Mate Selection Sociology

The purpose of this essay will be to look at what is meant by the term ‘family’ and to look at the differences of the term, when we study the family cross culturally. There are many different family forms which I will explore whilst writing this essay, along with the increasing family forms, and how they have changed over time. I will also be studying the cultural aspects of family both in Western and Non Western societies explaining how they differ to western families. ‘Kinship’ is said to be the foundation of the family according to anthropologists, so I will be looking at ‘kinship’ in more detail throughout my essay by looking at different cultures of families and the different kinship systems that they have. I will now examine the meaning of the term ‘family’, before moving onto the different family formations and different cultural meanings of ‘family.’

A family is a group a group of people related by blood, adoption or assimilation. Nobody can deny the fact that nothing as important as a family. Family is a bond, a long lasting relationship between individuals. A close family bond is like a safe harbor where one feels secure and assured that there is always someone who they can lean on when they need them the most. Families instill morals and beliefs from generation to

Everywhere around the world, in every different culture, people are grouped into families. The word family can be defined as a group of people bound together over time, because of mutual consent, birth and or adoptions/ placement or simply people who consume responsibilities for one other.

According to the dictionary family is a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. Or family is from the descendants of a common ancestor. According to society family is a group, it can be related are not. My definition of family is anyone who is there for you through good and bad, someone who always have your back no matter what. Family is not just blood. However some of the best families are the ones you are not related to.

A family is seen as a group of people who are biologically or psychologically related. They connect on historical, emotional

Depending on their cultural background, many families will often have different understandings or ideas of what a family is and how it should be structured.

There is more than one way to define family. My meaning of family is a group of people no matter ancestry or marriage who genuinely supports one another. C. Joybell C. stated, “Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart.”

People often think about marriage as a decision solely between two people. Someone that possesses strong sociological perspective however would argue that the decision of marriage is largely influenced by factors from the world around them. More specifically, sociological perspective is the point of view that examines how institutions such as the government or mass media, cultural norms and beliefs, and social hierarchies such as race or ethnicity influence the lives of individuals (Mills 2013:3-4). It can also be explained as the opposite of an individualistic perspective, which is the focus on personal choice and immediate relationships. The purpose of my research is to determine to what degree people use sociological perspective when asked about marriage and mate selection. The results will help conclude who possesses sociological perspective and who does not.

For instance the functionalist perspective sees an unconscious smoothness to how the family interacts with each other. It is like a well oiled machine that each piece is important and without that one piece the machine will not work properly or at all. Functionalist view these interactions as something that is positive and rarely have many conflicts to overcome.

Family has so many different meanings to every individual who has answers this question. Trying to find a general definition for this term is impossible. Everyone has a different concept of what a family is, what I would consider my family is far more stretch than a typical American family. Coming from a Latin culture my family’s considered grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, friends and down to the last pet. I experienced culture shock when I entered middle school to see what some of my when they referred to family they meant just their parents. For me this new concept of what my friends thought were their family was mom, dad, siblings, and

Personally, for me I am picky when it comes to have a girlfriend due to the fact well you must find the perfect one. The top five characteristics I deem to be most important in my mate selection would be in the following order; education, beliefs, social class, physical appearance, and lastly age. First, education because by having a higher education the possibilities of getting a much better job with a higher pay are more likely to occur. Considering this, with the possibly of both of us having both a higher education there are more possibilities on being on a more stable financial status. In addition, having a higher education will lead to have more educated and interesting conversation which people who are not highly educated talk about. Also, with my mate

A family is a group of people associated by blood relationships or affinity living in a similar living arrangement. (Brinkerhoff, White, Ortega, & Weitz. 2008) A family is considered one of the most important and universal social institutions because it is the first known human social system that has its characteristics and functions that affect the community, but what creates a family may differ from a culture to another.

Secondly, for those who come from a single-parent family, family means, “a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for”. Typically, when someone thinks of family, they think Mom, Dad, brother, and or sister. Everyone has a different definition of family. An example being a family may mean always sticking together or never leaving anyone behind. Growing up, family was always a group of individuals who loved, cared, and supported you, whether they were blood related or not.

The main idea of functionalism considers each family members purpose and the how they can contribute to the family structure, as well as this it further considers how this maintains the social system by the boundaries set upon by the family structure. (Reuben H. and Donald A. (1960).

According to Swartz and Scott (2009), family is defined as a group of people related to each other by blood, marriage, adoption or being sexually open in a relationship. The