sociology of families study

Intersectionality

How things like race, gender, and class connect and affect people’s lives and experiences at the same time.

SNAF (Standard North American Family)

An idealized heterosexual, married, nuclear family where the father is the breadwinner and the mother is the caregiver.

Deinstitutionalization of Marriage (Cherlin)

Marriage has become less strict and less tied to traditional roles; people have more freedom to define what marriage means for them.

Second Demographic Transition

PEople are waiting longer to get married and have kids, having fewer kids, and focusing more on themselves and equality between genders.

Homogamy

People tend to marry or date others who are similar to them (like in age, race, or social background).

Cohabitation

Romantic partners living together without being married; these unions are generally less stable than marriages.

Remarriage Stability

Remarriages are less stable than first marriages and have higher divorce rates.

Family Decline Perspective

Argues that the weakening of traditional family structures harms society and children’s well-being.

Family Change Perspective

Changes in family life happen as families adjust to social, economic, and cultural shifts, not because families are failing.

Evolutionary Theory (Family Studies)

Parents care more about their own kids because they share their genes; some say this idea is old-fashioned and assumes only straight couples.

Contextual Theory

Families are shaped by the bigger social, cultural, and economic situations around them.

Example: A family might move to a new city because of job opportunities, which changes how they live and interact.

Characteristics Theory

People choose partners based on certain traits like age, education, or values.
Example: Someone might date a person with the same religion or level of education.

Alternative Family Forms

Families that don’t fit the “traditional” mold of a married mom and dad with kids.
Example: Single-parent families, same-sex parent families, or blended families.

Older-Parent Families

Parents who have kids later in life are often more stable, have more money, and are very involved in parenting.

Adoptive Families

Kids do as well or better because parents put a lot of effort and care into raising them.

Same-Sex Families

Kids do just as well as those with different-sex parents; problems usually come from society, not the family itself.
Example: Two moms raising a child who does well in school and sports despite people judging them.

Multiracial Families

Families with parents from different racial backgrounds; kids get benefits from diversity but might face stigma or struggles with identity.
Example: A Latino and Asian couple raising a child who celebrates holidays from both cultures at home.

Chosen Family

People you treat like family even if you’re not related by blood or law, often in queer or marginalized communities.
Example: A group of friends who always celebrate birthdays and support each other like a family.

Marriage Penalty (Disability Context)

Disabled people can lose benefits if they get married, making life harder financially and socially.
Example: Two people with disabilities get married and their government benefits get cut, leaving them with less money.

Family Transitions vs. Family Structure

Kids are more affected by changes in family (like divorce or remarriage) than by the type of family itself.

Social Context of Families

Things outside the family, like money, laws, or stigma, affect family life more than the family setup itself.
Example: A family struggles because of a poor economy, even though they live in a traditional two-parent household.

Parental Investment Hypothesis

Parents in nontraditional or judged families often put in extra time, money, and care for their kids.
Example: Two dads in a same-sex couple attend all their child’s school events and activities to support them.

Homeschooling Trends (Washington Post)

More families are homeschooling now, and it’s less about religion; parents worry about safety and what’s taught.
Example: A family decides to homeschool their kids because they want more control over lessons and a safer environment.

Hybrid Homeschooling Models

Families combine online classes, small schools, and group programs; parents don’t always teach everything themselves.
Example: A child studies math online at home, goes to a micro-school for science, and attends art classes at a community co-op.

Disabled Parenthood (Washington Post)

Disabled parents are often unfairly seen as unfit, even though they can be strong and adaptable.
Example: A parent who uses a wheelchair successfully raises their kids, but others assume they can’t handle parenting.

Patrice: The Movie

Shows a disabled couple dealing with reduced benefits and social judgment; points out how society decides what a “real” family is.
Example: The couple struggles financially after marrying because government rules cut their benefits, even though they’re loving parents.

Abbott Elementary – “Open House”

Teachers act like family for students; the episode looks at parent-school relationships and challenges stereotypes about class and family.
Example: A teacher helps a struggling student at home and school, showing care like a parent would.

Paris is Burning

Shows queer ballroom culture and how chosen families help marginalized people survive; questions traditional family rules.
Example: Ballroom friends support each other with housing, advice, and celebrations like a real family would.

Family Policy Inequality

Nontraditional families still face discrimination in benefits, employment, and adoption laws.

Public Opinion Trends (Powell et al.)

More people started seeing same-sex couples as real families and supported same-sex marriage over time.

ex: in 2003, only half of Americans accepted same-sex couples; by 2010, most did.

Demographic Trends in Family

People are living together more, marrying later, having fewer kids, having kids later, and families are more diverse.
Example: more cohabition 

Family Stability Statistics

Cohabiting couples break up more than married couples; second marriages end more than first; same-sex families do well if social factors are considered.
Example: A couple living together splits after a few years, while a same-sex married couple stays together because they have strong support from friends and community.

Educational Outcomes (Multiracial Families)

Multiracial kids may do well in school at first, but challenges like stigma or peer pressure can affect them later.
Example: A multiracial child excels in elementary school but faces teasing in middle school, making schoolwork harder.

Adoptive Family Outcomes

dopted kids do as well or better than biological kids because parents often invest extra care.
Example: Adoptive parents help their child with homework and activities, leading to high grades and confidence.

Policy Context

Laws and social rules affect how families do; problems usually come from policy gaps, not families themselves.
Example: A low-income single parent struggles because government support isn’t enough, not because they’re a “bad” parent.

Changing Family Definition

ociety is starting to accept many types of families, not just the traditional married mom and dad with kids.
Example: A blended family or a chosen family is seen as a real, functioning family.

kinship

The connections between people through blood, marriage, or other close ties.
Example: Your cousins, aunts, and uncles are part of your kinship network.

nuclear family 

Two parents and their kids living together; only includes immediate family.
Example: A dad and mom with their children, like the traditional SNAF setup.

extended family

Includes relatives beyond parents and kids, like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; they offer support and guidance.
Example: Grandparents help watch the kids and give advice, even if they don’t live in the same house.

Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and American Definitions of Family

• Exclusionists – Only heterosexual, married, biological families count.

• Moderates – Family needs either marriage or kids.

• Inclusionists – Love and commitment alone make a family.

Example: Inclusionists would see a same-sex couple raising kids as a real family, while exclusionists would not.

nuclear vs SNAF

A nuclear family is just parents and kids living together, while SNAF is the “ideal” version with a married dad, mom, and biological children.