Lecture notes for Family in sociology and medical anthropology

SOCIOLOGY&PSYCHOLOGY
Mr. AYO NELSON
Department of Med. Laboratory and
Pharmacy
LIHMS
Tel:
+256783367422/764238600
Email: ayonelson617@gmail.com
1
MSL/PHL1203-LECTURE GUIDES-M.A.K

TOPIC FOUR:
FAMILY & HEALTH OF SOCIETY
2
Learning objectives
⚫Definition and meaning of family
⚫Characteristics/Features and Types of family
⚫Theoretical Perspectives on family (&
Marriage)
⚫Functions of the family to society
⚫Changing patterns/forms of family
⚫Challenges of family today
⚫Family and health of Society

Definition
3
Giddens A (2006). A group of persons directly
linked by kin connections (blood, marriage or
adoption), the adult members of which
assume responsibility for caring for children
Kinship ties are connections between
individuals established either through blood
(line of descent such as father, mother,
siblings, offspring), marriage or adoption
◦ According to Giddens, the family today is very different of the family of those
days. Discuss the validity of this statement

Definition cont’
4
Murdock, 1949 A social group characterized by
common residence, economic cooperation and
reproduction”
Includes adults of both sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual
relationship, and one or more children, own or
adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults
Although there exists variations in family, the
nuclear element is found in almost every
society

Definition cont’
Assumptions:
•Members live together
•Resources are pooled together
•Sexual relations by two adults
•Offsprings as outcomes of sexual relations
5

Definition cont’
6
⚫Weaknesses:
⚫Some families do not have adults in them
⚫Some families have one adult of a particular sex-
either males or females
⚫Some families have same sex adults
⚫Some family members do not stay together
⚫E.g. Banaro in New Guinea-the husband does
not have sexual relations with his wife until she
has borne a child by a friend of his father
⚫Therefore parent-child relationships are
not necessarily biological but social

Definition cont’
7
Kathleen Gough (1959) a set of relationships
between kins which are different from those
common in other communities
The case of Nayar in Kerala- ritual marriages
performed between adult males and young girls
who have not reached puberty in a tali rite
After the rite, the husband doesn’t live with the
wife-goes for warfare
Husband is not obliged to be with the wife
always

Definition cont’
8
⚫Tali wife also not obliged to be with husband
⚫Tali wife has only one single obligation i.e. to
mourn the death of the husband when he dies
⚫On puberty, she is free to be approached by as
many as possible who become visiting
husbands called-Sanbanhams
⚫Can have as many up to maximum of 12
(twelve), but the Sanbanham husband is free
to have as many Sanbanham wives as he
wishes

Definition cont’
9
⚫Sanbanham sleeps and leaves very early next
morning before breakfast
⚫Tali husband can sleep under the verandah till
the Sanbanham leaves
⚫Relationships are short lived, i.e. can break
anytime
⚫Both tali and sanbanham not responsible for
fatherhood
⚫Man of the appropriate caste (class/group/clan)
is made to pay some fees (in form of clothes &
vegetables to the midwife who attended the
birthing)

Definition cont’
10
Assumption:
Both husband & wife not bound to have
permanent relationships
Family is not necessarily to live/stay together
Adults can be as many as possible
Offspring is not the end goal of family
Husband and wife do not constitute economic
unit

Definition summary
Set of socially defined relationships
One of the most important social institutions of
society.
Basic unit of society-comprising husband, wife
and children (nuclear)
Sometimes other individuals closely related to
the members of the family (extended)
11

Definition summary cont’
Relationships are of two or more persons.
Relationship by blood, marriage or adoption.
◦A child born to a husband and wife-blood,
◦A wife to the man-marriage,
◦Some can be through-adoption.
Adoption-when a child has no
parents/abandoned/has no one to look after.
In Uganda, adoption laws exist.
12

Kinship terminologies
⚫Kinship- tracing one’s relationship either by
blood, marriage (or adoption). Bonding
exists between members of society e.g.???
⚫Bilateral -tracing relationship origin from
both sides of parents
⚫Unilateral-tracing descent from single
parent i.e. from one side of the parent only
⚫Partri-lineal -tracing of descent-male
parent’s side only
13

Kinship cont’
Matrilineal-Tracing ancestry through the
female parent’s side.
Ambilineal - tracing kinship either side but
not both i.e. mother’s side depending on the
prevailing situations and later again father’s
when occasion demands.
14

Kinship cont’
Conceptualization helps in our explanation
and treatment of the various statuses and
roles that come with them.
It also helps in issues of asset acquisition,
decision making, child bearing and rearing
and residency location/ choice of where to
stay as members of kin.
15

Family & Household
Household-group of people living under one
roof.
Key difference- type of relationships that
exists i.e. family is majorly defined by blood
and marriage relationship whereas members
of a household may not necessarily be related
by blood or marriage.
16

Family & Household cont’
Similarities: Both may stay under one roof,
both have members with similar sentiments,
both use same or common materials to meet
their basic needs, both may have a common
goal etc
17

Characteristics of family
Structure of authority and responsibility-
husband is head of family, wife takes care of
children and responsible for domestic chores
Institutionally established- Family bigger
than the individuals that constitute it.
Ascribed Status -Automatic acquisition of
social position & Roles and relationships
18

Characteristics cont
More preference for blood over other
relationships-
Joint action- all members work together towards
solving problems of the family as a whole.
Equal and fair treatment of members- Resources
and efforts pooled together but resource
allocation is on needs basis not how/what one has
contributed
19

Classifications/types of family
20
⚫Three major forms/classifications;
1. Classification by size-
⚫Nuclear and
⚫Extended;
2. Source of authority-
⚫Patriarchal and
⚫Matriarchal;
3. Residence -
⚫Patrifocal,
⚫Matrilocal,
⚫Neolocal and
⚫Avunculocal

Classification according to Size
Nuclear Family-Membership is limited to
only father, mother and their offspring.
Most common type of family in most
developed countries including the US and
Some societies in developing countries as
well -Africa and India.
21

Classification according to Size cont’
Extended or Joint-Includes the nuclear and
other kin e.g. grandchildren, grandparents,
cousins, uncles, aunties and other relatives
and friends.
22

Classification byAuthority
Source of authority as a basis for
classification i.e. where authority originates
Patriarchal family- authority and decision
making rests solely with male/husband as the
head of the family.
The man decides on every aspect of the
family on behalf of other members.
23

Classification byAuthority cont’
Matriarchal family- Authority and decision
making originates from the female/wife.
She decides on most of the key issues of the
family on behalf of the family as whole
24

Classification by residence
Patrilocal family- the couple lives/establishes
family residence at the husband’s place.
◦Wife does not have any decision making power
in the affairs of the family.
◦Wife is Considered an alien
◦Wife is disconnected from her parents ceases to
be part of her parent’s family.
◦Woman is rendered helpless
25

Classification by residence cont’
26
⚫Matrilocal family- couple customarily goes to
settle woman’s traditional home.
⚫Husband is not obliged to make any
contribution in affairs of the family of wife
⚫Man does not have any decision making at
the woman’s place
⚫The man is generally delinked from family
matters of the wife
⚫Husband is disconnected from his own parent’s
family.
⚫Hence taken to be alien in his marriage .

Neo-local family- Where residence is far
away from both parents’families.
There is disconnection and
disenfranchisement from man’s and woman’s
family affairs
Both are aliens to their own homes.
27

Avunculocal family- Husband goes to settle
at maternal uncle’s place (brother to mother)
Couple is separated from man’s and wife’s
family
No decision making in uncle’s affairs.
Feeling of insecurity and inferiority
Lack of resources to sustain the family
28

Note
Where marriage/family set up is patriarchal
in nature, such society tends to be more of
patriarchal society
But even in matriarchal settings the society
still tends to be patriarchal in nature.
29

Family of orientation and of procreation
A family of orientation refers to the family
into which a person is born & raised.
Family of procreation that which is
established through marriage.
There are cultural significance associated to
these distinctions.
30

Functions/role of family to society
31
Classified into biological, economic and
socialisation:
1. Biological functions-Relates to procreation,
child rearing and physical protection and
adoption etc
⚫Sexual satisfaction-to husband and wife in a
culturally and socially approved manner
⚫Basis for reproduction/procreation. Child
birth
takes in an environment of family giving rise to
off springs with legitimacy and paving way to
continuity from generation to generation

Biological functions cont’
Protection- physical- to all members from
birth through sickness to death. Ensures
members are physically healthy and mentally
well
Adoption process takes place in family
system. Same applies to divorce i.e. when
things fail to work out.
32

Economic functions of the family
Provision of economic needs e.g. food ,clothing,
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shelter, esteem, water etc
Family has to look for sources of income that can
enable family meet above needs. Through job/
employment, farming/cultivation,
rearing, fishing, and other cottage
formal
livestock
industry.
The activity type doesn’t matter so long as it is
legitimate and can meet the needs

Socialisation functions-
Enforcing the material and non material
cultural obligations.
⚫Non material aspects of language learning,
family customs, norms, values, beliefs and
roles
⚫Material aspects of dressing, cooking
techniques, farming methods, singing,
dancing and its instruments and building
houses and making crafts among others.
34

Other functions
⚫Psychological function-Provision of love
and affection. Sense of belonging, attention
& support and care.
⚫Social support functions-when members of
family are helped and comforted in times of
need and problems, it becomes a big support
to them.
35

Theoretical perspectives
a) Functional perspectives
b) Conflict/marxist perspective
c) Symbolic Interactionist perspective
d) Feminist perspective
e) Rational Choice perspective
36

FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
37
⚫Looks society as set of social institutions,
performing specific functions for continuity &
consensus (Giddens, 2006)
⚫Family performs important tasks that
contribute to society’s basic needs & helps to
perpetuate social order
⚫Nuclear family-economic unit of production,
reproduction-child bearing and rearing &
socialisation
⚫NB in industrial society the economic
function of family does not feature so much

Functionalist family
38
⚫To Talcott Parsons,family performs two key
tasks-primary socialisation & personal
stabilisation functions
⚫Primary Socialisation-family is a place where
children learn new ways of life into the
society where they are born. They become
who they are-personal development
⚫Personal stabilisation-assist adult family
members emotionally-emotional support in
marriage

Functionalist
⚫Murdock- family regulates sexual relations &
reproduction between individuals which is
important for survival of society.
⚫Lee 1985-family through marriage allows
adults to have sexual relations (but not so for
those outside the institution).
⚫Socialisation-Teaches children to behave
according to society’s norms, values, beliefs,
and attitudes.
⚫A person’s behaviour is reflection of his/her
upbringing.
39

Functionalist
⚫Gender construction function-children are
taught by their parents different gender roles.
⚫Young boys are taught how to bring food on
table while girls are taught in to child bearing,
rearing & priding emotional support and
physical care for children (Crano and Aronoff
1978).
⚫Roles differentiation on sex basis according to
functionalists helps to ensure the family is in
balance and properly coordinated.
40

CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
Looks at families from capitalist perspective
i.e. it is a private matter.
Examines the power differences in family
life
As opposed to the functionalist
presupposition that family is where there is
harmony and stability, conflict theorists argue
there is no anything as such.
41

Conflict Perspective Cont’
⚫Marriage/family is not a bed of roses.
⚫The family is a battle field/war ground for
conflicts
⚫Power struggles characterise the order of
the day
⚫Rules enforced by parents disfavor other
members of the family (e.g)
42

Domestic violence in the family all the time
(by the father or mother against the
child/ren)
Sexual assaults between spouses
Marital rape (forced sexual activity usually by
husband against wife’s will)
Incest (sexual relations between father and
daughter or mother & son)
43

Conflict family cont’
44
⚫Imbalance in resource utilisation-men having
access and control over family resource
⚫Possibly because men are in
employed/paid jobs as wives are kept in the
private domain
⚫Puts women in unfavorable position
hence conflict
⚫Unbalance division of labor-men do paid job
whereas women do much of the work yet not
monetised

45
⚫Generally family is institution of
inequality/discrepancies in power & authority
⚫Weaknesses
⚫Not all families are in conflict, some
families really enjoy their relationships
⚫Inequality in society is not only
economic but social and political as well

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST
PERSPECTIVE
Approaches the world from the symbols and the
46
meanings people attach to them
To the SI, the family is itself a symbol.
Some people take the family to mean father,
mother, and children
On the other hand other people look at it as a
union of people involving respect and
compassion.

Symbolic Interactionist Cont’
47
⚫Still to others, it is where people derive care and
emotional support
⚫Family is not therefore a straight objective
concrete thing
⚫Rather, it is a social construct subject to the ebb
and flow of social norms
⚫What a family is therefore, depends on the
meaning the actors attach to the symbol father,
mother, child or roles etc

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective cont’
Meaning that people attach to symbols keep
changing as interactions change over time.
What is family to one person may not be
family to another.
Similarly, what is family today may not be
the same at later time even to same person
48

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective cont’
49
⚫Parent is a term offering biological and
emotional connotation to a child. But adopted
children, families where child bearing is not
biological but social & children in remarried
relationships would think different.
⚫To these families, parent is not biological but
socially constructed
⚫In the same manner, father, mother, are
subject terms-depending on roles the actors
play rather than who they actually are
biologically

Symbolic Interactionist Cont’
⚫Roles of family members are also socially
constructed
⚫i.e. different people perceive and interpret
behaviours differently
⚫E.g. to some, father is that who brings food
to table or provides financial support, yet to
others, its one who provides emotional care
and love and affection to children and wife
50

Rational Choice/exchange theory cont’
Rational choice/exchange theory- give and
take action based interactions
What influence people’s actions are what
they expect to give and what they expect to
receive/gain
Humans are calculative in their actions
Humans weigh benefits against costs and
then act accordingly
51

Rational Choice/exchange Perspective cont’
52
⚫Family is therefore market for exchange of ideas
and opinions-where men and women come to
trade their actions
⚫A family has more to do with what different
members expect to get
Marriage of convenience,
Commercial marriage

Rational Choice/exchange theory cont’
Establishing family for employment sake
For seeking visas for going out for study or
kyeyo
Rationality in sexual satisfaction (can be for
man or woman)
Rationality in child bearing and rearing etc
53

Rational choice theory
Problem crop when miscalculations are
made
Gets married to very poor person yet
thought was a loaded guy
Study scholarship is missed
Death, loss of employment etc
54

FEMINISTTHEORYOFFAMILY
Feminism premised on idea that there is all
forms of inequality between men and
women to the disadvantage of the latter
Inequality in highly institutionalised i.e.
almost every institution has form of gender
inequality entrenched in it
Opposed to the idea that family is all loving,
solace, comfort and companionship to
members
55

Feminist perspective cont’
56
⚫Instead family is center of exploitation of
women, loneliness, and profound inequality
⚫That from history, there has never been and
there will not be any harmony or
egalitarianism if not efforts are made to
address injustices in society between men and
women
⚫To feminists, women are intentionally kept in
domestic sphere to their subjugation and
despair

Feminist perspective cont’
57
Questions the functionalists: where is the
cooperation then? Where is the common
interest? And where is the mutual support?
Instead all we see in society is unequal power
balance between the men & women
The power imbalance in most families are to
disadvantage of women
Tasks are allocated makes women to do donkey
work, yet the men are not

Feminist theory cont’
58
⚫This division of labor is mostly influenced by the
patriarchal nature of our society where family is
headed by man who makes most of the decisions
⚫But also as a result of growth of industries giving
rise to paid employment opportunities which again
mostly provide for men against the women
⚫Women are therefore disadvantaged the more
⚫The bread winner syndrome as well means women
are made to only wait for food from the husbands
tilting the game the more

FAMILYAND HEALTH
Relationship between family and health is seen in
types of families, functions and characteristics of
family and other socio-cultural factors
Health should be understood from holistic point
of view-physical, mental, social, emotional etc
For example generally nuclear families tend to
more healthier than extended ones.
59

Family & Health cont
Female headed families are found to be
healthier than male headed ones. This could
be due to decision making on basic
necessities
Types of families also means that some
families may have more conflicts which
could be detrimental to health of members
60

Family and Health cont’
People who live in family settings generally
experience less risk of ill health compared to
those who are not
Disease prevention is more feasible in family
setting than in settings which are not family
oriented
61

62
Families also determine the way in which health
care service should be provided due to the
interactions that take place
◦When a member of a family is seek/ill, the whole
family is affected in one way or the other.
◦This influences patterns of interactions among
members
◦ It is in the family setting that care and recovery can be
effectively done (Talcott Parson’s Sick role).

In conclusion, the family as an institution
plays very vital role in determining health of
individuals. It is also important to understand
the family dynamics when planning to
deliver health care services to communities
63

Useful Text
64
1. Haralambos & Holborns (2013)8th Ed Sociology:
Themes and Perspectives
2. Giddens, Anthony (2006): Sociology; 5th edition; Polity
Press.
3. Margaret L. Anderson & Howard F. Taylor (2004):
Sociology: Understanding a diverse society 3rd edition.
4. Openstax College (2013) Introduction to Sociology
5. O’Donnell, M. (1997) 4th Ed Introduction to Sociology;
Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd. London.
6. Other Texts and journals on sociology

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