Sociology of Families (SOCI 371) - Lecture Notes PDF

SOCIOLOGY OF FAMILIES (SOCI 371) DR. GBENGA ADEJARE Why Sociology of Families? Sociology as a discipline focuses on human coexistence and interactions in the society. Sociology is concerned with humans in groups, and one of such groups or units is the family. Why Sociology of Families? C...

SOCIOLOGY OF FAMILIES (SOCI 371) DR. GBENGA ADEJARE Why Sociology of Families? Sociology as a discipline focuses on human coexistence and interactions in the society. Sociology is concerned with humans in groups, and one of such groups or units is the family. Why Sociology of Families? Cont’d Sociologists have studied a vast and diverse range of topics including family, crime, shopping, music, religion etc. Family is one of the institutions that make up the society, i.e. individuals become members of their societies through the family. Why Sociology of Families? Cont’d Family is a basic unit of the society. It is the first contact of a child which tends to affect child’s behavior – an agent of socialization. It is important to study how family affects other institutions within the society and how it is being affected by them. Why Sociology of Families? Cont’d The society where we live is not static but dynamic which makes different ideas evolve and move from one era to another. Family as a unit of society is an important part of this change (both as a cause and as an effect). One major aspect of human life that has been immensely affected by the changes in the society is the family. Why Sociology of Families? Cont’d These changes brought about different views on family; making it a subject matter worthy of in- depth discussion in the field of sociology. The complexities involved in the concept of family have made the debates about family universality and diversity more intense.  Why Sociology of Families? Cont’d The changing experiences of people bring about changing family policies, which in turn affects families. Think about: - Gender - Sexuality - Immigration - Childhood - Ethnicity - Race - Class - Economy - etc. 7  Sociological Theories A theory is a scientific body of knowledge that is methodical, logical, and consistent in explaining concepts, realities and phenomena Theories provide a lens through which we see the social world Sociologists adopt various theoretical perspectives to explain social realities life group living, environmental issues, policies and many more Theories and research are inseparable, as one always leads to another Theories are not static They can be falsified (as in Karl Popper), modified or refuted There are usually a paradigmatic consensus, even though paradigms shift (Thomas Kuhn) 8  Different Theoretical Perspective to the Family Functionalism Marxism Symbolic Interactionism Exchange Theory Family Systems Theory Developmental Theories Feminism Postmodernism ETC 9 Functionalism Assumes that society is like a living organism or body made up of interrelated parts working for the good of the whole - Families are institutions that serve specific functions in society Family members fulfil prescribed roles for the good of society as a whole - Murdock’s work exemplifies this approach Stability and order is the goal, so change especially radical change is not desirable Functions of the family: Instrumental and expressive (Talcott Parsons) Likely focus of functionalism researchers: - cultural universals and family dominant forms - dislike rapid social change  Functionalism Cont’d The economic function also benefits individual members of the family and the society as it allows for division of labour within the family and also the society’s economy would be in good shape as the family provide its members with their basic economic needs. Education would ensure culture acquisition in the family. Human society would not exist without culture, thus the family socializes its members to make them useful members of their society. The reproductive function performed by the family also ensures the continuity of the society Functionalism Cont’d GEORGE PETER MURDOCK. In his study of 250 societies, Murdock found out that family is a universal institution. So he went ahead to define this family type as ‘’a social group characterized by common residence , economic cooperation and reproduction.It includes adult of both sexes, at least whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults’’.  Going by the definition of family given by Murdock, it is significant to note that the family type he sees as universal is the nuclear family. It can therefore be concluded that Murdock is of the opinion that the nuclear family is universal. TALCOTT PARSONS: ‘Isolated nuclear families’ Parsons noted that industrialization had two effects on the pre-industrial extended family arrangements.This effects, according to Parsons, include breaking of extended family units into nuclear structures which he called ‘isolated nuclear unit’ and structural differentiation. Parsons concluded that the isolated nuclear unit is the predominant family arrangement in modern industrial societies making it universal.  Functionalism Cont’d TALCOTT PARSONS – the ‘basic and irreducible functions’ of the family. Parsons claims that even though the family lost its functions as a result of industrialization; the family still retains two ‘basic and irreducible functions’ that are fundamental to the family and they are: -PRIMARY SOCIALIZATION -MAINTENANCE AND STABILIZATION OF ADULT PERSONLITIES  Primary socialization: This is the process through which a child learns the culture of his society. According to Parsons, the function of raising, teaching a child the norms and values of the society is still being retained by the family Parsons still maintained that there are two basic processes involved in primary socialization which are: internalization of the culture, and structuring of the personality  Internalization of culture: This is the process by which a child not only learns the values, but also accepts and absorbs what is learnt Structuring of personality: Parsons believed that the personality of a child is structured and adjusted to the values of the society. In other words, at this stage, the societal values become part of the child.  Maintenance and stabilization of the adult personalities Stabilization is the second basic and irreducible function of the family according to Parsons. This is a process whereby two adults in the family provide each other with emotional support in order to relieve themselves of everyday stress. Parsons believes this function is very important since the family has been isolated from the extended relationships. Parsons noted that industrialization brought about some changes in family structures that had existed in traditional times. Parsons' explanation is illustrated below; INDUSTRIALISATION GEOGRAPHICAL MOBILITY SOCIAL MOBILITY ASCRIBED STATUS ACHIEVED STATUS PARTICULARISTIC VALUES UNIVERSALISTIC VALUES ROLE CONFLICT ISOLATED NUCLEAR UNIT Marxism Promoted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1972 ) Assumes that distinct phases in human history shape, alter, and constrain human relations Mode of production affects organization of social life and experience of family relations including exploitation and inequality Social change seeing as normal and desirable Goal of Marxist researchers— - identify power relations within the family - link power relations in the family to broader economic relations in society Marxist view of family FRIEDRICH ENGELS; - THE EVOLUTION OF THE FAMILY Engels believed that during the early stages of human evolution, means of production were communally owned and the institution of family didn’t exist as people lived in promiscuity. There were no restrictions guiding sexual relationship among people. Marxist view of family cont’d Engels furthered argued that more and more restrictions were placed on sexual relationship and the production of children The monogamous nuclear family developed with the emergence of private property, in particular the private ownership of means production. As people realized that they could property and pass it to their children, men started to marry so as to be certain of the legitimacy of those heirs. They therefore needed greater control over women so that there would be no doubt about the paternity of the offspring. This led to the rise of the monogamous nuclear family. Marxist view of family cont’d ELI ZARETSKY argues that family in modern capitalist society creates the illusion that the ‘private life’ of the family is quite separate from the economy Zaretsky argues that the family provides the capitalist with required work force. The capitalist system is also based upon the domestic labour of housewives who reproduce future generations of workers He also believes that the family is a vital unit of consumption of capitalists’ products Symbolic Interactionism George Herbert Mead—a proponent Assumes that individuals construct meaning through daily interactions with others (e.g. in the family) Sees society as an extension of the family Individuals and small group (family) interactions shape the experience of society Symbolic Interactionism cont’d Symbolic interactionists : Observe how interactions within families help shape larger organizations like the state Understand the meanings family members create and attach to symbols through in-depth qualitative interviews Believe that activities, events, and rituals such as family feasts, holidays meetings and many more are very symbolic for perpetuating family bonds through the meanings created and upheld by members of such family. Exchange Theory George Homans & Peter Blau—key proponents Seeks to explain the development, maintenance, and decay of “exchange relationship” Assumes that relationships (even marital relationships) are governed by “exchange” Rewards and costs are weighed and balanced within conjugal relationship for it to be sustained Exchange Theory cont’d Each party in a relationship brings something of value (resources) for it to be sustained A relationship suffers when one partner is not satisfied with the balance of costs and benefits Focus of researchers using exchange theory— To understand the contributions of family members that help sustain family life To look at how distribution of resources can lead to inequality and power differential in a marriage Criticism—it overlooks the broader social contexts that shape, constrain, and alter family life Family Systems Theory Assumes that a family is a relatively closed system of social interactions, or a site of interacting personalities Believes that an individual’s problems and behaviour are best understood in the context of families Family seen as a natural social system with its own rules, roles, communication patterns, and power structure  Family Systems Theory, cont’d Focus of researchers using family systems theory: to study interactions at multiple levels, modelled like a series of circles, one inside the other to understand how a person is affected by and affects relations within each environment or circle (family) Developmental Theories Proponents: Evelyn Millis Duvall and Reuben Hill Idea came from early development theorists Assumes that families go through a series of eight sequential or developmental stages in the family life cycle Stages include: marriage, child-bearing, preschool, school, teen, launching centre, middle-aged, and aging Developmental Theories cont’d Uniqueness of the theory: - its family life cycle dimension provides the basis for study of families over time - its emphasis on the developmental tasks of individual family members and of families at every stage of their development - its built-in recognition of family stress at critical periods in development - its recognition ever since 1947 of the need for services, supports, and programs for families throughout their life cycles Focus of recent researchers using Developmental Theories— - to capture life-course complexity and gender-specific experiences and trajectories Feminist Theories (The “Big Bang”) The period following the 1960s seen as “the big bang” for feminist theories Challenges the apparently gender-neutral assumptions about family life and roles Assumes that gender relations are historical and socio-cultural products, subject to re-construction Feminists challenge myths about women’s roles and abilities, and advocate for change Variations within feminism— - e.g. liberal, Marxist, radical, socialist, psychoanalytic, post-structural, post- colonial, anti-racist, etc. Queer Theory added the issue of sexual orientation to feminist theories.  Postmodernism Societies have moved beyond modernity. People are not just consumers but also producers of culture. The role of technology makes it easy for narratives and meta narratives of individual to shape their choice of families No dominant family type, rather multiple families because people have choices and can always shop for more options 33 Biases in Traditional Approaches/ Theorizing Theories mainly conceptualized the family as an important but relatively isolated unit “whose internal structures resulted mainly from negotiated action of adult members” Theories treated families as homogeneous, and questions about gender differences and inequalities within and across families remained unasked and unanswered Biases in Traditional Approaches/ Theorizing cont’d According to Margaret Eichler (1997), the following hidden assumptions and biases exist: - Monolithic bias—emphasizing uniformity of experience and universality of functions - Conservative bias—emphasizing only a romanticized view of the nuclear family and regarded recent changes as ephemeral - Ageist bias—largely excluding children and the elderly in their analysis of the family - Sexist bias—assumption that there is a “natural” division of functions between the sexes. Biases in Traditional Approaches/ Theorizing Cont’d - Micro-structural bias—a tendency to treat families as encapsulated units - Racist bias—often devalued or outright ignored families of culturally or ethnically non-dominant groups - Heterosexist bias—treated the heterosexual family as “natural,” denying family status to lesbian and gay families Concluding Thoughts Family as a social institution is both universal and diverse Definitions of the family are relative and continue to proliferate Current and shifting definitions reflect changing social attitudes, economic trends, laws and policies Theoretical and research changes have occurred to reflect new ways of understanding families. Research on sustainability of families in Canada, and the world at large, is in a continuum because the institution of the family is dynamic.