Family

Dr. Sasmita Mishra

KSOM, Bhubaneswar
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family Meaning
• Is an intimate group consisting of two
or more people who
• Have a committed relationship
• Care for one another and any
children
• Share close emotional ties and
functions.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Functions of Family
• Procreation and socialisation
• Economic security
• Emotional support
• Social class placement
• Sexual activity
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Types of Family
• Nuclear family- • Extended family-
composed of married composed of parents,
parents and their children, and other kin
biological or adopted (e.g., uncles and aunts,
nieces and nephews,
children. cousins, grandparents)
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: residence patterns
• Patriarchal residence pattern-newly
married couple live with the husband’s
family.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: residence patterns
• Matriarchal residence pattern-they live with
the wife’s family.
• Khasi Tribe and Garo tribe (Meghalaya)
• Mosuo (China)
• Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: residence patterns
• The Nayar: Alternative to Nuclear family
• Nayar women do appear to have multiple
husbands whether consecutive or simultaneously.
This goes along with the presumption that Nayar
women hold more power, stature, and freedom
then many of their counter parts across the
country. Traditionally women in Nayar cultures
hold decision making powers over themselves and
their families and are the primary holders of all
land and assets owned and maintained within
the family line.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: residence patterns
• Neolocal residence pattern-the couple
sets up their own residence.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: Authority and Power
• Matriarchal family system: the oldest
females control cultural, political, and
economic resources and consequently
have power over males.
• Patriarchal Family system: in which the
oldest males control cultural, political,
and economic resources, and
consequently have power over females.
• Egalitarian family system: both partners
share power and authority fairly equally.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Family: Few exceptions
• The new world Black Family: consists of the mother and her
dependant (west indies)
• The Kibbutz- 4% of Israeli population live in some 240 Kibbutz
settlements (many families stay together).
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Sociological Explanation
• Functionalism
• Families perform vital functions such as procreation, economic
security-that promote societal stability and individual wellbeing.
• Functionalists recognise that families differ in structure but
believe that their similar functions ensure a society’s continuity.
• Critical Evaluation
• It is questionable whether some family functions are as universal
or necessary as functionalists claim. Procreation often occurs
outside of the marriage, and govt. Has assumed some of the
family functions.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Sociological Explanation
• Conflict theory
• An inheritance reduces the likelihood that all families can
compete for resources that include education, decent housing
and healthcare.
• Economic inequality affects all aspects of fmily life.
• Critical evaluation
• Those in the middle and upper class families, fund public
assistance programmes.
• There is also considerable family inequality in non-capitalist
countries.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Sociological Explanation
• Feminist theories
• They emphasize the inequality in gender role in families.
• Male aggression is common in patriarchic societies.
• Females are marginalised and socialised to accept male
domination.
• Critical evaluation
• Feminist scholars sometimes overstate women's opression
• 40% of elederly abuse and mistreatment to children are done by
females.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Sociological Explanation
• Symbolic interaction
• Throughout the socialisation process, family members establish trust
and build emotional bonds.
• According interaction theorist, in mate selection, people trade their
resources for more, better, or different assets.
• People may stay in unhappy marriages and other intimate relationships
because the reward seems equal to the costs.
• Critical Evaluation
• It does not address macro-level constraints. For example non-marital
child bearing has dropped down in US because of govt. interventions not
because of attitude of youth.
• It is also correct that people don't always calculate cost-benefit in mate
selection.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Types of Family
• Talcott Parsons-the isolated nuclear family
• Result of social evolution
• Industrial society requires geographical mobility of the
skilled persons.
• Status in industrial society is achieved. Hence, nuclear family
best fits.
• Indsutrialised society offers Social mobility which
disconnects people from their kins (William Goode)
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Edmund Leach-A Runaway world
• Describes industrial society as a Runaway world
• It made people to get detached from joint families
and set up neuclear families.
• The neuclear family looks lik an overloaded
electrical circuit.
• The demands made upon it are too great and fuses
blow.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Ezra F. Vogel and Norman W. Bell
• The emotionally disturbed child as the family
scapegoat.
• The tension and hostility of unresolved conflicts
btween the parents are projected on to the child.
• Scapegoating the child serves as a ‘personality
stabilising process’ for the parents which allows
them to effectively perform their roles in the wider
society.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
R.D. Laing-The politics of the family
• Difference between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ families is very small.
• In families, individuals form alliances, adopt various strategies and
play one or more individuals off against others in a tactical game.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
David Cooper- The death of the family
• He sees the family as a stultifying institution which stunts the self
and largely denies people the freedom to develop their own
individuality.
• For development of the personality the child should be free from
the ‘imprisoning and ambiguous love’.
• Familiy is just an ideological conditioning divice in the
slave/exploitative/capitalist society.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
Willaiam J. Goode
• Role Bargaining
• Extended families are found in upper classes
• Upper class have an important influence on
appointment to top jobs.
Dr. Sasmita Mishra
The modern Family
• Single parent family
• Same sex couple family
• Couples in live-in relationships