Structure of the Family: A Global View

The way in which we define the family determines the kinds of family we will consider to be normal or deviant and what rights and obligations we will recognize as legally and socially binding.

• Forms of the Family In the nuclearfamily arrangement, spouses and their offspring constitute the core relationship. In the extended family arrangement, kin provide the core relationship. Most Americans will belong to a family of orientation and a family ofprocreation. Descent and inheritance can be patrilineal, matrilineal, or bilineal, and couples may take a patrilocal, matrilocal, or neolocal residence. Most societies are patriarchal, with some industrialized nations becoming more egalitarian; none are known that are truly matriarchal.



• Forms of Marriage Marriage refers to a socially approved sexual union undertaken with some idea of permanence. Two types of marital regulations define the “right” spouse: endogamy and exogamy. Incest taboos are rules that prohibit sexual intercourse with close blood relatives. Societies further structure marriage relationships in one of four ways: monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and groupmarriage.



• Patterns of Courtship Societies “control” love through child and arranged marriage, social isolation of young people, close supervision of couples, and peer and parental pressures. A variety of factors operate in the selection of a mate: homogamy, physical attractiveness (the matching hypothesis), and complementary needs. Exchange theory provides a unifying link among these factors.




Marriage and the Family in the United States

Some see the nuclear family as the source of many modern woes, others as the last bastion of morality in an increasingly decadent world.

• Life within Marriage Most adult Americans hope to establish an intimate relationship with another person and make the relationship work. However, increasing numbers of Americans no longer view marriage as a permanent institution but as something that can be ended and reentered.



• Parenthood Nuclear families that are not disrupted by divorce, desertion, or death typically pass through a series of changes and realignments across time, what sociologists call the family life course. Altered expectations and requirements are imposed on a husband and wife as children are born and grow up.



• Two-Income Families More than 60 percent of all mothers with children under age six are in the paid workforce. Such women also do more of the housework and child care than men. Research findings about the effect of working mothers on children are varied. In onefifth of such couples the woman is the chief breadwinner.



• Beyond the Traditional NuclearFamily Americans have a variety of lifestyles, the overall pattern of living that people evolve to meet their biological, social, and emotional needs. Among the lifestyles Americans find themselves adopting are singlehood, single parenthood, cohabitation, and relationships based on homosexuality.




Challenges for American Families and American Society

Some family problems stay in the family; others spill over into society.

• Family Violence, Child Abuse, andIncest Family violence, child abuse, and incest are more common than most people think. The sexual abuse of children often leads to behavior problems, learning difficulties, sexual promiscuity, runaway behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicidal behavior.



• Child Care Most child psychologists agree that high-quality day care and preschools provide acceptable child care arrangements. The United States is one of the few industrialized nations that have no comprehensive day care program and the quality of child care available is often poor.



• Divorce Divorce exacts a considerable emotional and physical toll from all family members. Children raised by single parents are more likely to drop out of high school, to use drugs, to have teen births, to have illegitimate children, and to be poorer than children raised in two-parent homes. More than half the adults who remarry undergo a second divorce.



• Care for the Elderly Social scientists call middle-aged adults the “sandwich generation” because they find themselves with responsibilities for their own teenage and college-age children and for their elderly parents. Grown children still bear the primary responsibility for their aged parents.




Sociological Perspectives on the Family

• The Functionalist Perspective Functionalists identify a number of functions families typically perform: reproduction; socialization; care, protection, and emotional support; assignment of status; and regulation of sexual behavior through the norm of legitimacy.



• The Conflict Perspective Conflict theorists have seen the family as a social arrangement benefiting men more than women. Some conflict sociologists say that intimate relationships inevitably involve antagonism as well as love.



• The Interactionist Perspective Symbolic interactionists emphasize that families reinforce and rejuvenate their bonds through the symbolic mechanism of rituals such as family meals and holidays.