Family Institutions
Family
Family
Tywanna Baker
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 101)
Emily Frydrych
June 26, 2011
Family
Family is considered a basic unit in society, and one of the oldest social institution. Family is the basis of a successful society, and is a positive institution. Families are structured around kinship, marriage, blood, or social bond that joins people into a families. Family is an institution which resolves or eases a large number of social problems. There are two types of families a nuclear family and a extended family. A nuclear family consist of a mother, father and their children, which is referred to as a immediate family. An extended family consists of close connections of two or three generations such as husbands of sisters and wives of brothers, aunts uncles, grandparents, nephews and nieces. When you think of family you think of a nuclear family arrangement. However, in today’s society we see more extended family households, which many feel is not common. “The structure of the extended family offers certain advantages over that of the nuclear family. Crises such as divorce, death, and illness put less strain on family members, since more people can provide assistance and emotional support. In addition , the extended family constitutes a larger economic unit than the nuclear family.”( Schaefer). “Karl Marx, described the family as the ultimate source of social inequality because of its role in transfer of power, property, and privilege.”(Schaefer). According to functionalism each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. Functionalists highlights the ideal family type in a modern society, as the nuclear family. The view of a nuclear family is composed as the husband being the breadwinner and the wife being a dependant, and their children. A functionalism is basically a theory of social survival, and it’s main function is that families perform the
Family
Family
Tywanna Baker
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 101)
Emily Frydrych
June 26, 2011
Family
Family is considered a basic unit in society, and one of the oldest social institution. Family is the basis of a successful society, and is a positive institution. Families are structured around kinship, marriage, blood, or social bond that joins people into a families. Family is an institution which resolves or eases a large number of social problems. There are two types of families a nuclear family and a extended family. A nuclear family consist of a mother, father and their children, which is referred to as a immediate family. An extended family consists of close connections of two or three generations such as husbands of sisters and wives of brothers, aunts uncles, grandparents, nephews and nieces. When you think of family you think of a nuclear family arrangement. However, in today’s society we see more extended family households, which many feel is not common. “The structure of the extended family offers certain advantages over that of the nuclear family. Crises such as divorce, death, and illness put less strain on family members, since more people can provide assistance and emotional support. In addition , the extended family constitutes a larger economic unit than the nuclear family.”( Schaefer). “Karl Marx, described the family as the ultimate source of social inequality because of its role in transfer of power, property, and privilege.”(Schaefer). According to functionalism each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. Functionalists highlights the ideal family type in a modern society, as the nuclear family. The view of a nuclear family is composed as the husband being the breadwinner and the wife being a dependant, and their children. A functionalism is basically a theory of social survival, and it’s main function is that families perform the
Family
References: Boss, P. ( 2007). Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods: A Contextual Approach LaRossa, R & Reitzes, D. ( 1993). Symbolic Interactionism and Family Studies Schaefer, R. ( 2009). A Brief Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition