Types of Families: Lone parent family Nuclear family Intact family (Stats Can term) Same sex family Common law family Extended family Families composed of parents, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other blood relations living together Modified Extended family – relatives who do not share a residence, may try to live in the same neighbourhood, visit regularly, telephone daily, assist each other with child care provide economic and emotional support
Skip generation family Blended or step family Families composed of parents who have divorced their first spouse, remarried someone else, and formed a new family that includes children from one or both first marriages, and or from the remarriages
Simple step family Complex step
Marriage Patterns: Monogamy Serial monogamy Polygamy Polygyny Polyandry Free choice marriage
Arranged marriage increase family resources, protect inheritances, enhance family reputations, and the parents feel more qualified to choose a partner for their children Importance is placed on extended family solidarity, financial security, and potential heirs rather than on personal gratification and feelings of love between the young people Arranged marriages are often more stable than free choice unions
CRAAP Method: Currency - THE TIMELINE OF INFORMATION Relevance - THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION FOR YOUR NEEDS Authority - THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION Accuracy - THE RELIABILITY, TRUTHFULNESS AND CORRECTNESS OF THE CONTENT Purpose - THE REASON THE INFORMATION EXISTS
Theoretical Perspectives: Functionalism Definition: a theory that looks at how society is organized to perform its required functions effectively. States that “families are institutions that perform specific functions in society, and family members are expected to fill prescribed roles within the institution for the good of society as a whole.” Functionalists examine the status and roles of individuals within a family: Societies run more smoothly when each individual behaves according to his or her specific role.
Systems theory assumes that the family is a system of relationships in which what happens to one member affects all the others fairly closed unit in which members can only be added by birth, adoption, cohabitation or marriage and can only be reduced by death, so the dynamics of the system will stay fairly stable over a long period of time There are ‘subsystems’ within each family, such as marital, parental, sibling Behaviour is controlled by feedback - refers to the way the members of the family inform each other of how to act A change with one member of the system affects all others A genogram (also known as a McGoldrick–Gerson study, a Lapidus schematic or a family diagram) is a pictorial display of a person's family relationships and medical history.
Symbolic interactionism describes how people interact: assumes individuals interpret social organization and then interact with others based on that interpretation people modify or change their behaviour depending on how others react to them individuals communicate with each other but they may give difference meanings to actions and words roles – symbolic interactionists assume that in each role, the individual’s behaviour and reactions will vary with the type of interaction and the expectations of the people around him/her
it tends to assume that dysfunction i.e. family violence, occurs because of problems in the individuals perceptions or reactions, and does not consider for example, whether family violence is also influenced by social roles of women and children, or by normalization of violence in media Example: studying the interactions between mothers and children to learn about the process of socialization and the expression of affection and love, or the interactions between husbands and wives to learn about division of labour, marital satisfaction, etc
Social exchange theory This is derived from symbolic interactionism – suggest that individuals will choose how to act/react to others based on the potential benefits they may receive and the costs involved The benefits and costs are based on individual’s perceptions, not necessarily on facts since the benefits and costs are not fixed but are the perceptions of the individual, if those perceptions turn out to be wrong, dysfunction will result Example, a woman may decide to leave paid employment to stay at home with children as part of an exchange with her husband who will support her financially in return for her domestic labour – if her perception is that the loss of employment status and income is worth what she will get in exchange – the opportunity to be with her children full time and to pursue work in the home which she finds meaningful – then she will make that choice Example the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, but any arranged marriage would fit this theory – each partner bases their choice of whether to accept the marriage based on their perception of what they will ‘get out of it’
Life course approach (Family life cycle) This is a Developmental Theory looks at behaviour by individuals or families at various stages in their lives It examines biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence development in an interdisciplinary approach Erikson’s theory: each individual must accomplish certain developmental tasks in order to progress; for example, a child must separate from their parents before he/she can become a partner to another adult:
Conflict theory society is defined by who has the power, and inequalities in power create conflict in society assumes that groups compete with one another to meet their needs, but that the needs of all groups cannot be met does not explain societies but instead criticizes them Karl Marx – believed that the masses are controlled by the small group within society which holds economic power Friedrich Engels extended this to suggest that the division of labour in marriage followed the same pattern: a man’s paid labour outside the home gave him the position of economic power and therefore most of the decision-making power, while the woman’s unpaid labour gave her little power within the family, leading to oppression Assumes the elimination of capitalism results in the forming of a new family in which men and women will be equal
Feminist Theory Feminism is an important part of understanding our society and how we interact with each other. As a term, feminism has a long history, from its first use in the late 19th century to today’s modern interpretations. Liberal Feminist View on the Family The most common type of feminism, which focuses on achieving social and political equality between men and women. This belief system emphasizes equal opportunities for both genders and views the traditional gender roles within a family as outdated and oppressive. Liberal feminists believe that by removing these gender-based restrictions, everyone can benefit from greater freedom and more complete lives.
Marxist Feminist View on the Family Marxist feminists take a different approach to understanding gender roles in the family unit. They view women’s subordination as an effect of capitalism and argue that only by restructuring economic systems can real progress be made towards true equality between men and women. This belief system also takes into account that all members of society are affected by social constructions such as race, class, sexuality, etc., so Marxist feminists strive to create solutions that will benefit all members of society regardless of identity or background.
Radical Feminist View on the Family Take an even stronger stance when it comes to dismantling gender roles in the family unit. view patriarchy as an oppressive force that needs to be destroyed in order to achieve true equality between men and women. Radical feminists reject traditional gender norms altogether and instead emphasize self-determination for individual identity formation outside of traditional structures like marriage or motherhood.
Difference Feminist View on the Family Finally, difference feminists view gender roles within the family differently than other feminist ideologies do. Instead of rejecting them altogether they focus on creating positive reinforcement for non-traditional roles within relationships such as mutual respect between partners or shared parenting responsibilities among parents. Difference feminism encourages individuals to embrace their uniqueness rather than conform to one specific version of femininity or masculinity within the home environment.
Ecological perspective The Five Environmental Systems The ecological systems theory holds that we encounter different environments throughout our lifespan that may influence our behavior in varying degrees. These systems include the micro system, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macro system, and the chronosystem. 1. The Micro System The micro system's setting is the direct environment we have in our lives. Your family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors and other people who have a direct contact with you are included in your micro system. The micro system is the setting in which we have direct social interactions with these social agents.
2. The Mesosystem The mesosystem involves the relationships between the microsystems in one's life. This means that your family experience may be related to your school experience. For example, if a child is neglected by his parents, he may have a low chance of developing positive attitude towards his teachers. Also, this child may feel awkward in the presence of peers and may resort to withdrawal from a group of classmates.
3. The Exosystem The exosystem is the setting in which there is a link between the context where in the person does not have any active role, and the context where in is actively participating. Suppose a child is more attached to his father than his mother. If the father goes abroad to work for several months, there may be a conflict between the mother and the child's social relationship, or on the other hand, this event may result to a tighter bond between the mother and the child.
4. The Macrosystem The macrosystem setting is the actual culture of an individual. The cultural contexts involve the socioeconomic status of the person and/or his family, his ethnicity or race and living in a still developing or a third world country. For example, being born to a poor family makes a person work harder every day.
5. The Chronosystem The chronosystem includes the transitions and shifts in one's lifespan. This may also involve the socio-historical contexts that may influence a person. One classic example of this is how divorce, as a major life transition, may affect not only the couple's relationship but also their children's behavior. According to a majority of research, children are negatively affected on the first year after the divorce. The next years after it would reveal that the interaction within the family becomes more stable and agreeable.
| Functions of the Family: Socialization of children Teach children the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes of their society so that as adults the children are able to work and relate to others appropriately. Benefits to Canadian society: Individuals will acquire the skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes consistent with employability and citizenship expectations People will be educated, find careers, have their own families, earn money
Institutions: elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools and apprenticeships peers, community groups like scouts, literature and popular media
Addition of new members through procreation or adoption Families have children through birth, adoption, and may also use the help of fertility clinics Benefits to Canadian society: Institutions: adoption agencies fertility clinics Midwives public health nurses Surrogates family law
Physical maintenance and care of group members Includes adults, children, and the elderly Hardship can result when families are unable to care for themselves Society should be organized to replace this family function. Benefits to Canadian society: Institutions: Hospitals Clinics Grandparents schools (breakfast club) public health nurses children’s aid society
Social control of members
Production, consumption, distribution of goods and services We no longer produce all the goods and services we consume. People now work for money and exchange it for family needs Benefits to Canadian society: parents provide for their families families contribute to the economy families provide goods or services through skills and employment families purchase and consume goods and services
Institutions:
Love (Affective Nurturance) By meeting the emotional needs of the individual, we build a commitment to our family members. Benefits to Canadian society: Institutions:
Origins of the Family:
Hunter Gatherers The earliest human families were hunter-gatherers. estimated that for 99 percent of human history hunting and gathering was the major means of subsistence for our ancestors. Women were responsible for gathering fruits, nuts, grains, herbs, and small prey. They were also responsible for nurturing young children. In addition, women learned how to use the plants they gathered for medicinal purposes. Men were the hunters and the toolmakers. They often had to leave the family for long periods of time to hunt. They had to pursue larger animals for days to tire the animal, for an easier capture and kill. The first Canadians, Indigenous Peoples, were hunter-gatherers when they came here to stay 13,000-14,000 years ago. Some of them remained hunter-gatherers even into modern times as they continued to forage for food instead of developing agricultural production (Diamond, 1999) These bands consisted typically of 5 to 80 people who were related by consanguinity, meaning by blood, or by informal relationships that today would be termed "marriage." Bands had no defined hierarchy since they were socially stratified only by gender and age.
Agricultural Families The earliest known occurrence of agriculture occurred about 11 000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent area of Southwest Asia. Farming developed independently in four other parts of the world: China by about 7500 B.C.E. Mesoamerica and South America by 3500 B. C.E. Eastern region of North America by 2500 B.C.E. (Diamond, 1999). Agriculture ultimately enabled our ancestors to provide much more food, but it also required a great deal of manual labour. These two factors resulted in larger families, because more people were needed to work the land and tend the animals. Monogamy, or having one marital partner, became the preferred marital arrangement for women in most parts of the world. Men established a Patriarchy, in which men were the rulers and decision makers of the family, in an attempt to ensure their fatherhood and the orderly inheritance of their property (Conway, 1997). It was during this period that the relationship between men and women changed, and women became chattels, the property of their husbands, with few legal rights. When agriculture became established, an individual farmer could afford to support several wives, so Polygamy became more common. Arranged Marriages with young women ensured that the family would produce more children, who were now viewed as an economic asset because they could work on the land.
Pre-industrial Families The rapid population increase that an agricultural economy allowed resulted, over a thousand years, in the growth of villages and towns. Merchants and artisans began to work in the family home where their wives and children could help with the work. Families, led by a father who was the head of the household, consisted of his wife and children plus any domestic servants and male apprentices-young men from other families who were learning a trade or craft. Pre-industrial couples were usually monogamous and had fewer children than agricultural families.. Although not unheard of, romantic love was not usually the basis for marriage. Children were an economic necessity during a time when less than 50 percent of them reached adulthood. Childhood as a period of innocence and play did not exist. By the age of seven or eight they began to assist in the economic activities of the family, generally in work dictated by their gender. Boys would work on a farm or become an apprentice in a trade or craft. Girls would do household work or labour as domestic servants for other families. Men and women usually worked side by side as they cleared the land and farmed or as they attempted to establish a business.
Primary Sources: Participant observation Focus groups Case studies Original documents include things like first-hand diaries, speeches, letters, photographs, artwork, film footage, and artefacts. They can also include things like marriage certificates, birth certificates, land ownership, and other publicly available personal records, as well as personal social media sites.
Secondary Sources:
Social Science Inquiry Model: Identify a problem
Research question
With the problem identified the researcher needs to clearly define and create a Research Question It forms the basis for the investigation A good question states exactly what you want to learn & suggests how you will conduct the research
Develop a hypothesis (if, then, because format)
a possible answer to a question that requires further investigation. It indicates what needs to be tested and which research method to use THIS STEP IS CRUCIAL! W/out a GOOD HYPOTHESIS a researcher can waste a lot of time and energy collecting information that might NOT be relevant to the topic. A good hypothesis could be; IF YOUTH PLAY VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES THEN THERE IS AN INCREASED CHANCE THAT THEY WILL BE VIOLENT TOWARDS OTHERS. ‘BECAUSE”…
Gather data
The INQUIRER (or researcher) must determine how to gather data or information. The METHOD used should be appropriate to the Question and hypothesis. There are 2 types of research
Analyze data
The researcher must ORGANIZE the raw data into meaningful forms; i.e. Graphs, charts, tables… Data is generally useless unless it is ORGANIZED, INTERPRETED & ANALYZED. Researchers look for trends b/w the data – this information can be used as evidence to help answer the question
Draw conclusions
After the data has been analyzed the inquirer needs to determine if WHETHER THE HYPOTHESIS IS SUPPORTED OR NOT. They can also determine if the hypothesis should be ACCEPTED, REJECTED, OR REVISED.
Trends in Canadian Families Slideshow
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