Chapter 13, Family and Aging

1
Chapter 13, Family and Aging

• Defining Family
• Conflict View of Family Life
• The Changing Family in the United States
• The Changing Family in Japan
• Common Themes to the Century of Change

2
Kinship

• Members are linked by blood, marriage or
  adoption.
• 144 quadrillion is one estimate if one's
  relatives were traced back to the time of Christ.

3
Social Functions of the Family

• Regulate sexual behavior.
• Replace members of society who die.
• Socialize the young.
• Provide care and emotional support.
• Confer social status.

4
Conflict View of Family Life

• Family members have competing interests and
  depending on status, exercise their will over
  other family members.
• Actions that some members take on behalf of the
  family do not always benefit everyone.
• Marriage and family structures devalue
  reproductive work, perpetuate social inequalities
  and foster racial divisions.

5
Changing Family in the United States

• 1900
• 80 of children lived in two-parent families in
  which the mother worked on the family farm or in
  the home.
• 2 of children lived in homes where both parents
  worked outside the home.
• Less than 10 lived in one-parent family homes.

6
Changing Family in the United States

• Today
• 25 of children live in a two-parent home in
  which the father is the breadwinner and the
  mother is a full-time homemaker.
• 44 of children live in homes where both parents
  work.
• 28 live with a single parent.

7
Factors in the Decline of the Breadwinner System

• Stress for both men and women in maintaining
  their roles.
• Declines in total fertility rates.
• Increased life expectancy.
• Increased divorce rates.
• Increased employment opportunities for women.

8
Common Themes to the Century of Family Change

• Economic system and its effect on productive and
  reproductive labor.
• The decline of parental authority and the
  changing status of children.
• The consequences of long life.

9
Consequences of Long Life on Families

• Chance that a child will lose one or both parents
  by the age of 16 has decreased.
• The length of the average marriage has increased.
• People have more time to choose a partner, settle
  on an occupation, attend school and decide
  whether they want children.
• The number of people surviving to old age has
  increased.