Sociology of the family

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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.^[1]

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”.^[2] Sociology studies the adaptation of the males role to caregiver as well as provider. The gender roles are increasingly interwoven.

1 Marxist view of the family
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Marxist view of the family

Contemporary society is controlled by capitalism. Women are oppressed by capitalism, therefore capitalism and women and the family are an interconnected group. As capitalism extends its grip on the world, women, the family and family values are decreasing in relevance. Traditional Marxist theory states the oppression exists from women’s domestic labour being exploited. With many of the world women suffering economic oppression, the family must be revised. A new form of family must be established that is classless and does not restrict its members to social roles of inferiority. Marxists believes this is only possible with the establishment of “true socialism”^[3] Therefore the contemporary family must forget social institutions and capitalist family values as it overcomes economic oppression and ideological oppression. help them.

Examples of the relationship between the family and capitalism;

Children are socialised to be good workers, primed for exploitation
The family undermines the class struggle; the family members fight and are divided
Oppressed workers can release discontent and be the boss in the family, but not at work
Capitalist support the existence of many smaller families to increase consumerism
Women are the reserve army of labour that undercut males wages and keeps males in their low-paying jobs
The families’ unpaid labour in the home is in capitalisms’ interest.^[4]

Contemporary society must disregard social institutions and current family values as they only symbolise oppression and exploitation.

[edit] References

^ Bittman, M. and Pixley, J. (1997) The Double Life of the Family, Myth, Hope and Experience. Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
^ Ibid., Bittman (1997)
^ Delphy, C. and Leonard, D. (1992) Familiar Exploitation, A new analysis of marriage in contemporary western societies. Polity Press, Cambridge.
^ Ibid., Delphy (1992)