What do we learn about family life from sociology's major theoretical approaches, including structural-functional analysis, symbolic-interaction analysis,
social-conflict analysis, and feminist analysis? What can you draw from these various types of analyses that might help you make family life better in some ways?
What is an Ideal response?
• Structural-functional theory views the family as the foundation of society because it has several important functions, including regulating sexuality and providing a committed parental relationship as the setting for raising children. Families also provide their members with economic and emotional support.
• Symbolic-interaction theory focuses on the patterns of interaction by which people construct family life. Families have much to do with the type of self-image that every child develops. Gender can "script" behavior in married life, with the effect of reducing a couple's spontaneity and intimacy.
• Social-conflict theory focuses on links between family and social inequality. Friedrich Engels explained that the family is a system that transmits wealth (or poverty) from one generation to another thereby reproducing the class structure in each generation.
• Feminist theory links family to gender stratification. Feminism explains how the historical development of families gave men control over women and especially over women's sexuality.
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Which of the following most accurately defines a symbol?
A. A symbol is anything that stands for something else and has a particular meaning for people who share a culture. B. A symbol refers to a strong prohibition of any act that is forbidden because it is considered to be extremely offensive. C. A symbol is a formally defined norm about what is permissible or illegal. D. A symbol refers to norms that people consider very important because they maintain moral and ethical behavior. E. A symbol is a formal and repeated behavior that unites people.
Essentially, in vitro fertilization is:
a. the fertilization of an egg outside of the body. b. insemination of an egg while still in the uterus. c. insertion of eggs from another woman, then insemination. d. the use of a surrogate.
A bureaucracy is a(n)
A. two-member group. B. small group in which there is little intimacy or mutual understanding and in which relationships are impersonal. C. organization established on the basis of common interest whose members volunteer or even pay to participate. D. component of formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency.
What technology, discussed at length, has improved the lives of millions of people by helping them start businesses or improve their traditional work?
a. microcredit b. numeracy (literacy about simple mathematics) c. calculators d. the Internet