Families in Canada

Sociology

study of human behaviour, social groups, and society

Psychology

study of behaviour, based on mental processes

anthropology

science dealing with origin, races, customs and beliefs of humans

cottage industry

• economic business within the home, the father owned, children and wives helped

• merchant, artisans, and builders - pre industrial

Consanguinity

related by blood

Egalitarian relationships

hunter gatherer, men and women had defined roles and high status, equal

Patriarchy

social system in which men are the authority figures. Privilege held by men

Monogamy

relationships with one women/men only, where women care for household and raised children

Polygamy

practice of having more than one wife or husband at the same time - agricultural

Nuclear family

husband, wife and biological children

Blended family

re-formed through remarriage, step family or half-siblings

Extended family

immediate relatives

industrial nuclear family

mothers and children stayed at home, motherhood sacred, men are money makers - urban industrial

common law

a couple who live together but not married

childless family

• couple with no kids

• most common type

Adoptive family

accepts legal responsibility of raising child of other biological origins

fosters

family that offers temporary care for children until they can return to family or be placed into an adoptive one

single parent family

one parent heads a household of one or more children

same sex family

homosexual couple living together with or without children

Family

any combination of two or more people who are bound together overtime who together assume responsibilities

Family functions

• physical maintenance and care of group members

• adding new members through birth or adoption

• socialization of children

• social control of members

• production, consumption and distribution

Hunter gathers

• 99% of human history was this stage

• nomadic lifestyle

• men left for long periods of time

• women gather fruits, nuts and small animals

• equality between men and women

• families groups of parents and children

Agricultural family

• families settle in specific areas

• families were large due to manual labour

• women cared for children

• men worked in fields

• monogamy was popularized

Pre-industrial family

• men were head of family

• 50% of children died due to child labour

• cottage industry

• family could be violent

• women become more important

Urban industrial family

• men worked women stayed hime

• uncommon for women to work

• children worked for child labour

• child labour laws were mandated

• home place of love and emotional contentment

Modern consumer family

• women’s role was to be wife and take care of family

• women gentle and loving

• men aggressive

• father head of household

• children disciplined but protected from hard labour

• roles correspond to age and gender

Contemporary Canadian

• 1960’s and 1970’s women began to work and support families

• Women’s movement pressured government to change laws

• family formation reflects multicultural influences that result for immigration

Functionalism

• sociological theory

• looks how society is organized to perform required functions for the common good

• stereotypical and oldest theory

• something doesn’t do job everything falls apart

• social change affects equilibrium

• everyone has a role

• society choses roles

• MacroS

systems

• sociological theory

• looks how individuals interact as a system with everyone having their own responsibilities and roles within the family

• individuals influence one another

• feedback is a basic principle - keep system flowing

• can adapt to change

• feedback helps adapt

• macro

Symbolic interactionalism

• Psychological theory

• looks how individuals behave on their perception of themselves and others

• focuses on communication, symbols and establishing meaning

• I am what I think you think I am

• your value comes from others perception

• me - objective characteristics, don’t change

• I - subjective characteristics, changes depending on person

• share meaning

• micro

Exchange theory

• psychological theory

• looks at how people make choices in their roles by weighting costs and benefits

• people pursue relations when rewards exceed costs

• micro

Life course approach

• sociological theory

• focuses on stages if development of ones life

• normative- predictable life events such as graduation, marriage

• non-normative - unpredictable events like illness, divorce and death

• assumes that families in similar stages will experience similar situations

Conflict theory

• Interdisciplinary theory

• says conflict exists between groups in society because of inequalities in power

• disagree with functionalism, by asking why the societal structure fails to benefit everyone

• criticize society and analyze family powers

• Carl Marx

• rich business vs working class

• macro

feminist theory

• sociological theory

• analyzes impact of sex and gender

• branch of conflict theory

• conflict theory looks at social class, feminist separated gender and sex from class

• radical - separate world, never reach equality

• Socialist - Capitalist society, pay fairness, wage gap

• Liberalist - law policies that discriminate women

• macro

Ecological perspective

• interdisciplinary theory

• emphasizes that individuals develop within and are influenced by complex systems of social, cultural and physical environments

  • microsystems

  • mesosystems

  • exosystems

  • macrosystems

  • chronosystems

Microsystems

parents, siblings, friends (direct)

Mesosystems

what happens in place affects what happens in another

• what happens at home affects school life

Exosystems

socio-economic environment in which child is not directly involved but affected (mom fight with friends gets home angry)

Macrosystem

political systems and government structure. society on level of city and province

Chronosystem

impact of historical events, life transitions and uncontrollable influences of time and environment throughout ones life

Primary sources

first hand evidence, gathering own info

secondary source

presents someone else’s analysis

quantitative method

• generalize behaviour of sample group, predicts behaviour

• gather info from many people

• numerical or measurable data

Qualitative method

research smaller scale, gathers detailed info from individuals to help understand behaviour. Interviews

Majority

considered and adult at 18

reasons foe leaving home

50 years ago - marriage

today - post secondary

Adults leave home

• age is slowly increasing

Education

in 17 century skills and values passed down

females learned about religion and household chores

education for children was compulsory

Credentialism

according to conflict theory, youth require more education to qualify for some jobs now than in the past

socialization

process people learn to appropriate social role behaviours to participate in society

Resocialization

person discards old behaviour to change it to new one

Anticipatory socialization

people learn and practice role behaviours before taking the actual new role

Identity vs role confusion - erikson

• define who they are and their future

• dilemma is because they have too many decisions

• stay confused about the role they play

• resolve dilemma by developing fidelity, ability to live by society’s standards

Intimacy vs isolation - Erikson

• identity manage your identity with someone else without losing yourself

• trust someone enough to reveal yourself

• feel lonely if you can’t connect with others

• resolve by using love, caring and generosity

Generativity vs Stagnation - Erikson

• individual contribution to society and acquire the strength of caring

• raising children, great works

• after formation of identity and intimate

Autonomous self

self reliant who accepts oneself and others as multifaceted and unique

Conformist stage - loevinger

adolescents tend to view life in simple stereotypical ways, trying to classify human experience so they can see where they belong

Self-aware - Loevinger

young adults begin to understand and accepts differences and accept opinions and feelings that make people unique

Conscientious - Loevinger

individuals appreciate others as individuals in reciprocal relationships

Hidden homelessness

• difficult to capture unhoused

• people might couch surfing or sleeping in cars but not in streets

Homelessness

• males are more likely

• women have risen since pandemic

Factors of homelessness

• abuse in home

• LGBTQ youth and indigenous people

• welfare system

• mental issues

General characteristics of homelessness

• lack of experience and support to live alone

• substance abuse

• isolation

• lack of education

• poor physical health

Evolutionary psychology and attraction - mate selection

• sexual attraction is unconscious

• individuals with evolutionary advantages passed on genes

• women preferred good providers

• men preferred women who could bear children, could feed them and had intelligence

• men formed lasting relationships with women who refuse to have sex

• attracted to those who can raise the most successful children

• men attract4ed to physically appealing, younger and healthy women

• women are attracted to older men with financial resources

Social homogamy - mate selection

• proximity major factor

• attracted to those who are close around you or share culture

• attracted to similar backgrounds

• attracted to similar physical characteristics

• same level of education

Ideal mate theory - mate selection

• attraction from a symbolic interactionalism perspective

• attraction based on individuals unconscious image of the ideal mate

• support love at first sight

• supports social homogamy by saying ideal mate is formed during childhood by those around you

• unconscious standard that judges potential mates

Exchange theory - mate selection

• attraction doesn’t guarantee that feeling is mutual

• individuals compete with each other to get the person

• attraction is based on what people are really like rather than what is ideal

• everyone finds a mate because people have different ideals

• look for what you are lacking

• attracted to those equal but not identically appealing

Conflict/feminist theory - mate selection

• men marry younger women

• older men are more desirable as they are good provider

• younger women are more desirable, fertile

• match between older man and younger woman ensure the man has greater resources and women will have a better lifestyle

• age is necessary for men to be dominant

Life course approach - mate selection

• individuals are incapable of an intimate relationship until their identity crisis is solved

• women likely define themselves through a relationship

• men prefer independence, which might delay committed relationships

• not support the idea there is only one true love

• marry when they are emotionally and physically ready to take on a life altering responsibility

Market experience

• date to figure our what you are looking for

• learning what you like or you don’t tolerate

Sternbergs’s love triangle

Intimacy (top) - emotional connectedness

passion (left) - romantic and physical aspects

commitment (right) - desire to maintain a relationship

Halo affect

• physical attractiveness stereotype

• cognitive bias, first impression influences how they feel about character

• physical appearance is major part

• perception of one quality results in biased of other qualities

• it can distort the way we see someone

• long terms relationships weakens halo effect

ancient Hebrews

• parents active role in mate selection

• children could opposed bur father made last decision

• average age 13 to 14 years

• marry young due to mortality, disease and poor nutrition

• levitate duty

• divorce was common and allowed

• only men could initiate it, none for wife consent

• if wife wanted divorce she could petition his elders

• women committed adultery if she had sexual relations with a man

• men committed adultery if he had relations with another man wife’s

Ancient romans

• marriage arrangement between families, romance isn’t a factor

• marriage more like social customs than religious ceremony

• certain dates were considered lucky

• luckiest month June after Juno goddess of marriage

• unluckiest month February and may

• no legal formality

• women belong to husband after 3 kids she is legally independet

• divorce easy to obtain both could initiate it

• to divorce they declare their with to divorce in front of a witness

• after divorce keep dowry

• in case of divorce men keep children

contemporary relationships

lowest number of marriages

married, common law, lone parent

first marriage

• men 31.3 years

• woman 28.9 years

• Manitoba - 29.9

• Quebec - 35.3

common law

52% in nunavut

2/5 in quebec

Same sex couples

0.9% of couples

1/3 are married

why people marry

women consider love as necessary

men marry for love and companionship

Heterogamy

• interracial marriage

• interfaith marriage

• interethnic marriage

Homogamy

• arranged marriage

• same sex couples

Interracial marriage

• adjust well

• usually same SES, education, religion

• differences have little impact on relationship

• hard to raise biracial children (prejudice or intolerance)

Interfaith marriage

• challenges extended family members

• learn to compromise belief

• most successful in one partner is willing to convert

Arranged marriages

• most common in south Asia

• occur in middles east and Canada

• advantages

  • most successful, no expectation

  • understanding and appreciations

  • goof parent-child relationship

Historical arranges marriages

• contract between families

• marriages is forced

• meet on wedding day

• marry for social, political and economic means

• use of dowries

• women marry young and men old

• virginity is valued

Contemporary arranged marriage

• contract between partners and families

• parental criteria is important

• not always forced

• use of online sources

• introduced and courtship period

• social political and economic means are important

• less dowries

• women usually in 20s’s men older

• virginity is valued

Same sex marriage

national legalization on July 20, 2005

• more acceptance now

• Ontario has most same sex couples, but Quebec has higher number due to population

• half are in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa

conflict resolution issues

• free time

• money

• housework

• physical intimacy

• extended family

Conflict resolution - uncoopertative

enforcement - power holders interest met alone

withdrawal - little attempt to satisfy needs and interest of any member

Conflict resolution - cooperative

collaboration - interests and needs of all members are met

acquiescence - cares for the needs of others will give in personal less

Conflict resolution - best way

compromise - each member gains and loses, partial satisfaction

principle of least interest

person who is less interested has more power, because most involver person will give in to maintain harmony

Divorce - prior ro 1918

• petition parliament for divorce

• only husband could obtain divorce

• based on adultery

Divorce - 1918 to 1945

• wife could request

• had to show husband was guilty of fault w/o reasonable excuse

Divorce - 1968

• first divorce act

• both gender can divorce

• divorce based on drugs, dissection of 5 years, 3 years separation, adultery or cruelty

Divorce - 1985

• divorce act revised

• divorce based on separation for 1 year, 3 faults, adultery, mental or physical cruelty

Divorce - 2004

• divorce available to same sex couples

Divorce in Quebec

legal until 1968

Divorce in Ontario

legal until 1930

Polygyny

man having more than 1 wife