Connecting Sociology and YOU!

Chapter 13: Marriage and Family

Resource Details:

Notes:

marriage, a socially constructed relationship that assumes financial and sexual cooperation between two people

family, a group of people connected by blood, marriage, adoption, or agreed upon relationship

courtshipseeking an individual’s affection or establishing contractual terms, usually with the intent of forming a long-term relationship 

Homogamy, marrying or establishing a relationship with someone with similar social and economic characteristics 

cohabitation, a residential pattern in which a couple lives together without the benefit of legal marriage

monogamy, a marriage between two people,

serial monogamy, a marriage pattern in which one person has multiple spouses but not at the same time.

polyamory, intimate relationships with multiple partners, with the informed consent of all partners, 

Polygamy, a legally sanctioned or illegal marital relationship in which one person has more than one husband or wife at the same time

patriarchal, lines of descent traced through the paternal side of the family and characterized by male dominance,

Polygyny, a legally sanctioned or illegal marital relationship in which one man has multiple wives,

Polyandry, a legally sanctioned or illegal marital relationship in which one woman has multiple husbands

matriarchal, lines of descent traced through the maternal side of the family and characterized by the dominance of women

covenant marriages, a legally binding marriage requiring pre-marital counseling, and more limited grounds for divorce 

endogamy, marrying or establishing a relationship within one’s own social group or category

exogamy, marrying or establishing a relationship outside one’s social group or category.

family of orientation, the family in which you are raised and socialized due to birth, adoption, or a blended family,

family of procreation, the family you choose to create through marriage, agreed-upon relationships,

kinship, a social relationship pattern based on blood, marriage, or adoption,

extended, a family with other kin such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins living in the same household or nearby

nuclear, a family consisting of one or more parents and children

Blended families, families in which one or both spouses have children from previous relationships

 neolocal, a living pattern in which a couple establishes their own residence independent of their parents,

matrilocal, a living pattern in which a couple resides with or near the wife’s parents,

atrilocal, a living pattern in which a couple resides with or near the husband’s parents.

childfree, individuals who choose not to have children

DINKS, Double Income, No Kids

childless, individuals who cannot have children for biological reasons

helicopter parent, a well-meaning, overprotective, and overly involved parent that does not promote the characteristic of independence

ree-range parenting, a style of parenting that deemphasizes scheduling and supervision and emphasizes extreme independence. 

Authoritarian parents attempt to maintain strict control over their child’s life.

Permissive parents give the child extensive freedom to make choices with little input from the parent (Baumrind 1971).

Authoritative parents offer a middle-ground combination of control and freedom (Baumrind 1991).

Neglectful parents have low involvement in the child’s life 

Physical violence: when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using other types of physical force

Sexual violence: forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent

Threats: using words, gestures, weapons, or other means to communicate the intent to cause physical and/or sexual harm through violence

Emotional abuse: threatening a partner or their possessions or loved ones or harming a partner’s sense of self-worth (e.g., stalking, name-calling, intimidation, or not letting a partner see friends and family)

child abuse, physical, emotional, or sexual harm or mistreatment of a child

Elder abuse, the physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse or exploitation of an elder by a caregiver or trusted individual,

Substance abuse, the use of alcohol, drugs, or other substances that results in negative consequences for the user and those around them,

No-fault divorces, marriages that can be dissolved without evidence of wrongdoing, 

 sandwich generation, those individuals raising children and caring for aging parents at the same time