children
 Differences Between Marriage and Family:
Changes in Marriage and the Family in the Last Sixty Years

1950 2012
Homosexuality Same-sex emotional and Supreme Court legalized
sexual relationships were same-sex marriage. Gay
a culturally hidden relationships are
phenomena. increasingly a culturally
open phenomena.

Scientific Scrutiny Aside from Kinsey, few Acceptance of scientific

studies were conducted study of marriage and
on intimate relationships. intimate relationships.

Family Housing Husbands and wives Husbands and wives may

lived in the same house. “live apart together” (LAT).

Technology Non-existent except Use of iPhones, texting,

phone. sexting, and Facebook.
 Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing
Marriage and the Family
• Theoretical Framework: a set of interrelated principles
designed to explain a particular phenomenon.
• Social Exchange Framework
– Views interaction and choices in terms of rewards and costs of
behavior
– (utilitarianism rewards/costs of a particular action or decision).
– Negotiating child care, housework, jobs.
• Family Life Course Development Framework
– Emphasizes the important role of transitions of individuals that
occur in different periods of life and in different social contexts.
Turning points
• Graduating college; first job; getting married; having children; retirement
 Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing
Marriage and the Family
• Structure-Function Framework
– Emphasizes how marriage and family contribute to
society
• First, families serve to replenish society with socialized
members.
• Second, marriage and the family promote the
emotional stability of the respective spouses.
• Third, families provide economic support for their
members.
Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing
Marriage and the Family
• Structure-Function Framework (Con’t.)
– Additional functions may include:
• Physical Care
• Regulation of Sexual Behavior
• Status Placement
• Social Control
 Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing
Marriage and the Family
• Conflict Framework
– The view that individuals in relationships compete
for valuable resources. Power dynamic
• Symbolic Interaction Framework
– Views marriages and families as symbolic worlds
in which the various members give meaning to
each other’s behavior.
• Definition of the Situation
• Looking-Glass Self _
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing
Marriage and the Family
• Family Systems Framework
– Views each member of the family as part of a
system and the family as a unit that develops
norms of interaction.
• Feminist Framework
– Views marriage and family as contexts of
inequality and oppression for women.
 Research Process and Caveats:
Steps in the Research Process

• Steps in the Research Process:

– Identify the topic or focus of research
– Review the literature
– Develop hypotheses
– Decide on a method of data collection
– Get Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
– Collect and analyze data
– Write up and publish results
 Research Process and Caveats:
Caveats to Consider in Research Quality

Potential Research Problems in Marriage and Family

 The Future of Marriage
• Though marriage is declining amongst middle
Americans, it remains the dominant choice and
there is no evidence that marriage will cease to
be a life goal.
• Six in ten “never-married” adults say they want
to get married at some point.
• In June 2015 the Supreme Court legalized
same-sex marriage in all states.