Family Is A Essential Function Of Self Preservation Of Society

Sociology is all about society and how we as humans interact with one another in our environment. Every person is different, and every person comes from different backgrounds, and the different environments and the different ways people are raised pretty much determines how their life will turn out. Social forces that have shaped my life are family, education, gender, and the media,

In 2012 Zach Wahls, now author and civil rights advocate for the LGBTQ community, presented a speech to the Democratic National Convention. In his dialogue, he gave insight into his normal family and the lives of the people who raised him; his mothers Jackie and Terrie (Griffith, 2014). Wahls cited that his family was like any other normal American family that ate together, shared chores and enjoyed spending quality time together, and thus initiated a conversation about family normalcy (Griffith, 2014). What makes a family a family? There are few defining characteristics such as living together, caring for any dependents and maintaining a close intimate relationship however, as we progress and encounter various social changes these factors evolve and can vary from culture to culture. The U.S Census Bureau defines the family unit as “two or more people living together who are related by birth, marriage or adoption” (Lofquist et al., 2012). This definition fails to consider families who don’t fit this mold. As Wahls mentioned in his testimony, his family consists of himself and his loving parents however a Lesbian Civil Union is not encapsulated into the definition provided by the Census Bureau. All families carry out important functions that ensures the survival of society (Benokraitis, 2015). These roles include sexual activity, procreation and socialization, economic stability, emotional safeguards, and social class placement. With definitions that limit the family, it is

The essay starts with a very simple definition of a family, accompanied by an explanation of the relationship between family structure and the strength of the link between different people forming the family in question. The introduction has been put in a simple language to provide a fluid understanding of what the reader should expect throughout the text. Literal tools like proverbs and similes have been applied. There is a clear language connection of cultural legacy and a family unit where the authors explain that legacy in the society does not determine how different ethnicities connect with the family unit. Gertsel and Sarkasian believe that deliberations made on family responsibilities tend to pay more attention to nuclear family as opposed to the general family unit. The language used here implies that the general meaning of extended family unit is ignored or in some cases misrepresented.

First, according to Macionis (2004) the term family is defined as a social institution found in all societies that unite people in cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children. Same author also discusses several theoretical approaches have been identified that identifies the family as a form of social institution and how the family unit interconnect with other social institutions within any given society. According to the Structural-Functional Analysis for example, the family serves as a unit that perform many vital tasks

In May 2005 ‘Navigating Interracial Borders’ was published by Erica Chito Childs. The article offers a refined and understanding analysis of the social and political context of interracial relationships in America. Childs explores the world of interracial couples and examines the ways that group attitudes shape relationships. Using her own personal experiences, interviews, group responses, as well as media sources, she provides compelling evidence which verifies that disapproval still exists toward black/white unions. However it is merely being shown in a more subtle manor.

The first black president, the world’s best golfer, or twins that we grew up watching; Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, Tia and Tamera Mowry, besides from being in the light of superstardom, they are each a child of a interracial marriage. In the 21st century there are approximately 1.6 million interracial relationships or interethnic marriages, with the marriages making up 3% (Troy, Lewis-Smith, & Laurenceau, 2006). Interracial relationships over generations have changed from the way society has viewed them. As early as the 1600’s legislation has been banning black and white interracial marriages, and this law has stayed in place until 1967, and Alabama being the last place to maintain the law until 2000 (Troy, Lewis-Smith, & Laurenceau, 2006).Years ago white women and black men were severely punished for engaging in sexual relations, however the white male power was not threatened by exploiting black women nor by a black woman having their baby (Childs, 2005). In contrast, a white woman who gave birth to a black man’s baby, would be considered polluting the purity of the white race; thereby including racial boundaries and the power of white man (Childs, 2005). Irony as times progressed in 1993, there were 246,000 black-white marriages an 163,000 of these were between black men and white women (Childs, 2005).

According to the U. S. Census Reports, interracial marriages have more than tripled between 1980 and today. There are currently 1.6 million interracial marriages in the United States, and that figure is continuing to grow (Duru, 2012). Statistics show that over 70% of American society has no problem with mixed race relationships, and 40% of Americans have already dated someone of another ethnicity. For the most part relationships between people of different races are no different from the interactions between people of the same race (Duru, 2012).

Interracial marriage can be defined as the union of two people of different racial or ethical background. Historically interracial marriage has been deemed as an issue in America. With the European powers in charge and a slave based economy, it was important to the early Americans to maintain control over their slaves by whatever means needed. Poor treatment of slaves was a common practice, which included miscegenation or interracial sexual activity, typically by rape. This continued all through US history even after the freeing of their slaves, a result of the US Civil War. Issues of interracial relationships and marriages were not brought to light until the African-American civil rights movements began to take place in the 1950s. (International Encyclopedia)

Diversity in cultures throughout the world can often create obstacles when developing relationships. However, despite years of desegregation, social and cultural differences still exist. One of the differences that still exist is the institution of marriage. This is especially true when it comes to the topic of interracial marriages. Which has been described as a marriage between members of two different races. Even though, it has not been that long ago since interracial marriage has been made legal throughout the entire United States. It continues to be one of the biggest conflicts in society today, considering everyone has their different viewpoints on the topic. Since these types of marriages are considered to be an exception rather than a norm, many couples continue to encounter various issues.

The different histories of Blacks and Asian Americans is that despite the many similarities in the treatment and status of these groups, their members speak with different specific experiences and different cultures, which may manifest in distinct customs. Therefore, it seems very hard to build a bridge for the relationship between Asian American and African American, especially for their marriage. In the 2005 census, we can see that the total numbers of Asian-black interracial marriages are low, numbering only 2.2 percent for Asian male marriage and 10.2 percent of Asian female marriages. From these small numbers of interracial marriages, we can see that many traditional Asian

There are many forms of families around the world. The structure of these families are influenced by the culture around them. Family is defined as "two or more people related by blood, marriage or adoption. The family may take many forms, ranging from a single parent with one or more children, to a married couple or polygamist spouses with or without offspring, to several generations of parents and their children” (226). There are many functions of the family unit around the world.

Interracial marriages also are greatly affected family and whether they accept or reject the union. In the article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States Through Differential Assimilation” the authors talk about the social acceptance of interracial marriages and how it is “assimilated” within society. They talk about how families are a key factor in acceptance of interracial marriage:

Societal intolerance of interracial relationships. Societal intolerance of interracial relationships can contribute to stressors for the partners. Some segments of society still view such unions as something of an anomaly that does not readily fit into the racial stratification system. Such ambivalence in society creates a similar ambivalence for the inter- racial couple themselves, because those beliefs could be internalized (Motoyoshi, 1990). According to Pope (1986), interracial couples, and especially black-white couples, cannot ignore the impact of racial tensions and divisions in U.S. society. Cultural and racial differences often become magnified during a crisis situation, and the lack of support and isolation from the society at large poses a threat to the stability of inter- racial relationships (Falicov, 1995; Solsberry, 1995). Certain racial combinations may be more accepted and tolerated than others. For in- stance, African American and Caucasian American couples historically have tended to experience the most hostility and opposition from society whether in Hawaii or in mainland states (Chan & Wethington, 1998; Qian, 1999). Interracial couples will sometimes intentionally isolate themselves from their own communities in an attempt to establish independence from their group’s prejudices and disapproval. However, this mechanism can result in total isolation from support including those that the natural extended family system might afford (Falicov, 1995; Ratliff,

The two articles used were “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation” (Lewis, Ford- Robinson, 2010) and “Marital Dissolution among Interracial Couples” (Zhang, Van Hook, 2009). The first article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation”, spoke about the unprecedented changes that our society is going though in the 21st century.

As we know the family, is considered the core unit of society, is subject today to a series of changes, changes that have always existed, but are now presented in a more practical and faster than before. During the different stages of family development, the family faces different critical moments in the evolutionary cycle, involving both individual and family changes, which may constitute a period of crisis. In this case, we have a family of African Americans, in which we can denote that the relationship between one and the other influences the behaviors and feelings of each one of its members, where all act as a whole but each one interacts individually. Where there are communication and trust to express themselves, but there are still