Verified Document

Family Relation Dynamics Research Paper

Family Relations Research The Sociology of Families and Households is a film that will be examined in this paper. The film is full of controversial topics as well as complex socioeconomic issues that will be discussed in detail. A textbook, Public and Private Families, written by Andrew Cherlina share a lot of concepts of the film will be brought in to the discussion as well.

The various relationships that exist between Marxist theory, sociological perspectives, structural functionalism, as well as the family and early feminist theory are examined throughout the program. It examines the rapid decline in marriage over the last few decades as well as the great increase in couples choosing cohabitation. Divorce is increasing and the fertility rate is on the decline in the U.K. All of these factors have combined to affect the traditional family in Britain and has created new challenges for them in how everyday relationships are handled (The Sociology of Family and Households). The conclusion of the film discusses the relationships between the change in family and change in society. The series called Understanding Sociology provides additional materials and resources online.

Course Concepts and Film Idea Similarity

The book, Public and Private Families, have 5 specific points discussed in the documentary:

As part of the first chapter of the book, feminist theories are examined. The differences between the gender as they are seen in various cultures, and the social structure of gender roles are both mentioned in this chapter. The text derives that the social rules in a society are created based on where the power and economic advantage lies. Examples of social rules like this include women not being allowed to work or at least that their career opportunities are limited (Cherlin, 2013-page 26). A very important concept from this video is the examination of feminist theory that reflects on females in the nucleus family today. Both the video and book bring up similar points such as the ones previously mentioned.

1) Marriage is brought up in an interesting way throughout the book. Throughout history, marriage has had a large influence over people's personal lives, controlling and mandating what was allowed and not allowed. However, the author brings up an important point that marriage's power is much weaker today (Cherlin, 2013-page 6). Women are significantly less dependent on their husbands for economic stability since they are able to move into the workforce. The film addresses this point by conveying the message that marriage is on the decline and women are able to support themselves without a husband. This is also the cause for the rapid increase in divorce rates according to this media source.

2) The examination of the diversity of modern families is postmodern theory at work. The author discusses how the diversity of families causes unpredictable change and development. Other times the change can be useful to explain life events that otherwise would be difficult to understand. A great example would be the marriage and re-marriage by partners and later their explanation of this to their children (Cherlin, 2013-page 26). Likewise, these issues are also discussed in the documentary.

3) The video also takes a long look at individualism which is a very interesting concept. The claim was that the increase of individualism has increased the number of relationships people have. This is known as Expressive individualism, or at least that is what the book calls it. It is a new idea that places emphasis on fulfilling feelings and achieving satisfaction emotionally (Cherlin, 2013-page 7). Essentially this idea creates a mindset of romance through connection and communication. This of course then causes an increase in relationship expectations.

4) Finally, the modern family is an important concept to discuss. The division of household roles and the moving away from the nuclear family is what the modern family is. A wonderful example is how Cherlin discusses the women's historical role that was both limited and restricted (Cherlin, 2013-page 52). In today's world women have as many opportunities as most men to choose what to do with their lives. This has led to confusion in the home and a lower emphasis placed on family bonds. Households can be more than just blood family in today's world.

Social and Economic Issues That Are Relevant

The family is viewed as an institution and as socialization unit from the sociology standpoint. The relationship between the family and industrial capitalism, and the various parental styles and concepts of childhood are all ways that help identify the family as a socialization unit (The Sociology of the Familiy). Both the book and film discussed these vital points:

- The individual...

There are also about 2 million children under 18 being raised by homosexual parents today.
- The numbers have been released from 10 states in which the homosexual households saw a drastic increase over the last decade: 700% or more in Delaware and Nevada; 400% or more in Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Vermont; and 200% or more in Illinois, Montana, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

- The ratio of homosexuals with children has been as following: 1/3 for lesbians and 1/5 for gay males.

Our government's federal budget consists of over 45% entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicaid. Various demographics are the driving forces for these programs. The success of these programs depends greatly on the number of children we have and the lifespan of the average American. Medicare and Social Security are welfare programs that were established in order to give the senior citizens the care that they need. The financing for these programs go through the normal workers income tax and as such, there is a direct relationship between the numbers of workers compared to the number of people on the healthcare programs (Parker, 2013). Over time, as our quality of life improves and our lifespan is increased, this relationship between the worker and welfare recipient has changed dramatically for the worse. At the onset of this program back in the 1940's there were as many as 42 working Americans per welfare recipient, but today there are only three. Additionally, it is projected that in as few as 25 years, over 20% of the American population will be 65 years of age or older. (Parker, 2013).

Controversies

One of the louder and more common controversies that is still on going today is the fight over gay marriage. Denmark was the first nation in the world to legalize the marriage of homosexuals, thus granting them equal rights with all other citizens. Since then a number of countries and even some U.S. states have followed suits. As of today though, there are still 30 states that haven't amended their constitutions or legalized gay marriage (Sociology of the Family, 2013). This issue is for many a central argument in relation to the sociology of the family. Another controversy, mostly among the religious, is the cohabitation of couples. Co-habitiation is the word attributed to unmarried couples that live together. This type of family structure is growing ever more common in America and is extremely prevalent in other countries like Sweden or Norway. Catholic communities shun this behavior and in heavily religious places like Italy, it is almost never seen. In general though, cohabitation is increasing and the importance of marriage in the family is being downplayed (Sociology of the Family, 2013).

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Documentary

The film did well in presenting the wide array of evidence based theories that discuss the family unit such as feminism. Also, it performed well in presenting the transition from a core family unit to the present day's modern version in which the dynamics of family relationships are drastically changed. There were still quite a few topics that the documentary could've done a better job discussing. How inter-racial and ethnic families are affected by the modern family is something the video could've…

Sources used in this document:
References

The Sociology of Families and Households. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.educationaltrainingvideos.com/The-Sociology-of-Families-and-Households.html

Cherlin, A. (2013). Public and Private Families: An Introduction (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Sociology of the Family. (2013). Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.academicroom.com/topics/sociology-family

Parker, S. (2013, October 25). Why family issues are economic issues. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.wnd.com/2013/10/why-family-issues-are-economic-issues/
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Analyzing Family Relation and Substance Use Disorders
Words: 1518 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Family Relation and Substance Use Disorders Families have multiple reasons to exist. The key reason, however, is nurturing, and fulfilling the present as well as long-term wants and needs of all members. A secondary motive is contributing, as a participant and consumer, to the wider society (Peter 2015). This paper will explore important familial roles, cultural differences in family systems, and how family members can facilitate treatment of a teenage member

Nature of Family the Dynamics
Words: 2419 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

According to McGoldrick recognizing these repeated patterns in families can help individuals understand and deal with them today, potentially combating their effects. The work is noted as a guide to dealing with unresolved grief. Though the work is informative, it would also seem to be rather destabilizing in that it points out so many flaws in familes and then tells the modern individual that if they do not react,

Family Therapy Family Establishment and
Words: 4841 Length: 16 Document Type: Term Paper

The roles of various members of the society are a dictate of the culture between the people involved. For instance, culture has always been behind the dictates that have led to the creation of separation among family members. Culture states that it is the responsibility of the family man to provide for the family. Failure to do that will result in conflicts within the family. In essence, many families

Family Stress Adaptation Theory of Family Stress
Words: 1260 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Family Stress Adaptation Theory of Family Stress Adaptation Family is the basic social unit of people sharing the same attributes. It is a group of people tied to the same kinship descent consisting of parents, guardians and children. It is necessitated that commitment and upkeep of the family be maintained, and for this reason, there has been introduced a number of theories implicating on the activities carried out in this social setting.

Family Values in Antigone, and
Words: 1431 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Proposal

43). In The Odyssey, Jocasta demonstrates loyalty to her family by urging Odysseus to give up his pursuit for the truth. She literally begs him to stop quarrelling with Creon but he refuses to listen to her. He becomes obsessed to Jocasta's demise. When he tells his wife, "I will not listen; the truth must be made known" (Sophocles Oedipus 825), she knows that she has lost her husband. The

Family Individual Therapy Family and Individual Therapy
Words: 1100 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Family Individual Therapy Family and Individual Therapy Family and Individual Therapy for the Family Center Family and Individual Therapy for the Family Center Interviewee: The interviewee is an ex-family therapist in a clinic in California. Mr. Asaid has a Master's degree in psychology and has worked with two organizations as well to analyze the psychological health of the candidates in recruitment process. Preserving and sustaining the well-being of family members is the task of family

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now