A family is an institution of society that unifies people in cooperative groups to be cared for which involves children. Kinship is also a social bond of individuals with familiar ancestry, adoption, or marriage. Kinship has varied throughout history and between cultures. Families constantly evolve as individuals leave the families that they were born into to create their own family. Families are formed through marriage, which is a legal relationship that involves sexual activity, childbearing, and combining finances. The nuclear family or conjugal family is the foundational family that is comprised of two parents and the children. Conjugal family is family that is based on marriage. The extended family or the consanguine family is inclusive of parents, children, and kin. Families are constantly changing and it is important to be aware of the stages of family life, theories of family, and familial patterns.
The dynamic institution of family is ever changing with new experiences throughout the course of life, which makes it essential to understand the four stages of family life. The four stages of family are courtship, settling in with ideal and real marriage, child rearing, and family in the later life . Courtship varies among cultures and society. In some culture, there is not a need for courtship because of arranged marriages. Although in other cultures, courtship is important to embrace the ideals of romantic love. Romantic love is considered the basis of marriage in some cultures but sometimes is not substantial for a stable marriage foundation. On the contrary, a current real life example of courtship is individuals who decide to marry based on money. The lack of love in conjunction with an ulterior motive can be detrimental to a relationship. Also, American society encourages homogamy, which is the marriage of individuals who derive with similar social characteristics.
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"Sociological Perspective on Families".
In most major concepts, there is a theoretical framework that establishes the general capacity for that concept. The structural-functional theory of the family includes socialization, emotional security, social placement, and sexual activity regulations . The structural-functional theory is explicative on why the foundation of society is family. Because the family is a social construct, there are social-conflict theories that represent inequalities in the family. Family perpetuates social inequality with inheritance, race, gender, ethnicity, and patriarchy. Social-conflict can embark on social stratification which is another instance in family life. The micro-level theory is an analysis that explores how family life is shaped through experiences with symbolic-interaction theory and social-exchange theory. Symbolic-interaction theory shows that family members are responsible for constructing reality of family life by interactions. Social-exchange theory displays the importance of courtship in joining two similar individuals together that are on the same level. An example of social-exchange theory is college sweethearts. Both individuals go to college to solidify a career and on the journey courts an individual who share the same ideas and goals for the future.
Society, cultural norms, and the law are how familial patterns are generated. Generally in high-income nations monogamy is more popular. Monogamy is marriage that joins two people together . However, polygamy brings together an individual with two or more spouses. There are two forms of polygamy which are polygyny and polyandry. Polygyny is one man that is united with numerous women. Polyandry is the opposite of polygyny, which unites one woman with many men. American society has a monogamous society that prohibits individuals from pursuing married if currently married.
In conclusion, family is very important and it is an undeniable connection between relatives. The aspects of family life stages, theories, and patterns are what is used to build families. Families are ever present in our communities and there are examples of family everywhere. The journey through familial life stages is an exploration to achieve the dynamic institution for oneself whether or not it is discovered through romantic love or an arranged marriage. Theories are generated to provide a sense of control to how families interact, but only the members of a particular family can determine the interaction of the family. Familial patterns barriers are beginning to change with the changes of society, but family will always be a connection of people who have joined forces.
- Macionis, J. (2017). Sociology. Pearson.
