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Sociology of the family
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Essay of 13 pages for the course Sociologia de la Familia at UB (NOTES)
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SOCIOLOGY OF FAMILYSUMMIT
1- Changes in modern families (I and II)
2- Generations
3- Transition to adulthood (I and II)
4- Till death do us part
5- Divorce and child wellbeing
6- Widowhood, loneliness and dependency.
7- An Incomplete Revolution.
,Changes in modern families (I and II)
DEFINITIONS: What’s modern families?
“Social group characterized by common residence, economic co-operation and
reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially
approved sexual relationship and one or more children - own or adopted – of the
sexually cohabiting adults. The ‘household’ is said to be the ‘living arrangement’ of such
a family unit” Murdock (1949)
Haralombos and Herald (1997), define family as a procedure for socialization, economic
activity and sexual activities that consists of two persons of opposite genders who will
indulge in sexual activity at least for the sake of pleasure and would also consist of
children and a group of decedents
Social institution that unites individuals in cooperative groups that care for members,
regulate sexual relations, and oversee the bearing and raising of children/linked by kin
connections (Giddens 2011)
WHAT MAKES FAMILY? (Three important points.)
Desinstitutionalization (A. Cherlin)
o “weakening of the social norms that define people’s behaviour in a social
institution” (Cherlin 2004)
Individualization: Post-family (U. Beck)
‘Families we choose’ (K. Weston)
Demographic changes and trends
Becoming a parent (or not):
o Fertility dearth
o Older parenthood
o Childlessness
o Separation of marriage and reproduction
, Theories in family formation
Second demographic transition thesis (Van de Kaa)
Microeconomic models (Becker)
o New constraints: perceived inability to match work and care
commitments
Inflexible labour markets
Lack of public support
Financial costs of raising children
Difficulty finding affordable housing
Second demographic transition
Rate of marriage fallen
Growth of cohabitation
Rise in union instability
Postponement of union formation and childbearing
Decrease of fertility rate
What makes a family?
Children rather than partnership
o Eurobarometer 1998
59% cohabiting couple with children
48% married couple without children
27% childless cohabiting coupe
Family has become “less of a place to reproduce generational and gender hierarchies,
and more of a special space where individuals forge their identity” (Toulemon et al.
2008:524).
Changing patterns family formation: marriage
from an institution to a companionship (Burgess)
From the companionate marriage to individualized marriage. (Cherlin)
o Legislative changes beginning to reflect new family landscape
“Convergence to diversity”
o LATs, ‘weekend‐relationships’, civil partnerships, cohabitation
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