This document discusses how social institutions like education, religion, politics, and the legal system impact marriages and families. It provides details on how education levels have risen over time in the US and how parent involvement impacts student outcomes. Religion is described as important for building relationships and values. Politics and political participation can link families. The legal system determines policies around marriage, adoption, and childcare.

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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