lecture 5

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McMaster University *

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1CO3

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Sociology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Sociology Lecture 5 - How do sociologists define families? Why are definitions of families important? - How do the various sociological approaches /theories understand families? - How have families, living arrangements, and gender relations changed over time? - What do we know about family policy in Canada? -Variety, choice, and fluidity in intimate relationships and families today -Sociologists adopt inclusive definitions of families -Families are socially constructed and have changed over time and place -In the past, definitions of families emphasized family structure, for instance co-residence and nuclear families Families - Families are no longer defined by co-residence: -Transnational families are those where one or more family members may spend significant periods of time in another country. -Living apart together (LAT) couples are those couples who are in relationship but live in separate homes -contemporary definitions focus on the goals and activities of families -Social reproduction refers to the labour of families and this labour is physical, mental, and emotional. -definitions of family shape government social policy and inform the decisions we make about how to live our lives. -Government definitions historically excluded many families - All Families Are Equal Act (2016): parental rights for same-sex couples -2017 legislation that provides child support to unmarried custodial parent raising adult children with disabilities -2015 Income splitting tax policy: couples can share income to pay less in taxes -Government policy embedded with expectations of financial support (i.e. OSAP, filial responsibility laws) -Social assistance also impacted -Eligibility criteria for social assistance historically reduced assistance for cohabiting couples - Welfare eligibility rules can deter relationship formation -Rise of single-parent households among African American families in the United States and Black families in Canada created by government social policy -definitions can also exclude certain relationships (i.e. cohabiting relationships) -upon relationship dissolution, cohabiting spouses still do not have the same legal rights as formally married couples -Questions about how to define marriage also surface in debates over polygamy-the marriage of one man to more than one wife- as in the 2017 case of two Mormon men in Bountiful British Columbia being convicted of practicing polygamy. -Both Durkheim and Talcott Parsons uphold the nuclear heterosexual family as being optimally functional for society and the best unit in which to raise children

-Husbands take on the "instrumental role" of being financial breadwinners and wives take on the “expressive role" of caregiving Structural Functionalism -Example: TV show Leave it to Beaver -Parsons: functions of families include: regulating (heterosexual) sexual activity, economic co-operation, reproduction, socialization, emotional support - Critique: Does not appreciate historical and cross-cultural variation in families -Critiques diverse families - Promotes women's financial dependence -Does not address inequality and conflict in families Conflict Theory -Influenced by Karl Marx: economic mode of production shapes families - With industrialization families are no longer units of production as production shifts to factories - Among more affluent classes women are relegated to the domestic sphere - Engels (1884) The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State Engels (1884) Conflict Theory -Engels: nuclear family and women's fidelity tied to the emergence of private property -Critique: overlooks women's unpaid labour and gender relations Feminist Theory -Feminist scholars trained in Marxist theory extend Marxist theory to apply to women's unpaid labour -Example: Mex Luxton -focus on the experiences of women and the goal of much feminist research is to make womens experiences in families visible -examines gender-based inequalities in the private sphere Devault (feeding the family) walzer (thinking about the baby) -Patriarchy: the political and social control of women by men -Feminist scholars examine how patriarchal relations internally stratify families by giving men more power, control, and advantages within families -feminists critique the idea of the monolithic universal nuclear family and embrace diversity in families. -Critique: First wave feminism and second wave feminism have been criticized for focusing on the concerns of privileged women Race-Conflict Approach -Examination of historical and contemporary issues and experiences of racialized groups -Agnes Calliste studied Black families in Canada Agnes Calliste (power, knowledge and anti-racism education) (anti-racist feminism) (voices) (family patterns gender relations)

Niara Sudarkasa -history of African american families beginning with the impact of slavery on families -The strength of our mothers -where women work:a study of yoruba women in the marketplace and in the home -the structure of African families was impacted by slavery -Increase in single-parent homes linked to welfare policy -the increasing disaggregation of African-American households results in less family support Critique: need to understand intersecting inequalities (social class) (disability) (gender) (sexual orientation) Symbolic Interactionism -explore how activities such as meal preparation, holidays and birthday celebrations, family gatherings, religious and spiritual practice, and leisure activities are ways that a sense of family is actively created - Walzer: new mothers' sense of self was transformed in the transition to motherhood (thinking about the baby) -Critique:does not examine impact of social structure; cannot inform social policy PostModernism -There are competing discourses of family life and intimate relationships (i.e. discourses around what is means to be a good parent) - Example, Canadian sociologist Glenda Wall (2001) examined materials produced by the Canadian government and directed to new mothers. This material emphasizes a particular discourse that favours breastfeeding and intensive mothering -Martha McMahon' (1995) book Engendering Motherhood: Identity and Self Transformation in Women's Lives. - McMahon: women are influenced by popular discourses that suggest that childless women are selfish Critique: difficulty in applying postmodernism to formulate social policy Foraging Society -parents and their biological children lived immersed in a wider group rather than in a privatized household -Caregiving was shared; gender roles were fluid Pre-Industrial Society -Composition of households based on labour needs -Husbands and wives were economic partners -Men held legal authority -No separation between public and private spheres Industrialization -Households become smaller -Separation between public and private sphere -Preference to keep daughters at home -Among affluent classes, women are relegated to the domestic sphere -New ideologies emerged (i.e. intensive mothering) 1950s -Embracing of family life; early marriage and increased childbearing

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-Expansion of manufacturing sector 1960s and beyond -Recessions, contraction of manufacturing, expansion of service sector, financial pressures facing families 21st century -Family life in Canada is characterized by diversity in family structure, living arrangements, relationship status, sexual relationships, childbearing, and parenting. -Marital status, sexual orientation, gender, and age no longer determine childbearing and parenting -Young adults today are more likely to postpone or forego marriage, have fewer children, cohabit, and experience relationship dissolution as compared to those in earlier generations -Polyamorous relationships are transparent, consensual intimate relationships between multiple partners of any sexual orientation who may or may not live together -Many Canadian children will live in more than one type of family structure before adulthood -Increase in delayed home-leaving Family Policy in Canada -Historically we have not had universal, affordable, high-quality childcare in Canada -Quebec introduced $5 a day childcare in 1998 -2017: childcare fees based on income and number of children -$7.75 for families with a household income of less than $51, 000 -Maximum of $21.20 per day for families with an income over $161,380 -Parents who have two children pay half of the daily cost for their second child, and any subsequent children are free -Parents in Quebec pay $152 per month for one child; throughout Canada costs range fro $800-$1865 -Parental leave in Quebec has higher benefit levels, less restrictive eligibility criteria, first province to offer special leaves for fathers -Restrictive eligibility criteria of parental leave means that many parents do not qualify -Quebec changed their parental leave program in 2006 to allow more self-employed workers and those with fewer insurable earnings to qualify for parental leave benefits

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