Family in a Sociological Aspect

How is family a social institution?

Family has 3 main functions that make it a social institution. The first one, is for the parents to raise the children. Next, is that the parents show the children who they are and how they fit into today's society. And lastly, is showing the children their demographic background with their culture.
Often times, when children grow up, they tend to move away from there homes. They go far away from their original "villages" and find a new part in society. When they leave, they are leaving their older family members behind and doing stuff that they may not have ever been introduced to had they stayed.
There are several different things in a family that we can classify. Marriage, divorce and remarriage, child-rearing, and alternative families.
Marriage can be described as "a foundation of family life." There are different types of marriages. One that is most known to us is monogamy, which is the marriage between one man and one woman. But it can go farther then that. There is endogamy, which is the marriage of the same class members or group, and there is exogamy, which is the marriage of different class members of groups.
There are also marriages that aren't so typical to us. Polygamy, which is they marriage of one man and multiple women, or polyandry which is the marriage of one woman and multiple men. These marriages may not be the "norm" for our society but they still  play a role in our society. They may be normal for other people and look at our marriages between one man and one woman differently. It all just depends how you were raised and what you were taught.
Divorce and remarriage used to not be normal. But since women have become more independent they are able to leave a man if they are unhappy. This can lead to blended families which are becoming more common.
Child-rearing is super important to any individual. Why do you do that a certain way? Where did you learn to do that? Are just 2 of many questions that can be asked to help describe this. Parents help teach their children how to do stuff, their religion, show their children the norm, and help form their children into who they are supposed to be. When parents teach their children about their heritage, then it is almost guaranteed that their culture will live on and continue to be passed down.
We look at families as a married couple with children, but they are not all like that. There are alternative families such as single parents, unmarried couples, gay and lesbian couples and single adults. They may not be the norm but they are still considered families and can still do the same thing. They can pass down information and cultural information down to each person.
In a family you learn the norms of life, who you are, how to do stuff, your past, your present, and your future. It helps shape who you are and who you will be.

Sociological Lens

I've grown up to be independent and funny because my family is a big group of hard headed, stubborn, and sarcastic people. But that is how we accept each other. I grew up Catholic and i choose to stay as a Catholic. A majority of my family are swimmers and I've swam with all of them since I was little and now I love swimming. I tend to stick with what my family teaches me because I grew up and it is the norm for me.
My mom, Ricci Beikman, and dad, Monte Cook, were not married when they had me and my brother, Zach. Before my dad met my mom, he had my older brother, Monte. My mom and dad actually never got married because they decided to split up when I was almost 2.  They never had to go through a divorce but very well could have if they would've gotten married.
When I was around the age of 5 my mom married my step dad, Keith. Keith had previously been married to Sandy, the mother of their children, and eventually had a divorce. My step dad had 3 children, Jacob, Jeremy, and Jordanna. So after my mom and Keith decided to get married I had one full brother, one half brother, 2 step brothers, and a step sister. I've had a blended family since the moment that I was born. So in a way, I've grown up thinking that blended families are normal. My friends have families that are not blended, and I don't see them as weird. I guess I wouldn't know if people thought my family is not "normal" because I've been part of a blended family for so long and I wouldn't know any different.
A short while after my mom and Keith got married they decided to have another kid. Which led to my next half sister, Jaclyn. I would look at us as a pretty big family. We may not see each other all the time but we still mostly have the same views and beliefs. We were also raised by different parents, so we all don't have the same "child-rearing." Monte was raised by his mom in Iowa. Zach and I were raised by our mom, dad, and Keith. Jacob, Jeremy, and Jordanna were all raised by their mom, Keith, and eventually my mom. But Jaclyn is still being raised by the same two people, my mom and Keith.
My mom and Keith are still married today, so they have not broke out of their sociological lens into the divorced category. They are still in the married category and I hope that they continue to stay there.
My family fits into the sociological lens in the marriage aspect, divorce, child rearing, blended families, and I am sure a few others. We may have different views on things but we are still a close family and that is what is important to me.


"Social Institutions." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-institutions/section3.rhtml