Chapter 12: Family Flashcards

Family Structures and Definitions

• Endogamy: Marriage within one's social group (race, class, ethnicity, education, religion).
• Exogamy: Marriage to someone from a different social group.
• Monogamy: Engaging in a relationship with only one partner at a time.
• Polygamy: Engaging in relationships with multiple partners simultaneously.
• Polyandry: A rare practice where one woman has multiple husbands.
• Polygyny: A more common practice where one man has multiple wives.

Family Dynamics

• Pecking Order: Familial hierarchy among siblings can lead to competition and resentment, indicating inherent inequality within the family structure.
• Nuclear Family: Consists of a father and mother along with their biological children, forming the traditional family unit.
• Extended Family: Encompasses familial relations beyond the nuclear family, including relatives such as grandparents and cousins.

Marital and Sociological Statistics

• Marriage Rates: Approximately 90% of Americans marry at some point in their lives.
• Divorce Rates: About 40% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce.

Kinship and Family Types

• Kinship Networks: Relationships between individuals related by blood or marriage.
• Blended Family: Formed when parents remarry and bring children from previous relationships, creating a family with diverse parental backgrounds.

Domestic Responsibilities and Gender Roles

• Second Shift: Refers to the unpaid domestic work women manage after returning from paid employment, creating additional burdens.
• Inequalities in Domestic Labor: Research shows women often shoulder a disproportionate share of household responsibilities compared to men.
• Impact of the Industrial Revolution: Shifted labor dynamics; men began working for wages outside the home while women primarily managed domestic duties without pay.

Economic Factors and Marriage

• Dependency Cycle: Critics argue that reliance on welfare can create a dependency that discourages recipients from seeking employment.
• Strain on Marriage: Dual-income households may increase stress on relationships due to the added domestic responsibilities women face.

Legal and Cultural Considerations

• Civil Union: A legally recognized partnership providing similar rights and benefits as marriage.
• Cultural Norms: Societal rules, such as prohibiting marriages between first cousins, shape partner selection.

Historical and Social Perspectives

• Post-WWII Family Ideals: Government housing subsidies contributed to the development of the traditional family structure.
• Role of Women in African American Families: Social scientists in the 1960s viewed strong female leadership negatively, linking it to social challenges in communities.
• Divorce Trends: The divorce rate in the U.S. has been steadily rising since the 19th century.

Sociological Theories

• Functionalism: Talcott Parsons viewed the traditional family as vital for industrial society, providing productive workers and caretakers for children.
• Preindustrial Families: Families were largely self-sufficient, producing their own food, clothing, and goods.

Child Development and Divorce

• Divorce Effects on Children: Sociologists have varying opinions on the impact of divorce on child development, indicating a lack of consensus in findings.

Test your knowledge of family-related terms in this quiz based on Chapter 12. Terms include endogamy, exogamy, monogamy, and polygamy. Suitable for students studying sociology or family dynamics.