HDFS 2700 Exam 1

Chapter 1, 3, & 4

(2001) Census Definition of Family

2+ people who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption and that reside together in a household. This definition was not as inclusive.

(2000) Allen, Demo, + Fine Definition of Family

2+ people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or choice. This definition was more inclusive, diverse, and broad.

Social Organizations of Family

Based on reciprocal rights and obligations of family members. One person may occupy many positions at one time (sister, cousin, child), but each role entails different rights and obligations. Ex- A person has an obligation to take care of her aging parents as a daughter, and the right to parent and discipline her children as a mother.

Family relationships are generally created in 2 ways:

through marriage and through birth

Conjugal Relationships

Family relationships created through marriage. “To join together”. Ex- mother in law

Consanguineous Relationships

Family relationships created through blood ties. “Joint of blood”. Ex- adoptive children/parents

There are many situations that make living in families unnecessary:

daycares raising children, hiring maids, friends can offer emotional support, s*x outside of marriage is becoming more normalized, reproductive technology allows for having children without m&f

William Goode (1982)

Sugessted that there are several advantages to living in families

William Goode’s 1st Advantage

Families offer continuity as a result of emotional attachments, rights, and obligations. One can expect to participate in family tasks over a lifetime and get an emotional reciprocal relationship in turn. We count on family to be there for us in many ways.

William Goode’s 2nd Advantage

Families offer close proximity partners/children under the same roof. Help and conversations are always at hand.

William Goode’s 3rd Advantage

Families offer an intimate awareness of others. Your family sees you at your best and worst. Families help to expand our knowledge of ourselves (how we behave, emotions) and others (how to interact with people).

William Goode’s 4th Advantage

Families provide economic benefits. We can share our resources with each other and get resources from other members of your family. Sometimes a family can achieve economically what an individual cannot (think of the example jennine gave - trailer park, one had a car, one had a kitchen, one had a washer and dryer, they all shared resources with each other.)

Where do our images of family come from?

Our own experiences, individual family experiences, broad social experiences (ex- monogamy vs polygamy, historical time, race/ethnicity, social class, gender), cultural sterotypes and media (television show examples)

Factors Promoting Change in Families Over Time

Economic Changes, Producing to Consuming, Technological Advances, Changes in Demographics

Economic Changes

We went from an economically productive unit to a consuming, service-oriented unit. Families start to produce and buy products/services (ex- past→ farming, making our own clothes and houses). We changed because of industrialization. As machinery started being produced we needed fewer farmers and more factory workers. This created separate spheres: men began to work outside of homes, women continued to work in the home. Before, neither men nor women had wages, now men did and women did not. Families started to move away from farms and into the city to be closer to factories. We started to establish public institutions and because of the density of the population in cities, it became easier/more efficient to form police, schools, doctors, churches. During WWII, women went to work outside of the home and became less financially dependent on their husband, making it more economically feasible to divorce. We began to see movement inside and outside of the home and dual-career/dual-worker families. Men’s contributions to childcare and housework began to increase.

Producing to Consuming

Functions of the family were no longer their responsibilities. More of an emphasis became made on intimacy and nurturance.

Technological Advances

Labor saving devices and large machinery are created during the Industrial Revolution. Cars allowed us to travel greater distances for work and visit more distant relatives (expand our families). Domestic appliances are created (microwave, vacuum, laundry machines). Standards for housework increase, women are able to volunteer more of their time to activities, take part in political activism, and have more focused time with children. These appliances give us more time in general and make cleaning much easier. Electronic devices are created. TVs provide entertainment, at first fosters family togetherness when there is only one television in the house, and eventually allows for separateness from family when there are multiple televisions in the house. Exposure to media messages shapes beliefs/values and allows for less parental control. Computers/Cell Phones allow you to connect with family, disconnect with family, and exposes you to a broader range of people and ideas. Biomedical technologies like birth control allows for sexual pleasure, procreation, gives women greater control over fertility and their bodies, and Assisted Reproductive Technologies allows for decreased infertility (more options to try), and increased family forms (homosexual parents).

Changes in Demographics

Increased life longevity allows for more intergenerational connections and longer marriages. Increased divorce rates allows for more diverse family forms, greater poverty for women and children, and a greater opportunity for personal fulfillment and happiness. Decreased fertility rates allow for each child to get more focused attention, fewer siblings to share resources with, less socialization for working with others, and fewer years of childrearing responsibilities (becomes easier for women to focus on work when children are grown, and spouses can spend more alone time together). Gender Roles allow for more egalitarian roles, women can enter the economic sphere, men can enter the domestic sphere

Sex

Biological distinction. At birth, infants are commonly assigned a sex. Usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy and often confused with gender. However, a person’s sex in actually a combination of bodily characteristics including chromosomes, hormones, internal/external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics → there are many more sexes/genders than just male and female.

Gender

The social and psychosocial characteristics associated with being male/female. Roles we play at home/opportunities we have in education, work, and politics are influenced by gender. It is multi-dimensional - social, cultural, psychological implications. Highly personal - how we present ourselves to others/how we communicate/ influences power, respect, and safety. Dynamic and variable - meaning of gender may change throughout the lifespan.

Gender Identity

One’s internal, deeply held sense of gender. Not visible to others.

Gender Expression

External manifestations of gender. Ex - name, pronouns, clothing, haircut. May or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being masculine/feminine. What is considered masculine/feminine changes over time and varies by culture.

Gendered Roles

A role that a person is expected to perform as a result of being male or female in a particular culture.

Theories of Gender Role Development

1. Social Learning Theory

2. Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Social Learning Theory

Gendered behaviors are learned through observable events and their consequences rather than internal feelings and drives. We learn social attitudes and behaviors through our interactions with others and modeling. Ex - girls get rewarded for playing with dolls (“you’re such a good mommy”) while boys get shunned.

Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Learning gendered roles depends on mental maturity of the child. At age 2, a child can correctly identify themself as male or female, but based on superficial, concrete features (hair, clothes). By ages 6-7, a child can understand gender as permanent and starts to strive to act consistently with their own gender group to fit in. Gender intensifies during adolescence.

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through:

Family, Parents, Teachers/Schools, Peers, and Economy/Pop Culture/Mass Media

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through: Family

A gendered institution - family roles are highly structured by gender. Fathers engage in more physical play, set higher standards, and encourage more exploring environments with their sons than daughters. Mothers engage with more “emotional talk” with daughters than sons. Siblings also influence gender role learning (ex- older sister puts makeup on younger sister and her friends at a birthday party)

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through: Parents

Especially important in infancy and early childhood. Happens through manipulation, channeling, verbal appellation, and activity exposure.

Manipulation

How we interact with the child (treat girls more gently vs. play rough with boys).

Channelling

Directing the child towards/away from certain objects. (barbie doll for girls, trucks for boys)

Verbal Appellation

Using different words for the same behavior. (girls are “bossy”, boys are “leaders”)

Activity Exposure

Activities (NOT OBJECTS) (girls hang out in the kitchen with mom, boys hang out in the workshop with dad)

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through: Teachers/Schools

Shape attitudes and behaviors. Previously favored boys, but has started to shift. Boys are subject to more discipline/recieve more of teacher’s anger than girls, even when behavior is comparable. Boy’s learning style tends to be less organized, they are more distractible, higher energy. Boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed with learning disability, or placed in special education. Boys are increasingly reporting they “dislike school”.

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through: Peers

Tend to enforce more traditional roles. Boys play sports together and are more career-oriented.

We learn gender role attitudes and behaviors through: Economy/Pop Culture/Mass Media