SOC304 Sociology of the Family Exam 1

how are we analyzing families from a sociological perspective in this class?

we are identifying general trends

analyzing how families are changing from the nuclear family

was the nuclear family a real thing?

it was a historical myth; not all families were like this

however, the nuclear family was a normative ideology at that time (any family outside this archetype was seen as an opposition to the norm)

what are some of the family trends we discussed in class?

- generational conflict (divorce rates higher)

- technological disruption

- diversity (family structure, interracial marriages, etc.)

- migration (immigrant families)

what are the trends of married couples by education?

the more educated a couple is, the more likely they are to be married

overall, no matter the education, the # of married couples is decreasing

what are the trends of couples having kids by education?

the more educated a couple is, the less # of kids they have

what are the trends of people having 2 married parents, by education?

the more educated someone is, the more likely they are to have 2 married parents

overall, the number of people with 2 married parents is decreasing

why have parents' attitudes about their kids marrying changed, according to Stephanie Murray's article from 2024?

parents have always been concerned with their kids being financially stable

before, getting married and having kids was the way to financial stability; now, it's through getting a stable career

how has the relationship between families and economic stability changed?

the link between the two has strongly weakened

today, work is the obligation. family is a choice

who wrote the article "Why Parents Don't Mind If Their Kids Don't Marry"?

Stephanie Murray in 2024

what is the main idea of the article, "Why Parents Don't Mind If Their Kids Don't Marry" by Stephanie Murray?

attitudes have shifted recently, as more american parents don't think marriage/having children is important

this is not due to parents attitudes changing, but the value of marriage/kids declining (getting married and having kids used to be essential financial assets and how someone established themselves)

now, to achieve financial stability, parents prefer their kids have a stable career and being comfortable in relationships, even if it means never marrying

who wrote the article ""Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet": American Families in the 1950s" (chapter from The Way We Never Were)?

Stephanie Coontz in 1992

what was the nuclear family characterized by in Stephanie Coontz's article, ""Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet": American Families in the 1950s"?

stable family and gender roles (divorce rates low, family/marriage as an institution is normalized, and a baby boom)

large middle class, lots of consumer spending, and every family has a suburban ouse and car

why did the nuclear family phenomenon happen, according to Stephanie Coontz in ""Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet": American Families in the 1950s"?

children from judgmental Great Depression-era families moving out to the cities and suburbs

throughout WW2, citizens saved money and America gained immense economic power (-> expanded middle class -> gov invested in citizens by increasing wages)

how was the nuclear family new, according to Stephanie Coontz in ""Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet": American Families in the 1950s"?

families became a self-contained unit that excluded extended family

also the values of the 1950s nuclear families was very new: housewives excited to do work while Victorian-era families left all their work to their servants

what was the reality of the 1950s nuclear family, according to Stephanie Coontz in ""Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet": American Families in the 1950s"?

1 in 4 americans were in poverty

there was a lack of social security or government assisted aid

there was a lack of racial diversity representation in the nuclear family ideology, essentially excluding them from it

was the Baby Boom real?

no, it was a historical fluke

there was a rise in the amount of kids people had, but it was a small jump in the grand scheme of things

what was the problem with no name, according to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique"?

the unspoken unhappiness, lack of fulfillment, and depression housewives (and all women in general) experienced in the 1950s

it was called "the problem with no name" because it wasn't talked about; women felt like there was something wrong with them that they were feeling this way despite being married and having a house/children

what solutions did media outlets come up to solve the problem with no name, according to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique"?

- not letting women get educated

- giving women better housewife preparation

- having better sex

- taking away women's rights to vote

who wrote "The Feminine Mystique"?

Betty Friedan, in 1963

what did Betty Friedan mention about the second wave of feminism in her book, "The Feminine Mystique"?

the 1950s was the end of first wave feminism

there were beginnings of a second wave of feminism (women's participation in the labor force) past the 1960s, and there was conservative pushback to this second wave

what is the leisure gap that was identified between men and women in the book "The Second Shift" 1989?

women were doing a lot of the domestic work and men had much more leisure time, as they were expected to come home after work and relax

who wrote "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

David Brooks, in 2020

how were extended families described by David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

large families with many children organized around a family business where everyone contributed labor

what are the strengths of the extended family?

- resilience (shock absorbed from familial fights by extended family)

- socializing force (moral safe haven)

- safety/protection

- tightness/support

what were the weaknesses of extended families, according to David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

- they were exhausting/suffocating

- lack of mobility (individual choice diminished)

how did nuclear families rise, according to David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

children of extended families seeking independence in the city

they got married much younger and raised kids to be autonomous/independent, not as employment

how was the nuclear family's cult of "togetherness" explained by David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

even though nuclear families were very individualized, they were connected to other nuclear families

front porches were places of gathering of many nuclear families on the block

"modified extended family"

why did nuclear families disintegrate, according to David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

economic strains in the 1970s-80s

wages declined and housing/living costs raised (the economic conditions of the 1950s that allowed nuclear families to flourish went away)

what was the mistake of the nuclear family, according to David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

it was over-individualized and fragile due to a lack of familial ties and stability

it was very fragile from the start and only succeeded due to good government/economy conditions in the 1950s

kinship (David Brooks, "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake")

seen as something you could create

not biological family

what is the new type of family that emerged, according to David Brooks in "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

forged families, linked by kinship

also, due to economic strains today, POC/immigrants/lower SES families are more likely to be extended as they survive through this stress

what is the timeline of different families, according to the reading "The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake"?

bands/tribes -> extended families (settlement, children had for labor) -> nuclear families (social integration, women in the home, economic prosperity) -> family disintegration (economic inequality) -> new forged families

who wrote "How Motherhood Changed My Life" from the book "Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage"?

Kathryn Edin & Maria Kefalas, in 2011

it's a book about the first-hand accounts of women in low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia

how do poor and richer women differ in their family values, according to Edin & Kefalas in "How Motherhood Changed My Life"?

poor women tend to put motherhood before marriage (children -> career -> marriage)

meanwhile, richer women tend to get married and a career before having kids (career -> marriage -> children)

what are the assumptions of poor women having children before marriage, according to Edin & Kefalas in "How Motherhood Changed My Life"?

poor women are having children due to having a lack of access or knowledge of birth control

they have children to milk the welfare system

what do children do for poor women, according to Edin & Kefalas in "How Motherhood Changed My Life"?

motherhood offers the possibility of validation (proving their worth to the world), purpose, connection (something to love/nurture), and order (in their chaotic lives)

children act as a motivator for poor women to turn their lives around

what was the typical pipeline most women followed in the 1970s, and how to they differ from women today?

in the 1970s: marriage -> children -> career

now,

upper class women: career -> marriage -> children

lower class women: children -> career -> marriage

who wrote "The Accordion Family"?

Katherine Newman, in 2012

accordion family (Katherine Newman, "The Accordion Family")

children not leaving the house/family when "their time" comes as they find more advantages to stay at home than depart for an independent life with insufficient resources

why are children opting to live with their family at home instead of moving out, according to Katherine Newman in "The Accordion Family"?

due to globalization/international competitions, corporations are cutting wages and downsizing (economic instability)

the guarantee of a full-time stable job is no longer offered

with the inability for many working-aged people finding a stable job to support themselves, they are instead doubling up their families as a private safety net against economic instability

how have different cultures reacted to the accordion family trend?

Italy/other European countries: relatively accepted, accordion family is natural

Japan: negative judgement/anxiety, accordion family is failure

US middle class: mixed attitudes (it's necessary for future success), accordion family is an investment

US working class: nothing new, accordion family is a necessity

when did the economy start going to shit?

around the 1960s-70s

led to the accordion family being used as a private safety net

who wrote "Modernity, Parenting, and Families" from the book "Enduring Parenting: Inequality, Marriage, Parenting,and Everything Else That MakesFamilies Great and Terrible"?

Philip Cohen, in 2018

parenting (Philip Cohen, "Modernity, Parenting, and Families")

the uniquely modern practice of transforming the raw material of humanity into interlocking pieces of social order

why don't parents name their daughters "Mary" anymore, according to Philip Cohen in "Modernity, Parenting, and Families"?

parents don't name their children common names anymore because children went from being seen as economic laborers that died frequently to being unique individuals

the traditional name of "Mary" has been replaced with people naming their kids unique names to promote their individuality

what were the main points from the reading "Modernity, Parenting, and Families" by Philip Cohen?

- children are seen as unique individuals, and that is shown by the decrease in use of popular names

- privilege does not always grant children benefits, seen by richer parents not vaccinating their kids

- parents who use corporal punishment on their kids incorrectly assume that it helps their children become stronger

- children who believe in Santa might attribute poorer kids to not getting material gifts to them misbehaving, not social class inequalities/structures

who wrote "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

Annette Lareau, in 2018

she did intensive research on selected families from different social structures and reported her findings here

how are middle class families structured, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

they have very hectic, tight scheduled with lot of organized extracurricular activities (due to this, friends are less stable and close)

parents closely monitor their children's schooling and don't discuss money/financial problems freely (to not make kids worry)

more nuclear family structure

how are working class families structured, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

time is more unstructured with a lot of free time for kids to play and meet friends (friends/siblings are closer and more stable)

parents rely on teachers to teach their kids and are more open to talking about their financial situation

more extended family structure

how do middle class parents raise their kids, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

parenting style is concentrated cultivation, where they cultivate their children's skills

they structure activities to develop talents and teach kids the skills of negotiation/discussion by using reasoning to talk to them

how do working class parents raise their kids, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

parenting style of natural growth, where they let their children be children and grow up on their own

give kids a lot of free time and independence and aren't as involved in their schoolwork

they talk with their kids directly, "do this cause i said so"

what is the effect of middle class family structure on middle class children, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

with the amount of extracurriculars they take, the importance of each one dulls

they are exhausted and have trouble adjusting to unstructured time

they find it difficult to forge deep, positive bonds with siblings

they learn skills of working with adults, like negitiation, and feel entitled to adult attention

what is the effect of working class family structure on working class children, according to Annette Laureau in "Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life"?

they lack the skills of working with adults that middle class children have and often defer to adults

they have greater stability in their lives and are more genuinely excited about activites they participate in

they develop creativity and independence

who wrote "How Interracial Love Is Saving America"?

Sheryll Cashin, in 2017

how is interracial love saving America, according to Sheryll Cashin?

it's chipping away at white supremacy

interracial relationships cause people to gain cultural dexterity (enhanced capacity to be intimate with other races and recognizing/accepting differences), which is important to fight against elite divide-and-conquer tactics

loving and activism is needed to dismantle stubborn white supremacy (interracial relationships will lead to socio-economic racial equality)

which law outlawed anti-interracial laws, according to Chinyere Osuji in "Can Interracial Love Save Us?"?

Loving v. Virginia in 1967

outlawed state anti-interracial laws

who wrote "Can Interracial Love Save Us?"?

Chinyere Osuji, in 2019

argues against Sheryll Cashin's article "How Interracial Love Is Saving Us"

part of a larger book, "Boundaries of Love" where a sociologist at the University of Maryland conducted interview research in Brazil & US

what is Chinyere Osuji's argument against interracial marriage leading to racial equality in "Can Interracial Love Save Us?"?

interracial relationships, instead of breaking down ethnoracial boundaries, tend to reproduce them (family a salient site for racial discrimination)

it affects how couples choose which race to date and how they see themselves (not "in spite of race", but "because of race")

race mixing keeps people from activism and changing social policy to address racial inequality

who wrote "The Cultural Politics of Aspiration: Family Photography's Mixed Feelings"?

Thy Phu & Elsepth Brown, in 2015

this article was part of a larger photography and oral history project

aspirational fictions ("The Cultural Politics of Aspiration: Family Photography's Mixed Feelings", Thy Phy + Elsepth Brown)

scholars viewed family photos as creating idealized versions of family life

often fit the structure of white, heterosexual middle class prosperity

how do Phu and Brown redefine "aspiration" in their article, "The Cultural Politics of Aspiration: Family Photography's Mixed Feelings"?

aspiration in family photos is redefined from an idealized family to "wake work" living in the aftermath of slavery

family photos are used by minorities to show how they are surviving under white supremacy; it's an act of breathing and surviving

how can family photos be used, according to Phu and Brown in their article "The Cultural Politics of Aspiration: Family Photography's Mixed Feelings"?

they can be used as a way to:

- challenge norms (e.g. a gay black man taking a photo with his lover in a historic slave fort as an act of resistance and aspiration of survival)

- show mixed feelings

- create a family before it's even made (e.g. the photo of a young girl blowing out a candle for a baby's first birthday that the family adopted and is waiting on coming to them)

what are the drivers behind the change in family structure over time?

- economic inequality

- cultural diversity (immigration)

- legal developments (Loving v. Virginia, Lawrence v. Texas, Dobbs v. Jackson, etc.)

- technological change (IVF, surrogacy, egg/sperm donors, etc.)

who wrote "Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship"?

Joshua Gamson, in 2015

how were Julia and Maureen conventional and unconventional in their family structure in Joshua Gamson's "Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship"?

conventional: Maureen wanted to get married before having kids, Julia wanted her kid to be biologically related to her, Maureen & Julia were "waiting for the man they were gonna spend the rest of their life with"

unconventional: lesbian couple, conceived via IVF and egg/sperm donation

affinity ties ("Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship")

the term Joshua uses to explain biological materials being used as a symbol of kinship rather than just biological fact

refers to how Julia and Maureen searched for a sperm donor who shared their cultural background to have the child share their physical features

how were Julia and Maureen conscious of their son's, Aldo's, "creation story" in Joshua Gamson's "Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship"?

Aldo's baby book including their wedding photos and his sonogram but excluded any mention of the sperm donor they used. they simply referred to the sperm donor as "the man who helped us have you"

Lawrence v. Texas 2003

the court case that legalized gay sex

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

legalized gay marriage