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
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