The Description of Family The book, “Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change, Chapter One: Marriages and Families Over Time,” by Mary Ann Schwartz and BarBara Marliene Scott help distinguish what the word family truly means and the different types of families that are experienced among the United States. Family is defined in many types of ways by everyone, such as, family is the person(s) who share the same blood or family is there when you need them at all times regardless if they share the same blood or not. Family is defined as any relatively stable group of people that are related to one another by blood, adoptions, marriage or by simply living together and provide each other with emotional and economical support according to Schwartz …show more content…
Fraser, makes the point that in order for the different types of families to have a healthy relationship among each other, as well as, in society, then people need to understand what family really means. “If the family is to be a healthy component in society, in order for society to survive, then we all need to understand what family is and what it is becoming,” (Fraser, 1989). Generally speaking, family has been expected to provide each member financially, emotionally, and with physical support. The traditional definition of an American family used to be defined as a mother, a father, and/or children. The father was the “breadwinner” of the family, meaning he was the one who work to provide financially for his wife and children, as the mother would stay home and take care of the house and the children. Families have changed since then, fathers are becoming stay-at-home dads while the mothers are working. This change has also changed the norm of society by changing the pattern of rights and the changing of expectations of marriages (Fraser, …show more content…
It is stated that no known societies allow any of their members to have relations with anyone that they please and this is where the regulation of sexual behavior comes in. For example, it is against the norm (guidelines) to have relations with anyone that is blood or close relatives. It is required to have relations with individuals outside of family (Schwartz & Scott, 2012). Reproduction in society is a way to produce new members to help society grow and to keep growing. When new members come into the society, they must be placed into the social placement and be placed into a social status to be taught how to play the role of that society. Socialization also plays apart in society because it is a lifelong process of social interaction that allows its members to learn knowledge, skills of culture, behaving, and etc. to be able to have an effective participation in social life (Schwartz & Scott, 2012). Economic cooperation is essential because children must have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place for shelter. Families are responsible to make sure their children have all
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales, two of the leading figures in sociology, may be considered the founding fathers for the ideas of the “modern family” and the “male-breadwinner family.” Collectively, their work has influenced how Americans analyze families and has sparked new ideas regarding the American family from sociologists such as Stephanie Coontz and Arlie Hochschild. However, when studying the American family, Parsons and Bales fail to understand that the “ideal” family may not be so ideal for everyone. They neglect to consider societal influences and economic changes when discussing patriarchal social norms as the most optimal family structure. Their description of the male-breadwinner family consists of the father being the “instrumental leader” within the home, providing economically for his family based on his occupational earnings. Meanwhile, the mother is considered the manager of the household, providing for her husband and children physically, emotionally, and mentally.
In the 1950’s, the family consisted of a husband who left the home everyday to provide for his family. It was vital for the man of the house to support his family financially. On the other hand, the duty of the wife was to maintain the home, provide a home cooked meal for her husband, and to raise the children. Essentially, she was the homemaker. While the duties of man and wife were specifically divided during the 1950’s, the lifestyle of people during modern times is quite different. The father is now often considered a co-parent. Both husband and wife have careers, raise the children, and tend to duties pertaining to the home. The efforts are attacked more as a team than as
The definition of American family is based on the idea that a legally married couple shares a household, which has been considered as a male that provides the income and a female who is responsible for taking care of the husband, household and children. Even though, Maggie Gallagher in her essay the benefits of marriage in “Why marriage is good for you,” states that she is trying to promote the return to more traditional view of marriage within the society. However, there is a controversy that American family is experiencing changes in every aspect, being on decline as a consequence of three factors. First, more babies are born in extramarital relations, second, individualism of men and women including same sex couples, and third, the high rates of divorce.
The changing of American families has left many families broken and struggling. Pauline Irit Erera, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, wrote the article “What is a Family?”. Erera has written extensively about family diversity, focusing on step-families, foster families, lesbian families, and noncustodial fathers. Rebecca M. Blank, a professor of economics at Northwestern University, where she has directed the Joint Center for Poverty Research, wrote the article “Absent Fathers: Why Don't We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men?”. She served on the Council of Economic Advisors during the Clinton administration. Andrew J. Cherlin, a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University wrote the article “The Origins of the Ambivalent Acceptance of Divorce”. She is also the author of several other books on the changing profiles of American family life. These three texts each talk about the relationship between the parent and the child of a single-parent household. They each discuss divorce, money/income they receive, and the worries that come with raising a child in a single-parent household.
As we have learned through Skolnick’s book, as well as Rubin’s research, the make up of the family is influenced by many factors. The economy, culture, education, ethnicity/race, and tradition all help to create the modern family. The last few decades have heavily influenced the family structure, and while some try to preserve the past, others embrace the future. Through it all, we find you can have both.
The word family in the 21st Century has a much different meaning no than it did even 20 or 30 years ago. While the image of a family in the past was that of a nuclear family: a father, mother , children and maybe a pet or two, this image has dramatically changed in a variety of ways. Your view may vary somewhat depending on your cultural practices, for instance it is common in the Hispanic and some Asian cultures to have three generations in one home. These families choose to care for their aging parents rather than to move them into an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. However, all of humankind has a similar view of what a family system is and what its functions should be.
Is the American family in really in crisis or is it just evolving at a more advanced rate than society? According to the sociologist, Michael Kimmel, “[t]hough the family feels like one of the most fragile of social institutions, it is also perhaps among the most resilient” (Kimmel 143). It seems fragile because of the decline of marriages rates, the increase in divorce rates, and the increase in cohabitating couples. However, the family is one of the most resilient social institutions, “able to adapt to changing economic, social, and cultural circumstances and remain the foundation of society” (Kimmel 142). Besides, statistics alone do not prove the failing condition of the American family.
The American society has lived with the European American middle-class family structure that has created different living expectations. The European American middle-class family structure has led people to become judgmental and alienated to reality when referring to the family. The ideal European American meaning of family structure is based on the white people. The definition of the ideal family is a couple who live together with their children; only one individual is the head of authority. It is impossible for everyone in the United States to have the same living circumstances as the idealized white people. When America adopted this ideal family structure it became a problem in our social world creating. This created barriers that eventually
Societies need reproduction to continue the species and families provide the environment to care and raise offspring (although families are not needed for this) children are the most well-adjusted brought up with a mother and father.. Every culture regulates sexual activity in the interest of maintaining kinship organization and property rights. The incest taboo is a norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives. Although the incest taboos exist in every society, exactly which relatives cannot marry varies from one culture to another.
Census Bureau, the definition of family consists of two or more individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living in the same home. The authors define family as a social group whose members are bound together with legal, emotional, or biological ties, or any combination of the three. The definition of the U.S. Census Bureau seems a little outdated and confined. This definition seems to more define nuclear families and not those who break the norms. Many relationships are long distance, same-sex, or practice cohabitation. This definition leaves out many contemporary families, similar to the ones just discussed. This is the exact reason that the authors prefer their definition over the U.S. Census Bureaus. The textbook definition is more open-minded to contemporary and nuclear families the same.
The sociological definition of the family is “a set of people 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” (Schaeffer, 2009, p. 288). While the nuclear family (a man, a woman, and their children) was once the primary definition of family, now it refers to many familial configurations. Single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, traditional nuclear families and single-parents who have adopted are just a few of the configurations that society in general now views as a family. A healthy family will provide a place of unconditional love, acceptance and support.
The word “family” is unique, special, and controversial among different cultures and ethnicities. As defined by Random House Western Dictionary, a family is “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins” (Dictionary.com). Although the definition from Random House follows the infamous proverb of, “blood is thicker than water,” my definition of family does not. Family is not defined or restricted by blood relations. In my mind, a family is simply a group of people, who loves, supports, and helps each other unconditionally, and endlessly. Regardless of one’s sexual orientation or preference, all families embody these common principles. Thus, a family unites its members through the strong bonds and kinships formed when people come together. (Great intro.)
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is "a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.” (Eutk). In the beginning, family was considered to be all of the individuals who contributed to the household as far as bringing in money; including servants and non-parental adults, who are also considered part of the family if they play a large role in the upbringing or care-taking of children other than their own. But in fact, over the last few centuries until present day, the institution of the family has completely changed. In the late-18th Century, marriage was considered just a union based on love, but as time passed, there were other financial, social, and political shifts in the United States and in other countries. Throughout our course readings in Gender Studies, we see the ideas of continuity and change in regards to the American family unit. There were multiple factors that influenced the institution of the family unit, including the argument that marriage was seen as a contract of survival, the privatization of marriage, as well as the idea that traditional families never existed.
Everyone is born into some form of family, with the family taking the responsibility of nurturing, teaching the norms or accepted behaviors within the family structure and within society. There are many types of families, which can be described as a set of relationships including parents and children and can include anyone related by blood or adoption. Family is the most important, “for it is within the family that the child is first socialized to serve the needs of the society and not only its own needs” (Goode, 1982).