12.1

Most universal institution is the familyMake up of the family varies from culture to

cultureAll families follow similar organizational

patterns and fulfill common functions

Family: group of people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption and who often live together and share economic resources

Family Forms: Nuclear: one or both parents and the children Family of Orientation: nuclear family in which

one is born or adopted– brothers, sisters, and parents

Family of Procreation: spouse and their children

Extended Family: one or more generations

Kinship: network of people related by marriage, birth, or adoption200 possible categories of relativesPrimary: closest relatives—orientation and

procreation; mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, daughter and son

Secondary: primary relatives of primary relationships; grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, aunts uncles, nieces and nephews

Tertiary: primary relatives of secondary relationships; great-grandparents, great grand-children etc

Family Organization is determined by how a society or group within a society answers four questions:

1. How many marriage partners may a person have?

2. Who will live with whom?3. How will family membership be

determined?4. Who will make the decisions in the

family?

Marriage Partners:monogamy: marriage of one man to one

womenPolygamy: marriage with multiple partners

Two forms: polygyny: man is permitted to more than one

women– preindustrial societies with large areas of land for farming ;

polyandry- women marry more than one man—found primarily in Asia-extreme poverty and shortage of women

Residential Patterns: where will individuals live once they are marriedPatrilocality: live with or near the husbands

parents; most common around the worldMatrilocality: live with or near the wife’s

parentsBilocality: choose whether they will live

near near either parentsNeolocality: free to set up a residence apart

from both sets of parents—industrialized societies

Descent Patterns: how individuals trace their kinshipPatrilineal Descent: trace kinship through

the father’s family; preindustrial societies; property is passed from father to son

Matrilineal Descent: trace kinship through the mother’s family; less common

Bilateral Descent: kinship is traced through both parents, and property can be inherited from either side of the family Rules for decent are important for smooth

operation of soceity- establish who is eligible to inherit property

Authority Patterns: three possible patterns oif authorityPatriarchy: father holds most of the

authority Vast majorities of societies

Matriarchy: mother holds most of the authority Very rare- true authority lies with mother’s

brothersEgalitarian: mother and father share the

authority Most industrialized societies including the United

States are moving in this direction

Regulation of Sexual Activity:Enforce incest taboo: forbidding sexual

relations or marriages between certain relatives; taboo is universal, but relatives vary from society to society United States: person cannot marry parents,

siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews; 26 states do allow first cousin marriages

Reproduction: decide the norms of who is eligible to marry, bear children and the appropriate number of children and the rights and responsibilities of parents

Socialization: Family is the first agent of socialization that

children encounter Learn values and norms of society Parents and siblings serve as first role

models Economic and Emotional Security:

Family acts the basic economic unit Labor is divided among the genders Division of labor based on age Family: most intimate and basic primary

group– guide the individuals psychological development and provide a loving and caring environment