Review of Family Problems

Summary

1. Many types of families exist now and have existed in the past. Although the nuclear family has been the ideal in many societies, in practice it has been less common than some might think. Many societies have favored extended families, and in early times children could expect to live at least some part of their childhood with only one parent.
2. Marriage has been declining over the past several decades, though it is still valued by many Americans and most young people report that they hope to marry one day. Cohabitation and multigenerational households have increased, whereas divorce has declined. 
3. Family forms vary by social location such as social class, race, and sexuality. For instance, lower-income and lower-educated families are less likely to be married than higher-income/educated families, Black children are more likely than other racial groups to live in mother-headed homes and homes with other relatives, and same-gender families are less likely to be raising children than opposite-gender families though their rates of cohabiting and married households are steadily increasing. 
4. Structural functionalism emphasizes functions that families serve for society, including the socialization of children and the economic and practical support of family members, which can break down if families aren't supported by other social institutions such as the state. Conflict theory emphasizes the ways in which nuclear families and state policies contribute to ongoing social inequalities. Social interactionist approaches examine family communication and expectations to make sense of family life, and consider how families 'do' gender. Other perspectives weigh in on family problems. For instance, queer theorists remind us that families come in all shapes and sizes but some are constrained by heteropatriarchy. 
5. Studies find that divorce itself may not have dire consequences for children that many observers assume. The low income of divorced or single-parent households seems to account for many of the problems that children in such households experience. Women and children seem to fare better when a highly contentious marriage ends.
6. Family violence affects millions of adults and children yearly. Structural and cultural factors help account for the high amount of intimate partner violence and child abuse. Evidence indicates that women are much more at risk than men for violence by spouses and partners, though any gender may be victimized by this violence. 
7. Gender inequality is seen in the gendered division of labor in which women continue to engage in more domestic work than men, which results in less free time to relax and recoup, especially after a shift of paid work. Instead, they're more likely to take on the second shift of family labor after their shift of paid labor. 
8. Laws, policies, and practices impact who gets recognized and who is valued as a family, impacting experiences of belonging. These structural differences result from differences in values related to family. Because of this, some families experience privilege, and others experience oppression. Mixed-status immigrant families and queer families have less power than other families. 
9. Laws and policies can help alleviate some of the consequences of family problem, particularly those that focus on poverty and supporting low-income families. Broad cultural shifts are necessary to reduce family problems tied to cultural expectations and social inequalities. Individual agency and collective action such as those of queer dreamers challenge existing harmful policies and advance social justice. 

  

Questions

1. How would you describe the disadvantages of the breadwinner/homemaker nuclear family?
2. Do you favor the views and assumptions of functionalist theory, conflict theory, or social interactionist theory to frame or explain family problems, and why?
3. Think of someone you know (yourself, a relative, or friend) whose parents are divorced – how would you describe how the divorce affected this person?
4. How are problems of the consequences of divorce, family violence, the division of labor, and belonging tied to larger social inequalities?
5. Why do you think that the US lags behind other Western democracies in efforts to help families?
6. What issues have you seen in the news lately about the experiences of immigrant or queer families?
7. What do you think are the most important policies or actions we should take to help America’s families?

  

Action Steps

1. Use your sociological imagination: Think of how the practices you engage in in your own family are tied to larger social inequalities (or think of those your parents/guardians, grandparents, or other family members have engaged in).  
2. Support nonprofits and similar organizations: Volunteer at a family violence shelter or an organization that supports mixed-status or undocumented families. 
3. Use your individual agency: When you hear someone claim that same-gender families are harmful to children, question why they have those beliefs and point them to the body of research that consistently indicates that children of same-gender families and of opposite-gender families fare similarly. 
4. Engage in collective action: Research organizations that are engaging in action to support marginalized families or advance women's equality, select one, and find out how to get involved in their efforts.