Family Studies Ch 1-6

family

social group and set of relationships people understand as family

family is both :

something people HAVE and something people DO

household

person/group occupying the same place (not an automatic family)

communal living group

people sharing financial resources and living arrangements

cohousing

neighbourhoods that combine separate homes with shared resources and community living

legal family

 people recognized as family under laws or policies; definitions can vary depending on the legal context, immigration benefits, common-law rules, and other regulations

nuclear family

married parents and their children

extended family

relatives beyond parents and children

kinship

social relationships based on blood, marriage, and, in some Indigenous contexts, broader kinship systems and ties

personal family

people someone considers family through personal bonds; may include friends or pets, and may exclude some biological relatives

intentional family

people who deliberately identify as family despite not necessarily being related by blood or marriage; often grounded in companionship, emotional connection, and shared experience

consensus family

a family definition based on agreement and shared decisions about who counts as family

family of orientation

the family a person is born into or raised in

family of procreation

the family a person forms, for example through partnership and/or having children

standard north american family

an idealized traditional family model; do not assume it represents all real families

heteronormativity / heteronormative assumptions

treating heterosexuality as the expected or normal relationship pattern

relationships of interdependence

relationships in which people rely on one another for support

sociologists

study society and social relationships

macro

the big picture; examines how society, institutions, values, laws, and social structures affect families

micro

individuals and small groups; examines interactions and relationships within families

theory

a general framework of ideas used to explain and answer questions about the social world. Theories can influence government policy, regulations, and therapy methods

structural functionalism / structural functional theory

views the family as one social institution among others that helps society function. It focuses on the functions families perform and how families connect to other institutions

five important societal functions of the family:

reproduction, socialization, social placement, economic, support, emotional support

reproduction

having children and continuing the population

socialization

teaching children society’s norms, values, and behaviours

social placement

placing people within society and social positions

economic support

providing material and financial support

emotional support

providing care, belonging, and emotional help

strength of structural functionalism

explains how the family relates to other institutions and contributes to society

limitation of structural functionalism

may overemphasize stability and traditional family roles and may not adequately explain inequality or family conflict

conflict theory

examines how social structures distribute power and resources unequally. Families may benefit from or be disadvantaged by institutions, and shifts in power can change family structures, norms, and values

key conflict-theory idea

people or groups with more power may protect their advantages and resist change; inequalities can continue through family and social institutions

limitation of conflict theory

it is less effective at explaining how families contribute to society as a whole

symbolic interactionism

micro-level theory that studies the words, actions, meanings, and everyday interactions of family members

key symbolic-interactionist ideas

- People develop their sense of self, status, and role through interactions.

- Family members interpret each other’s actions and build shared meanings.

- Roles and expectations can create role conflict and role strain.

- This approach can help explain relationship patterns and inform family therapy.

limitation of symbolic interactionism

it may pay too little attention to wider social forces such as laws, class, economics, culture, and social values

family systems theory

views a family as a set of interrelated, interacting parts. A change affecting one member or part of the family can affect the other parts

subsystems

smaller units within a family system, such as particular relationships or groupings

boundaries

lines that help define who is included in a family or subsystem

complementarity of roles

family members’ roles fit together or affect one another

strength of family systems theory

considers how one individual’s experiences or behaviour can affect the whole family

limitation of family systems theory

may overlook individual experiences and give insufficient attention to wider social factors

feminist theory

examines gender, power, and inequality in family life from both micro and macro perspectives

patriarchy

a social system in which men hold more power and authority

key feminist-theory ideas:

- Family relationships can reflect patriarchal power structures.

- Gender roles and expectations can create unequal responsibilities and opportunities.

- Women’s experiences and concerns are central to understanding gender inequality.

bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory / ecological model

explains how people and families are influenced by several connected layers of their social environment

microsystem

the immediate settings and people with whom someone interacts face-to-face, such as family, school, daycare, or caregivers. Each family member may have a different microsystem

mesosystem

connections between two or more parts of a person’s microsystem; example: the relationship between a child’s parent and daycare

exosystem

settings in which a person does not directly participate but that still affect them; example: a parent’s workplace or work benefits affecting the family

macrosystem

 the wider culture, shared beliefs, ideologies, laws, policies, and social values that influence family life

chronosystem

the dimension of time and how social environments change. External influences include historical periods and cohorts; internal influences include changes as a person matures

family development theory

examines the family life cycle and proposes that families change through predictable stages over time, with tasks connected to each stage

developmental tasks

challenges or responsibilities associated with a life stage

social time clock

cultural expectations about when life events should happen

limitation of family development theory

the model can be idealized, often assumes a nuclear family, and may focus on only one generation

quantitative

gathers numerical data and analyzes it using statistics

qualitative

uses verbal descriptions, reports, observations, and patterns to understand people’s experiences and behaviour

survey

collects information by asking questions

experiment

tests cause-and-effect relationships under controlled conditions

natural experiment

studies a situation without the researcher controlling the event or condition

interview

a researcher asks people questions directly

focus group

a group discussion used to collect people’s perspectives

naturalistic observation

observing behaviour in a person’s normal environment

participant observation

the researcher participates in the setting being studied while observing it

content analysis

systematically analyzes content such as text or media

correlation

measures how two variables are related; a correlation alone does not prove that one variable causes the other

cross-sectional research

studies people or a population at one point in time

longitudinal research

studies the same people over a period of time

cohort effect

differences related to belonging to a particular group or generation

indigenous research methods

research grounded in Indigenous knowledge and approaches

CBPR (community-based participatory research)

researchers and communities work together in the research process

race

a social category often based on perceived physical traits such as skin colour. Race categories are socially constructed rather than purely biological divisions

racialization

social process of assigning racial meanings or categories to people

ethnicity

group identity based on shared cultural heritage, ancestry, traditions, or history

minority group

group with less social power than a dominant group; it does not necessarily mean the group is numerically smaller

dominant group

a group with greater social power and influence

visible minority

a person who is non-white and may face discrimination because of race. The notes flag that the Canadian legal definition excludes Indigenous peoples

BIPOC

Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour.

Indigenous peoples in Canada

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples

Aboriginal

an older Canadian term historically used for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples; use the terminology required by the course context

White privilege

social advantages white people may receive in a society structured by racial inequality

prejudice

an attitude or unfair opinion about a group; it may be positive or negative but can still be harmful

discrimination

unfair treatment based on group membership or social characteristics rather than individual merit

stereotype

an oversimplified belief or perception about a group. Both negative and apparently positive stereotypes can be harmful

structural/systemic racism

racism embedded in social systems, institutions, rules, or practices

residential school system

schools that separated Indigenous children from their families and communities as part of efforts to assimilate them

acculturation

the process of relating to and adapting between a person’s heritage culture and a new or mainstream culture

integration

maintaining one’s heritage culture while also participating in the mainstream culture

assimilation

adopting the dominant culture while giving up or losing parts of one’s heritage culture

passing

attempting to hide membership in a minority group and be perceived as part of the majority group

separation

maintaining one’s heritage culture while rejecting or being excluded from the dominant culture

marginalization

having little connection to either the heritage culture or the dominant culture

acculturation policies

laws, official programs, or strategies used by dominant groups or governments to influence how minority groups and immigrants adapt, integrate, or are excluded

multiculturalism

accepting and supporting the coexistence of different cultures while people maintain cultural identities

melting pot

the idea that different cultures blend into one dominant or shared culture; linked in the notes to assimilation

segregation

separating groups from one another

exclusion

preventing a group from participating fully in society

Indigenous family structures

 varied across peoples and communities and could include kinship and clan relationships; Indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants of the land now called Canada

English Canadians

historically dominant European-origin cultural and linguistic group with British roots; British colonialism shaped Canada’s history

French Canadians

historically dominant European-origin cultural and linguistic group shaped by French and Roman Catholic Church influences