Sociology of the family

Sociology of the family

Sociology of the family is the study of the family unit from a sociological viewpoint. The examination is dominated by social class, gender and ethnicity analysis. Further sociology of the family views the effect of social change on the family.

Included in this type of study are the number of children in the family, their relative ages, their racial and/or ethnic backgrounds, the economic level and mobility of the unit, the education levels of the family members, what spheres of life are important in and to the family unit, and all of the intereractions of the family unit, society, culture and with each other.

Sociology of families is also concerned with the diversity of family forms in contemporary societies in relation to ideology, gender differences, and state policies such as those concerned with marriage.

Sociology studies families and their formation, Sociology studies social change and trends surrounding the family such as,
* Increase in sole occupancy dwellings and smaller family sizes
* Average age of marriage being older
* Average number of children decreasing and first birth at later age
* The historical pattern of fertility. From baby boom to baby bust (instability)
* The ageing population. The trend towards greater life expectancy.
* Rising divorce rates and people who will never marry. [Bittman, M. and Pixley, J. (1997) "The Double Life of the Family, Myth, Hope and Experience". Allen and Unwin, Sydney.]

Sociology of the family examines the changing roles of family members. Each member is restricted by the sex roles of the traditional family, these roles such as the father as the worker and the mother as the homemaker are declining, the mother is becoming the supplementary provider and she retains the responsibilities of child rearing. Therefore the females’ role in the labour force is “compatible with the demands of the traditional family”. [Ibid., Bittman (1997)] Sociology studies the adaptation of the males role to caregiver as well as provider. The gender roles are increasingly interwoven.

References

ee also

*Extended family
*Family law
*Nuclear family
* Family (economics)

External links

* [http://www.familyfacts.org Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion] (a Heritage Foundation site)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • the family — family, sociology of …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Focus on the Family — Abbreviation FOTF Motto Helping Families Thrive Formation 1977 …   Wikipedia

  • family, sociology of — The family is an intimate domestic group made up of people related to one another by bonds of blood, sexual mating, or legal ties. It has been a very resilient social unit that has survived and adapted through time. Yet, on both sides of the… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Sociology of childhood — The Sociology of childhood is a branch of sociology focusing on the ways societies conceptualise and organize childhood. These processes and their consequences affect the whole of society, its conception of social order, its conditions of life of …   Wikipedia

  • Sociology — For the journal, see Sociology (journal). Sociology …   Wikipedia

  • sociology — sociologist, n. /soh see ol euh jee, soh shee /, n. the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc. [1835 45; < F… …   Universalium

  • Theories and sociology of the history of science — The sociology and philosophy of science, as well as the entire field of science studies, have in the 20th century been preoccupied with the question of large scale patterns and trends in the development of science, and asking questions about how… …   Wikipedia

  • SOCIOLOGY — as a field of intellectual endeavor is much older than sociology as an academic discipline. Modern sociology can be traced to the Scottish moralists such as Adam Ferguson, David Hume, Adam Smith, and possibly to Thomas Hobbes. The word sociology… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Sociology of sport — Sociology of sport, alternately referred to as sports sociology , is an area of sociology that focuses on sport as a social phenomenon and on the social and cultural structures, patterns, and organizations or groups engaged in sport. There are… …   Wikipedia

  • Sociology in Poland — has been developing, as has sociology throughout Europe, since the mid 19th century. Polish sociology is today a vibrant science, with its own experts and currents of thought. As early as in 1917 a Polish scholar, Jan Stanisław Bystroń, wrote… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”