SOC120 Midterm 1 UW Madison Prof. Elwert

Public Family

The family as an institution that interacts with society, government, workplaces, schools, and the economy. Public = family + society

Private Family

The family as a personal space involving love, relationships, caregiving, and household life. Private = family + personal life.

Locality

Where a married couple lives after marriage.

Example: Living near the husband's family = patrilocality. Living near the wife's family = matrilocality.

Lineage

How people trace family ancestry and inheritance through relatives.

Patrilineal: through the father's side.

Matrilineal: through the mother's side.

Homogamy

The tendency for people to marry or form relationships with people who are similar to themselves, such as in race, religion, education, social class, or age. Like marries like

Social construction of gender

The idea that many beliefs about what is considered "masculine" or "feminine" are created and reinforced by society and culture, rather than being purely biological.

Social construction of race

The idea that racial categories and their meanings are created and shaped by society, rather than being fixed biological categories.

Society assigns meanings and social consequences to perceived physical differences

Doing Gender

The idea that gender is something people continually perform through everyday behaviors and interactions

No-Fault Divorce Law

A divorce law that allows a couple to divorce without proving that one spouse did something wrong

Divorce Mills

Places or legal systems where divorce could be obtained quickly and relatively easily, especially in certain U.S. states historically

Coverture

A historical legal system in which a married woman's legal identity and rights were largely absorbed into her husbands

Positive Statement

A statement about what IS or what can be tested with evidence. It describes facts, relationships, or cause-and-effect claims. Think: "Can I test this?"

Normative Statement

A statement about what SHOULD be or what is considered good/bad, right/wrong, desirable/undesirable. It involves a value judgment. Think: "Is this an opinion about what should happen?"

Separation of Spheres - Public

Men → work, politics, business

Separation of Spheres - Private/domestic

Women → home, children, caregiving

Limiting Strategies of Heirs

Used to control who inherited family property and wealth, often to prevent property from being divided among too many heirs

Economic Inequality

Unequal distribution of money, wealth, income, resources, and economic opportunities among people or groups

One-Drop Rule

A historical U.S. racial classification rule stating that a person with any known black ancestry was classified as black. (It was particularly influential in defining racial identity and maintaining racial boundaries in the United States)

Interracial Marriage

Marriage between people who are classified as belonging to different racial groups

Loving v. Virginia

A major U.S. Supreme Court case involving Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial married couple. The Court ruled that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional.

Remember: Loving v. Virginia = interracial marriage became constitutionally protected.

Kinsey Report

It challenged some assumptions of the time by showing that sexual behavior and experiences were more varied than commonly believed. (Men on men relations)

Sexual Orientation

A person's pattern of romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction toward others. Examples include heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual orientations.

Marriage Metaphor in Defense of Slavery

Pro-slavery arguments sometimes compared the relationship between enslavers and enslaved people to a supposedly benevolent relationship between husbands and wives, attempting to portray slavery as protective or caring. (The use of marriage as an analogy to defend slavery.)

Slavery as Metaphor Against Marriage

The use of slavery as a comparison to criticize marriage, particularly marriage systems in which women had very limited legal rights. Critics argued that marriage could resemble slavery when one spouse had little independence or legal authority.

Who were the Na

A Chinese minority people who were matrilocal, and had multiple secret sexual partners, but no lifelong partnership. They believed intercourse was like watering the field; it didn't matter who planted the seed; either way, the plant would grow. Maternal uncles were father figures.

Feature 1 of the European family

Relatively small families, primacy of nuclear family

Feature 2 of the European Family

Predominately Monogamous

Feature 3 of the European Family

Bilateral kinship and inheritance (Dowry remains brides personal property. If husband died, she would keep dowry to herself)

Feature 4 of the European Family

Possibly Late Marriage (>26m and >23f)

What are the 6 Christian Innovations

These refer to changes associated with Christian teachings and institutions that influenced marriage and family in Europe.

Christian Innovation 1

Invented new kinship (Godkin) to keep people apart of the church

Christian Innovation 2

Elevates Chastity, devalues marriage

Christian Innovation 3

Discourages Divorce

Christian Innovation 4

Prohibits adoption (adopted children=children of purgery)

Christian Innovation 5

Prohibits Remarriage

Christian Innovation 6

Prohibits marriage to blood related kin (if marriage isn't legitimate, kids are considered bastards and inheritance would go to the church)

Random Sampling

A research method where members of a population have a known and generally equal chance of being selected for a study. The goal is to get a sample that represents the larger population.

What is a Mechanism?

A mechanism is the process or chain of events that explains HOW or WHY one factor leads to an outcome.

Homogamy → Household income inequality

people tend to partner with people similar to themselves.

Christianization → Limited strategies of heirship → Church wealth

the spread/adoption of Christianity.

Christianization → Changes in women's autonomy

he ability to make your own decisions and control your own life.

Kinship systems → Context-dependent consequences

the way a society organizes family relationships, ancestry, inheritance, and obligations.

Industrialization → Separation of spheres → Gender inequality

Industrialization = the shift toward factories, wage labor, and industrial production.

Separation of spheres = the idea that men belong in the public/work sphere and women belong in the private/home sphere.

Nonrandom sampling → Selection bias

researchers don't give everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected.

Education → Marriage and childbearing patterns (Catch-up marriage)

people delay marriage and/or childbearing while pursuing education or establishing careers, then marry or have children later.

Historical mechanisms of African American single parenthood 1

Slavery disrupted family relationships and prevented enslaved people from having control over marriage and family life.

Historical mechanisms of African American single parenthood 2

Emancipation and economic hardship created difficult conditions for establishing stable households.

Historical mechanisms of African American single parenthood 3

Racial discrimination restricted economic opportunities.

Historical mechanisms of African American single parenthood 4

Employment and incarceration inequalities have affected the availability and stability of partners.

Historical mechanisms of African American single parenthood 5

Economic conditions can influence marriage and family formation.

Decline of marriage among African Americans

The important sociological idea is that marriage patterns are influenced by social structures, not just individual preferences.

Interracial marriage → blurred racial boundaries

More interracial marriage → more racial mixing → less rigid racial boundaries.

Why do Fischer & Hout think that the rise of divorce 1960-1980 was not a big change?

it was a continuation of existing trends rather than a radical break from the past

What is the Current Total Fertility Rate (FTR)?

1.6

What are the 5 Criteria of the Private Family?

2+ Individuals

Intimate Relationships

Last Indefinitely

Live in the same Household

Pool resources for income and labor

What are the Three Criteria of the Public Family?

1+ adult

Taking care of dependents (children, elderly, chronically ill, disabled)

Care Function

Externalities

Costs and benefits accrued to people not directly involved in the transaction

Negative Externality

Air pollution imposed on residents due to factories

Positive

"Herd Immunity" for everybody if enough people get vaccinated

Public Goods

Products that can be enjoyed by everybody without having to pay for their production. (Positive externality)

What Public Goods do Public Families Create?

Children: Family educates children to produce a workforce, and educated children have higher chances of making more money, so they pay into Social Security and medicare taxes

Elder Care: Family provides care, so the public doesn't have to

What are Negative Externalities of the Family?

Marriage contributes to social inequality due to homogamy

What is the Difference Between Homogamy and Heterogamy?

Homogamy is "Like Marries Like" and heterogamy is "Marriage of Opposites"

What 3 Categories Fit into the Blurred Boundaries Definition?

Families of choice, fictive kin, and living apart together.

What are Families of Choice

Formed through voluntary ties among non-co-residential individuals who are not biologically or legally related.

What are Characteristics of Kinship?

Determines whom we have to assist and who will come to our aid, and reveals who people consider relatives

What are the three types of lineage

Patrilineal (Father), Matrilineal (Mother), and Bilineal (Both)

What are the Three Types of Locality

Patrilocality (Husbands Family), Matrilocality (Wifes Family), and Neolocality (New set up)

What is the Difference between Conjugal and Extended Household?

Conjugal household includes wife, husband, and children, but extended includes others such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

Difference Between Polygamy and Polyandry?

Polygamy is multiple wives, and Polyandry is multiple husbands.

What are the Two Main Lessons from the Na?

1. There are endless variations of possible family structures

2. Social consequences of family structure depend on how the system of kinship designed

How has Loves Role in the Family Changed?

An affectionate relationship between mother and child has existed throughout history, but childhood generally ended at age 5. Marriage was done for economic purposes, not love until 18th-20th century.

Consequences of Woman from Christian Innovations?

Woman receive greater liberty because if they join the church they would be freed from patrilineage.

What are the Four Main Revolutions and Time Periods?

Christian Revolution: 1500-1700

American Revolution: 1776-1783

Industrialization: 19th Century

Divorce Revolution: 20th Century, 1960s

What did Reformation in the 1500s Accomplish

Loosened restrictions by permitting closer degree of marriage and remarriage for widows, Luther (Marriage rides to ideal, not second best), and English Reformation starts over divorce

What were the After Effects of the Christian Revolution?

Reformation didn't change for most families, no systematic weakening of church for marriage and family, and adoption was forbidden until 19th century

Two Revolutions that Relate to the Family?

Independence provides powerful metaphors and propels legal change and family facilitates industrial revolution which lead to ideological changes and new gender roles.

What is the trend of the medial age of family from 1890-2002

Median age of marriage declined until 1950s, then started to increase around 1960s.

What is the annual divorce rate trend from 1860-2000

Steady increase until 1930, sharp increase from 1930-1940, sharp decline from 1940-1960, steady increase 1960-1980 and steady level off after

How did trends of total fertility rate differ among hispanics, blacks, and whites from 1920-2005

In general, fertility had a normal distribution curve from 1945-1975. Blacks had highest fertility

What is the trend of percent of children ages 0-17 living in each of the 4 family types: no parent, breadwinner-homemakers, single parent/dual-earner, and two parent farm? (1790-1990)

Dual earner/single parent was steady, and then increased linearly after around 1945

Breadwinner homemaker, steady increase, and then drop at 1960

2 parent family had a steady continuous decline

No parent was steady level throughout

Compared trends of unmarried births between white, black, and hispanic from 1980-2005

71.6% for blacks, 51.3% for hispanics, 27.8% for whites

What is the trend of living arrangement of U.S. children from 1968-2002 comparing single and two parent household?

Two parents are declining and single parents are rising, but the percentage of two parent household is still greater than single parent.

What is the trend between labor force participation between men and woman from 1948-2010

There was a wide gap with men working significantly more than women but that starts to even out starting in the 1990s

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Sex is biological and gender is a social creation

What is the social construction of gender roles?

Gender roles exist in part because people agree that they exist and support their existence

What are the 3 Phases Major Economic Changes are Characterized by since WWII?

Phase 1: Boom Years (1950s-1960s)

Phase 2: Disconnection (1973-1990s)

Phase 3: New Era (2000-Present)

3 main reasons for rising inequality between households

Growing inequality of make earnings, changing household size to 1-person with relatively low earnings, and move of middle class wives into labor force

Characteristics of absolute poverty?

Official U.S. definition, focuses on food security, updated annually for inflation, and adjusted for family size.

What is the general trend of poverty rate by age from 1959-2015?

Linear decline from 1959-1970, and then starts to level off at 1975

Characteristics of Relative Poverty?

Official EU definition, earning less than 60% of the median national income, focuses on relative standard of living is a measure of inequality, does not consider absolute standard of living

What is Class and Status?

Class emphasizes economic differences (income/wealth) and Status emphasizes common life style, mutual recognition, prestige, and education

4 characteristics of income distribution

medial annual household income is about $51,000

Upper 20% earn 48% of total income

Bottom 20% earn 4% of income

Growing family income inequality since early 1970s

How are divorce/marriage and education related

less education leads to higher divorce rate and more education leads to having babies after marriage

What is the "one drop rule" and how does it relate to hypo-descent

Anyone with one drop of African ancestry was considered black

Hypo-descent assigned children with mixed parentage the racial classification of the minority parent

How was interracial marriage different for whites, blacks, and Native Americans?

There was more of a panic for black males and white females marrying, but interracial marriage was encouraged for whites and native americans

What things lead to the increase in interracial marriage rates today?

Decrease in racism, Higher education (diversity on campus), desegregationL increases availability of other race mates in marriage market

What are the three parts of sexual orientation?

Preference, behavior, and identity