AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY

TWO BIG POINTS:

A) MICRO CHOICES IN THE FAMILY ARE OFTEN SHAPED BY MACROSTRUCTURAL CHANGES

B) MODERNIZATION OF THE FAMILY HAS MORALLY AMBIGUOUS CONSEQUENCES: INCREASE IN LOVE, DECREASE IN DEPENDENCY, DECREASE IN RESPECT: think back to two different kinds of solidarity

1) the universality of the family

2) family dynamics as shaped by large-scale social structural change

3) functions of the family:

a) reproduction;

b) sexual satisfaction;

c) economic cooperation;

d) socialization into norms, etiquette, skills, etc.;

e) basis of larger social groupings, either metaphorically (“fatherland,” “brotherhood,” “fraternity”) or organizationally (clansà moieties à polity)

4) but, also think of family as a fundamental COGNITIVE construction; an identity of connectedness/ancestry; e.g., family dysfunctionality does not rule out its strong identity consequences (cf. primary group)

5) changes in the meaning of family over time and space:

6) changes in the meaning of marriage: a) significance of the increase in divorce and the high recidivism rate; and b) discrepant understandings of any given marriage (Bernard reading)

7) informalization of family roles (Tocqueville); aging moms versus more sister-like mom fantasies; how do romanticized notions of the family appear in our everyday talk and understanding?