SOCY 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Nuclear Family, Stepfamily, Publicly Funded Health Care
Document Summary
Family: a social institution based on kinship that functions to produce new members of society and nurture them. Egalitarian family: power and authority are shared somewhat equally by husband and wife. Extended family: three of more generations whose lives are closely intertwined. Stress importance of family over individual and his/her goals. Modified extended family (blended family): network of visitation and support linking nuclear families. Families contribute to society by serving these purposes: (1) regulation of sexual behavior and reproduction. Family contributes to process of replacing people from one generation to the next (2) socialization and education. Parents/family members have primary responsibility for ensuring children are properly socialized- learning values, norms, and language of cultute (3) status conferral. Family bestows initial status in society (4) economic activity. Family serves as basic unit for economic production with kinship ties defining who is obliges to work together in order to catch game, grow food, or build shelters.