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8/28/07 Lecture Chp 1: Intro to Marriages and Families Myths about marriages and families Defining marriages and families Functions of family
1. Myths about marriages and families i. Myth 1. belief about someone or something that is believed to be true, but is false, made-up, or exaggerated 2. Can be dysfunctional a. Negative consequences that disrupt a family b. Divert attention from widespread social problems that affect families 3. Can be functional a. Can bring people together and promote social solidarity b. Myth: The universal, idealized nuclear family of the past i. Nuclear family 1. Family made u of a wife, husband, and their biological or adopted children 2. Traditionally husband works and wife is homemaker 3. This is a universal family structure ii. Reality 1. No one single marriage and family pattern across human societies a. Families have never been static; they have always been changing 2. the "good old days" are romanticized notions c. Myths: What is natural i. Strong opinions about what is "natural" or "unnatural" in marriages and families 1. Myth that today's family problems stem from move away from naturalness ii. Reality 1. Families take many forms and what may seem natural to you might not be the case for other families d. Myth: The Self-Reliant family i. In the US, individual achievement and self-sufficiency tend to be valued 1. Myth that, in past and now, good families take care of themselves, where as bad families ask or need assistance ii. Reality 1. Few families- past or present- have been entirely self-sufficient a. Ex: 1950s and 1960s middle class families received assistance b. Ex: currently, both poor and rich receive Medicare e. Myth: The unstable African American family i. Often singled out as unstable and dysfunctional ii. Reality 1. Myth overlooks the diversity within African American families
a. Focus on problems of poverty 2. Ignores historical, social and political factors f. Myth: The perfect marriage, the perfect family i. Myth that after the perfect wedding, the perfect couple will have a perfect life ii. Reality 1. Expectations for perfection are unrealistic 2. Defining marriages and families a. Marriage(traditional legal definition) i. Legal contract between a woman and a man, who are at least a certain age and not already legally married to someone else ii. Definition under controversy b. Marriage- textbook definition i. Union between people who are united socially, economically, sexually, and whether or not widely or legally recognized c. Types of marriage i. Monogamy- marriage to one person at a time 1. Serial monogamy- marriage to several people, but one at a time ii. Polygamy- marriage to several people at the same time 1. Polygyny- one man married to two or more women at the same time 2. Polyandry- one woman married to two or more men at the same time 3. Cenogamy- group marriage-all members of a group, male and female, married to each other at the same time d. Family i. Issues in defining 1. Need accurate portrayals of today's families 2. Many definitions a. Vary between groups of people b. Change over time 3. Definitions affect public policy a. Which affects family members' rights and obligations i. Ex: health insurance ii. Family(US Census Bureau) 1. Two or more people living together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption 2. Definition is limiting iii. Family(Schwartz and Scott) 1. Relatively stable group of people, who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption, or who live together, and the members give economical and emotional support; and whose identity is attached to the group a. Broader definition b. Subjective quality e. Types of families i. Family of orientation(family of origin)- family in which a person is born (or adopted) and is raised 1. Ex: you, you parents, and your siblings ii. Family of procreation- family created when person marries or has intimate relationship with someone, and has biological or adopted children 1. Term is outdated
iii. Extended family- two or more generations living together a. Ex: family of orientation and family of procreation living together 2. Modified extended family- two or more generations living near each other iv. And more types of families 1. Step, single parent, different ethnicities....etc 3. Functions of family a. Regulation of sexual activity i. Provide norms regarding sexual relations 1. Ex: incest taboo- forbid sexual intercourse between close blood relatives b. Reproduction and socialization of children i. Having children and raising them 1. Socialization- process of acquiring language, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, skills valued by one's society and culture c. Economic security i. Food, shelter, clothing, other material resources d. Emotional support i. Love, caring, and affection in relationships e. Social class placement i. Social class 1. Category of people with similar standing in the social structure based on wealth, education, power and prestige