THE FAMILY

BELLRINGER

The social institution of the American

family is undergoing so much change
that the institution might eventually
cease.

Write a few sentences agreeing or

disagreeing with this statement.
 FAMILY

A group of people who are related by

marriage, blood, or adoption and who
often live together and share economic
resources.

So, what is a typical family?

 NUCLEAR FAMILY

One or both parents and their children.

This is the most recognizable family form
to people in the U.S.
 KINSHIP

Nuclear families and extended families

are often part of a much larger kinship
system.
It is a network of people who are related
by marriage, birth, or adoption.
Kinship systems can be large. Some have
close to 200 possible categories of
relatives.
 MARRIAGE

Sociologists use the term marriage to

refer not the the married couple, but to
the set of norms that establishes and
characterizes the relationship between
married individuals.
 MARRIAGE AND KINSHIP
PATTERNS
Some form of family organization exists in all
societies. However, it varies from society to
society and even within societies.
Family organization is determined by how
societies or groups answer four questions.
How many marriage partners may a person have?
Who lives with whom?
How is family membership determined?
Who makes the decisions in the family?
WHAT MARRIAGE AND KINSHIP
TERMS DESCRIBE YOUR FAMILY?
Use one term from each of the four
groups marriage, residential, descent,
and authority and explain how each
term describes your family.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY

The most important functions include

The regulation of sexual activity
Reproduction
Socialization
The provision of economic and emotional
security
 ACTIVITY
You have been appointed to a new U.S. government
department called American Family Affairs.
Get into groups of two or three and create an
instruction manual titled Family 101 to educate
newly married couples about the social institution of
the family.
It should describe the four functions of the family,
as well as norms influencing marriage patterns.
Use your book.
 EXTRA TIME?

What would it be like to live in a true

matriarchal society with matrilineal
descent? How would it compare to the
current society of the United States?
Write a paragraph to answer this prompt.
EXIT SLIP