Navigating Families and Age Groups
NAMES WORTH KNOWING
Philippe Ariès (1914–1984) proposed “childhood” is a social construct that has changed over time.
William J. Goode (1917–2003) studied changes in family organization during the first half of the twentieth century and observed that family structures worldwide were moving towards the nuclear family model, which he argued better suited the demands of an industrial society.
Glen Elder (b. 1934) developed the life course approach and demonstrated how social context influences the experience of a particular age and one’s personal history after that stage of life.
Arlie Russell Hochschild (b. 1940) introduced the concepts of feeling rules, emotional labour, second shift, and time bind, and has studied the impact that the changing North American workplace has had on families.
Suzanne Bianchi (1952–2013) examined the amount of time mothers spend on paid work, on housework, and with their children, and found that despite an influx of women into the workforce, their time spent with children was unchanged, leaving women less time for housework, leisure, and sleep.
FAMILY
Any social unit, or set of social relations, that does what families are popularly imagined to do
TYPES OF FAMILIES
Nuclear Family
- Consists of a father and a mother and their children, living in the same dwelling
- The traditional idea of a family in Western culture
Extended Family
- Multiple related generations living together, or several adult siblings with spouses and children, sharing a dwelling and resources
- More common outside mainstream Western culture
Opposite-Sex Couples
Married
Same-Sex Couples
Common-law (cohabitating)
Single Parents
Census Family
Statistics Canada’s broad, inclusive definition:
- A household that includes two spouses—opposite or same-sex, married or cohabiting (if they have lived together for longer than one year)—with or without never-married children, or a single parent with one or more never-married children
Common Features of Families
- Dependency
- Intimacy
- Sexuality
- Protection
Current Family Trends in Canada
Rates on the rise
- Diversity of family structures (e.g. cohabitating, same-sex, and single-parent families)
- Delay in marriage
- Divorce
- Single-person households
Rates on the decline
- Family size
- Household size
- Marriage
- Fertility
Aging
Theories and Concepts
Ideas associated with age
- are socially constructed
- vary across cultures
- change over time
Disengagment Theory
As people age and decline, they withdraw from society to prepare for their death and make way in the workforce for the next generation (Cumming & Henry)
Activity Theory
As people age, they take on new roles and identities, and are able to preserve a greater quality of life by maintaining high activity levels (Havighurst & Albrecht)
Ageism
Prejudice/
discrimination
against members of
society based on age
(young or old)
Caregiver Burden
Heightened risk of physical, emotional, or mental health problems for family members caring for relatives with chronic/disabling conditions
Changing Age Relations
The aging of a population changes society, including the balance of power
- The Baby Boom (1947-1967)—a large, influential demographic group that has overwhelmed social institutions as it passes through successive age categories (e.g. adolescence, adulthood, old age)
- Aging population— increasing costs of healthcare and long-term care fall to younger generations (Gen Xers, Millennials)
- Boomerang kids—young adults who have returned to the parental home
Life course
Patterned sequence of individual experiences over time, subject to varied social, historical, and cultural influences
- Life course approach—studies a single generation over the lifespan to understand age groups, individual life patterns, and family relations (Elder)
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