Family 2-4 definitions

  • Patriarchy: The system of men’s control over property and father’s authority over all family members

  • Matriarchy: Rule by women; the opposite of patriarchy

  • Matrilineal descent: A family system in which family lineage (including the family name) is transmitted from mothers to their children

  • Patrilineal descent: Family lineage is transmitted from fathers to their children

  • Courtship: The mate selection process in which couples begin a relationship with supervised contact in public, then proceed to additional dates in the woman’s home and then to marriage if the parents approve

  • One-drop rule: The one drop of African blood makes a person black

  • Race: A group of people believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities

  • Ethnicity: A group of people with a common cultural identification, based on a combination of language, religion ancestral origin, or traditional practices

  • Racial ethnicity: An ethnic group perceived to share physical characteristics

  • Endogamy: Marriage and reproduction within a distinct group

  • Exogamy: Marriage and reproduction outside of one’s distinct group

  • Minority group: A racial or ethnic group that occupies a subordinate status in society

  • Acculturation: An acquisition of a new culture and language

    • Consonant: When parents and children together gradually transition away from their home culture and language

    • Dissonant: When children develop English ability more quickly and integrate into the new society more easily than their parents

  • Assimilation: The gradual reduction of ethnic distinction between immigrants and the mainstream society

  • Division of labor: The social process of determining who does what work and for what rewards

  • Consensus theorists: Are under the assumption that inequality serves as an essential function in society

  • Conflict perspective: Takes the division of labor as the crucial element in defining the class system

  • Exploitation (economic): The process by which labor of some produces wealth that is controlled by others

  • Life chances: The practical opportunity to achieve desired material conditions and personal experiences

  • Social capital: The access to resources one has by virtue of relationships and connections within a social network

  • Progressive taxation: Federal government uses income categories to set tax rates, so that rich families usually pay higher tax rates than poor families

  • Poverty line: The level of income below which the federal government defines a family or individuals as poor

  • Social mobility: The movement, up or down, between social classes