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Sociological perspectives related to families
Sociological perspectives related to families
Sociology 101- the family
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“The Sociology of Families and Households”, The film, “The Sociology of Families and Households”, examines families from a sociological perspective, as it discusses the ways in which the meaning of family has changed throughout history. To better understand how families have changed throughout several decades, the film discusses how structural functionalism, Marxist theory and feminist theory have played a role in defining what a family is, or was at that time in history. The film also examines a few key challenges facing families, such as divorce, single parent households, finding a balance between work and the family and the formation of stepfamilies. Conclusively, the film discusses how the changes in society affect how families function …show more content…
Marriage was once for the sole purpose of procreation and financially intensives. Living up to the roles that society had placed on married couples, more so women, is no longer the goal in marriage. Being emotional satisfied, having a fulfilled sex life and earning money is more important in marriage (Cherlin, 2013). Couples no longer feel the obligation to put the needs of their partner in front of their own needs. In the 1960’s and later it was the woman’s job to ensure that the house was clean, the children were bathed and dinner was prepared before the husband came home work. However, once more and more women began to enter the workplace and gain more independence, a desire for self-development and shared roles in the household lead way the individualistic marriage that is present in today’s society (Cherlin, …show more content…
A major strength in the film was interviewing both the adults in the families and the adolescents in the families. By doing so, it gave the viewer a better understanding of how the meaning of family changes over time. The adolescents in the film had more individualistic meaning of family, they were more concerned with being personally satisfied then their parents had felt. Another strength in the film was interviewing a diverse group of families, such as, a single parent family, a blended family, and a family with parents who have not divorced. By hearing the stories of families from this diverse group, the viewer was able to see how different families functioned and the different roles that families
There is much debate on what constitutes as a family today. However, Ball (2002) states, “The concept of the traditional family…is not an immutable one. It is a social construct that varies from culture to culture and, over time, the definition changes within a culture” (pp. 68). There is a growing diversity of families today including the commonality of sole-parenting. In order to explore aspects of sole-parenthood objectively, I need to reflect and put aside my personal experience of growing up in sole-parent household. Furthermore, this essay will explore the historical origins, cultural aspects discussing the influences and implications of gender identity, and social structures of sole-parent families, as well as consider the implications in midwifery by applying the sociological imagination. Mills (2000/1959) describes the sociological imagination as “…a quality of mind that seems most dramatically to promise an understanding of the intimate realities of ourselves in connection with larger social realities” (pp.15). In other words, the sociological imagination involves the ability to consider the relationships between personal experiences and those within society as a whole.
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.
DeVault, C., Cohen, T., & Strong, B. (2011). The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a changing society. (11th ed., pgs. 400-426). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth cengage learning.
In conclusion this paper has shown my perceptions on the described topics. I have identified why the family is considered the most important agent in socialization. I explained the dramatic changes to the American family and what caused them. I explained the differences in marriage and family. I expressed my feelings on the trend of diverse families, and how a change in trends to traditional views would change women’s rights.
Family structure and stability have constantly evolved and been researched in aspects of sociology. Following World War II, the family ideology in the 1950’s was brought to the attention of Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales (1955) whom demonstrated how transitioning from an agricultural society to that of an industrialization one played an important role in altering family life and structure. Parsons and Bales further expressed how gender role specialization was vital in the continuous of family solidarity. The “instrumental” male father role as the leader of the family responsible for providing the income and support as the “expressive” role which is that of the female mother delivers her contribution to the family through house work and nurture
The “Journal of Marriage and Family” covers a broad spectrum of the different aspects of marriage and family. In one part, “Satisfaction With Work and Family Life: No Evidence of Cultural Reversal”, it covers the work of professor Arlie Russel Hochschild. Hochschild observes that more people are starting to use their as their haven from the house, whereas it used to be the other way around. When conducting her studies, Hochschild surveys part of the nation. With this sample, Hochschild found many facts about labor force change and individual change. One fact she was able to discover with her sample was that employment of women had increased twenty-five percent over a 24-year span. With a deeper look into the studies, she found out that the employment of women rapidly increased with married women that have...
In May 1955, Housekeeping Monthly published an article titled The Good Wife’s Guide. This article provided eighteen tips for women; what they should be performing in the home and how to keep their husbands happy. “Have dinner ready”, “Clear away clutter”, and “Don’t ask him questions about his actions…” are just three of the eighteen instructions. (Housekeeping Monthly) One reason this article could have been so readily accepted, was due to the simplicity of life in that era. Women rarely voiced their opinions or challenged the gender norms. Therefore, the author’s intent could have been, “let’s give women tips on how to make their husbands happier and keep the households in order”. However, taking into consideration the gender norm of the era and contrasting it to the twenty-first century certainly brings up a host of issues when taking into consideration that the majority of today’s families are dual income earners.
“Like most wives of our generation, we’d contemplated eventual widowhood but never thought we’d end up divorced” (Hekker 278). Traditional wives married for love and to follow th...
There was a time when women typically maintained the home and raised children while the husbands were the sole bread-winners for the family finances. However, times have changed and so have women’s rights and expectations for divorce, education, an...
...reinforces the notion of the ‘reflexive self’ and claims individual achievement raises expectations of personal satisfaction. Instead of putting others first, people are focusing on them selves more and constantly looking to find ways in which they can satisfy themselves. We are obsessed with human relationships and are constantly looking for new opportunities. Women in particular, as Jamieson (1998) states, expect more out of a marriage then men and have less to gain from empty-shell marriages. Due to opportunities for women which have improved in the past fifty years, as a result they are economically more independent no longer need men. Though it can not be said the same for men as they are still dependant on women for emotional support in a relationship. We as individuals have lost the typical heterosexual relationship view which was that marriage is for life.
How important is the gender role in a happy marriage? Does the man have to be the bread winner and financial supporter? Does the woman have to keep the house and take care of the children for the marriage to succeed? Research has shown that “it is essential for both members of the couple to understand the gender role expectations of themselves and their partners throughout the course of the marriage” (Gender). This would indicate that even if the roles are not traditional, gender roles do play an important part in marriage. This might explain the fact that in the late 70‘s we experienced our highest percentage of divorce.(Hughes). At this time gender roles were changing at an unprecedented rate.
The rights of women have been revolutionized over the last century and have influenced their household role, which resulted in having power balanced in marriage and couple’s relationships, a favorable attribute. The stay-at-home mother is no longer the typical situation in modern families since women can now be financially independent. What used to be a conventional motivation to take on marriage has diminished because modern women are not restricted in terms of earning a salary. Women have gained rights and therefore there is “more education among women…leading to better career prospects” (Harris). Consequently, it can be concluded that these careers allow them t...
Sociologists look at society from either a macro or micro view and the theories that define their work are based on those perspectives. There are several family theories that we learned about this semester. Briefly, Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory are “macro” theories in sociology. Structural-Functionalism sees society as a living machine made up of different parts which work together for the good of society. Individuals, as well as Institutions work together, and the family is the key to the well-functioning machine. Emile Durkheim, considered the Father of Sociology argues social solidarity, where people do the right thing, create harmony and have shared values. According to Durkheim the nuclear family is the only type of institution that can achieve that. Conflict Theory sees society as a pyramid with those at the top having more power and influence than those at the bottom. Males in society have more power than females. There is a power imbalance, which could lead to oppression o...
Yet, years ago, marriage required that spouses be defined by roles with the husband being the wage earner and decision maker and the wife being marked as the homemaker. Nonetheless, obligations that used to be exclusively on the husband or wife are now achieved by the husband and wife together. Additionally, modern gender roles emphasize cooperation concerning childcare, family unit responsibilities and how money is earned. These days, husbands and wives are also viewed as equals who share power and control in the family. To sum up, a lot has changed with gender roles between then and now, and as the world progresses, more modifications are bound to take place as they did in the
This view of marriage has changed over the years- husband’s and wife’s roles, the reasons for marriage, and the amount of marriages and divorces. Today, marriage is often viewed as something that is part of a society's expected behaviors and beliefs. Society believes that marriage is a thing that can be entered into and walked out of by the wedded partners at any time that they desire. So long as a...