Federalism Essay, Research Paper

Assignment #4

1. The development of the nuclear family can be contributed to many factors and influences in historical Europe and North America. We see the first emergence when the Roman Catholic Church began to prohibit and discourage close marriages, adoptions, polygyny, divorce, and remarriage. This resulted in many families without male heirs. Thus, large amounts of property were transferred to the Catholic Church.

The nuclear family became even more developed in North America during the industrialization. A mobile work force was needed and families became a separate sanction from the public world. The work place was viewed as a temporary and competitive relationship, in contrast to the love and emotional relationship within families. Thus, smaller families made this 2-part life possible within society.

But with current divorce rates, single hood, and intolerance to pressure from family, only 26% of U.S. households conform to the idea of a nuclear family.

2. Conjugal families consists of a husband(s), wife(s), and their offspring. This relationship is based on marriage alone. An example of this would be a nuclear family. In contrast, a consanguineal family consists only of women with her brothers and offspring. The book mentions the Tory Islanders as an example of consanguineal families.

In North America, the most familiar and viewed as ?standard? form of family is the nuclear family. In a nuclear family, a child becomes independent and leaves after a certain age and takes care of his/her family in turn. The family itself is independent from other families. And example would be the Inuit. The harsh environment of Artic requires that both husband and wife work together to survive by searching for food, cooking, make repairs, and taking care of the children.

Before the current independent nuclear family was the extended family (some still exist today). This might include grandparents, other brothers/sisters, and mothers/fathers all in one big family. This can be seen in a farming family where a lot of labor work is necessary. Thus, an extended family makes it possible to divide up. From this we see that reasons for an extended family can be merely economical.

3. Nuclear families occur in American families because the industrial society requires men and women to go out into the world and work. It also requires the mobility to adjust to new work places. This kind of society results in less dependence on kin for support. Everyone is encourage to work independently for themselves and their own family. In the Inuit, husband and wife work on their separate tasks to support the family and survive harsh living conditions.

Extended families exists most commonly for economic reasons. As seen in farmers, and more specifically, the Hopi Indians, large families mean a large labor force. Labor is divided and could mean a high standard of living for each individual.

4. A couple may adopt either a patrilocal, matrilocal, ambilocal, neolocal, or avunculocal residence pattern. In residence patrilocal, the male?s role is dominant. The wife moves to live with her husband. The Maya society is an example of this.

The husband moves to live in with his wife and her family in a matrilocal residence. Found mostly in horticultural societies where women are dominant, such as the Hopi Indians.

In a society where cooperation is flexibility is necessary, a ambilocal residence is adopted. Either party can join the male?s or female?s side of the household. This is dependent on living conditions and availability of resources. Some food foraging societies, such as the Mbuti, practice this.

More common in the United States is the neolocal residence. A married couple would move out to form their own household and become independent. This is best suited for our industrial society.

Finally, in a avunculocal residence, a married couple lives with the groom?s mother?s brother. This occurs only in societies where women are used to transmit property and rights. The Troriand Islands practice this.

5. Descent groups are social entities that have a linear descent that can be traced to a real or mythical ancestor. Most commonly, links are formed within parent-child relations.

6. A patrilineal descent membership is traced only through the male line. This is mostly seen in male dominated cultures. Chinese society was strongly patrilineal before World War II. With tsu, the primary social unit, only men were traced back to their ancestry. Women were considered absored into her father?s tsu. The male, even when he moved out to another family, retained his strong ties to his tsu.

7. In a matrilineal descent, only the female was is traced back to establish membership. This is common with horticulturalists, where women provide the main food source. The Hopi Indians are divided into clans based only on matrilineal descent. Individuals are assigned to his/her mother?s clan during birth. Women hold most of the authority within the family and their society.

8. Lineage descent groups are ancestor oriented. Members are traced back to common ancestors. Lineage groups are strong and effective as they marry out and build ties with other groups.

Clans are lineage groups which have grown large over periods of time and fission occurs. Basically, lineages are broken down to smaller lineage groups. Actual ties are uncertain because tracing back to ancestors become harder. So clan members refer to each other as close relatives. Clan ties aren?t as strong as lineage descent groups.

Phatries are unilineal descent groups composed of two or more clans. They share a common ancestry, but usually not 100% traceable. But phatries firmly believe in their common relationship with their ancestors.

In a clan or phatry that is only divided into two groups, they are called moieties. Their ties are much stronger. But like phatries, their ancestral links cannot be traced.