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Chapter 15:
Family & Social Institutions:
Education, Religion, Politics, &
the Legal System
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How Do Social Institutions Such as Education, Religion, Politics,
& the Legal System Impact Marriages & Families?
Social Institution – The component in the social structure that
addresses a basic social need
Education
• A social institution by which society provides its members
with knowledge that includes basic facts, job skills,
cultural norms & values
• Changing educational patterns have resulted in a shift in
family dynamics
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Education continued
• In 1940, less than 1 in 4 people aged 25 years or older
had graduated from high school and about 5% were
college graduates
• In 2009, 87% of people aged 25 years or older had
completed high school and almost 30% had at least a
bachelor’s degree
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• Families & Educational Outcomes
• Regardless of family situation, children tend to do well
when their parents provide significant supervision of
homework & leisure time
• Strong community roots increase likelihood of success
• Gap exists between white education attainment &
other races
• Parent Involvement in Education
• Promotes higher student attendance rates, lower
expulsion rates, student pride in schoolwork, & higher
academic achievement in reading & math
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• Parent Involvement in Education Continued
• Schools have traditionally been reluctant to enable parents to contribute
to the educational process due to:
– Cultural Beliefs – personal beliefs particular to a culture that may
influence the power relationship between parents & school
– Social Structures – changes in family structures that may influence
the power relationship between parents & school
– Economic Influences – economic factors that may influence the
power relationship between parents & school
– Political Pressures – governmental pressures that may influence the
power relationship between parents & school
• During industrialization the education system changed from home
schooling & trade apprenticeships to a public, bureaucratic system
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• Recent Issues in Education
• School Choice
– Many parents specifically move to an area because of
the perceived quality of public schooling
– No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) after certain provisions,
any parent whose child attends a low-performing school
has the option of transferring the child to a higher-
performing school
• Homeschooling
– More than a million children in 1990
– Little difference in student achievement compared to
public schools
○ Affected by parental education level, conservative
stance, & homeschooling due to family need
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• Adult Education
– Students aged 25 or older currently comprise
approximately 38% of the college student
population
Religion
• A social institution involving beliefs & practices based on
recognizing & elevating the sacred above the profane
• Sacred – objects or concepts that inspire awe &
respect
• Profane – everyday elements of ordinary life
• Religious Pluralism – the existence of religious diversity
within a community
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• Religion & the Family
• Most people choose a partner within their own religious group
• Religiosity within a marriage is associated with greater marital
happiness
• Couples who attend church have lower divorce rates than those that
don’t
• Religious couples are more likely to employ effective communication
& conflict resolution skills
• Religiosity is associated with lower levels of premarital sexual
activity
• Evangelical wives spend approximately 4-5 more hours per week
performing housework
• Frequent parent-child discussions about religion often contribute
positively to a child’s development
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Politics
• Political System – a social institution based on an established act of
practices to applying & realizing a society’s goals
• Liberals – individuals on the left of the political spectrum, generally
associated in modern times with the Democratic party
• Conservatives – individuals on the right of the political spectrum,
generally associated in modern times with the Republican party
• Example of biased Pastor Robert Jeffress & Mitt Romney’s church, the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not being Christian and is a
cult
• Political Participation
• Voting & playing an active role in the election process can be linked
to the overall level of involvement of a family in political elections
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• Political Socialization
• The process by which people acquire political knowledge,
beliefs, & values
• Partisanship – the support of a particular political party
• Marriage & Political Socialization
– Positive relationship between political opinions of
husbands & wives which remains the same or becomes
stronger over time
• The Marriage Gap
– The political disparities between those who are married
& those who are single
– Single people more likely to vote democratic than
married people
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The Legal System
• Family Policy – the range of services funded & sponsored by the
government that affect families directly or indirectly
• Covenant Marriage
• A heterosexual union that imposes strict regulations on
entering & exiting the marriage in an effort to reduce divorce
rates
• Gay Marriage
• A union of a same-sex couple with all the legal rights
guaranteed by the federal government to heterosexual
married couples
• President Barack Obama expanded the rights of same-sex
partners in 2010
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• Gay Adoption
• 65,000 adopted & 14,100 foster children are being
raised by same sex couples
• Discrimination continues & can cause problems in the
relationship
• Child Care
• Few parents can afford the luxury of one parent
staying home
• Government offers subsidies & tax credits
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• Abortion
• Although legal it still raises controversy
• People’s attitudes on abortion varies according to
circumstance
• President Obama said he would veto any antiabortion law
that Congress passed
• United States Family Policy
• US spends less on programs directed at families than other
post-industrial Western countries
• Expected changes in future families include the increase in
non-traditional families, divorce, working women, life
expectancy, & technology like e-learning & e-commerce
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Think Marriages & Families
How Do Different Theorists View Marriages & Families in the
Context of Social Institutions?
• Functionalism
• Education, Religion, & The Legal System ensure
societal needs are met & develop talents & abilities
• Conflict Theory
• Challenges the idea the institutions develop talents &
abilities equally
• Symbolic Interactionism
• Deals with how individuals create the reality of their
daily lives within the social institutions
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Discover Marriages & Families in Action
How Are Family Therapists Responding to Diversity within Marriages &
Families?
• Family Diversity & Family Therapy
• Increased recognition & appreciation of minority groups & an
end to some discriminatory laws & practices
• Gender & Family Therapy
– Many articles regarding gender concern the area of
abuse
– Change in manner of how abused person is dealt with,
focusing more on safety & needs of abused &
accountability of abuser
– Effects of gender on men in families also a major area
