NW

Lecture Notes on Gender and the Family - Sociology

Course Objectives

  • Learn about the sociological perspective on family.
  • Understand sociological perspectives on sexuality.
  • Explore sex and gender.
  • Discover practical applications of theoretical concepts on gender, sexuality, and family.

Overview of the Lecture

  • Based on readings from Giddens (Chapters 9 and 14) and Schaeffer (Chapter 12).

Understanding Family

  • Common Definitions: Family can mean different things, including:
    • Nuclear family: parents and children living together.
    • Extended family: additional relatives like grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
    • Elective family: close friends treated as family without kinship.
  • Definition of Family:
    • A social institution consisting of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption responsible for raising children.

Types of Family Structures

  • Nuclear Family:
    • Typically comprises a heterosexual couple and their children; seen as natural due to biological reproduction.
  • Legal Recognitions:
    • Family is also a legal entity, defining relationships and entitlements in sectors like healthcare.
    • Problems with legal definitions can arise in estrangement contexts.

Functions of the Family (Functionalism)

  1. Sexual Function: Controls and expresses sexuality within socially accepted norms (e.g., marital sex).
  2. Reproductive Function: Marriage as the legitimate site for childbirth, children seen as heirs.
  3. Economic Function: Traditional tasks divided by gender roles (breadwinner model).
  4. Educational Function: Socialization where parents act as role models.

Gender Dynamics in Functionalism

  • Roles:
    • Men: Breadwinners, instrumental roles.
    • Women: Caregivers, expressive roles.
  • Perceived Superiority of Nuclear Family: Fit for industrial societies, often idealized.

Critiques of Structural-Functionalism

  • Historical Context:
    • Nuclear family arose from industrialization; not inherently necessary.
  • Diversity in Family Structures:
    • Other family forms can meet emotional needs; includes divorced, same-sex, and single-parent families.
  • Negative Consequences:
    • Gender dynamism can create power imbalances and obscure issues like abuse within families.

Feminist Perspectives

  • Core Feminist Arguments:
    • Gender inequality is pervasive and must be addressed.
    • Family forms are socially constructed and not biologically determined.

Gender Identity and Expression

  • Identity Gaps:
    • Being conformist (cisgender) versus non-conformist (transgender).
    • Transgender individuals display a range of identities that challenge traditional norms.

Sexuality

  • Definitions:
    • Multidimensional experience involving desire, behavior, and identity.
  • Key Components:
    1. Sexual Orientation: Attraction (e.g., heterosexual, homosexual).
    2. Erotic Role Identity: What individuals enjoy sexually.
    3. Sexual Identity: How one perceives themselves in relation to societal categories.

Types of Sexuality and Norms

  • Heterosexuality:
    • Dominant sexual orientation, often becoming a societal norm (heteronormativity).

Sociological Theories of Sexuality

  1. Social Constructionism:
    • Sexuality as learned through social interaction; scripts define behaviors.
  2. Labelling Theory:
    • Questions the natural categorization of sexual identities; homosexual practices exist but are often stigmatized.
  3. Foucault’s Perspective:
    • Sexuality defined through power and knowledge; distinctions between norms and deviance.

LGBTQI Definitions

  • Community Acronyms:
    • L: Lesbian, G: Gay, B: Bisexual, T: Transgender, Q: Queer, I: Intersex.

Gender Identity Complexities

  • Beyond them and us; existence of non-binary and third gender classifications (e.g., Hijras in India).

Class Exercise

  • Group activity discussing naturalized gender roles in popular culture; analyzing how social constructs are framed as biological and contrasting examples that challenge these norms.