Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Assignment 6

1. According to Hochshild, what is the “Second Shift?”
1. The second shift is in fact a second shift that most women will take part in for about an extra month of 24 hour days per year.

2. Briefly describe the story of Evan and Nancy Holt.

2. Evan holds a traditional gender ideology while Nancy is egalitarian.  They have a 4 year old son Joey who has a strong attachment to Nancy and Nancy has a strong attachment to Joey while Evan is more emotionally distant from Joey.  Nancy wants her life to be a happy balance between work and family and expects Evan's help around the house.  Evan supports Nancy having a job but he does not want that to lead to him doing more work around the house.

3. Hochschild argues that families create “myths” about their division of household labor. Describe the family myth created by Nancy and Evan Holt.

3. Nancy and Evan created the upstairs/downstairs myth where Nancy did the household work upstairs and Evan did the work downstairs.  This created the illusion that they were splitting the work equally but really Nancy was doing a majority of the work.

4. According to Hochschild, what is the purpose of family myths?

4. Family myths help manage tensions between husbands and wives; they allow the couple to maintain an illusion of traditional gender roles while doing what is necessary for their family's survival.

5. Was this reading surprising to you and why? How do you imagine you will divide family work (including child care) in your own marriage or cohabitation

5. I did not find the reading surprising.  I think it is normal for some to still hold the belief that a woman should do a majority of the housework but I also think it is becoming a more accepted for men and women to do equal parts.  In my own marriage I imagine that there will be certain chores I will do and certain chores my husband will do but if needed we would help each other out.  With both of us having jobs I think it is fair that we both take part in the household chores.  As far as child care while we are at work most likely a family member would take care of the children and we would both be very involved, loving parents when we are with our children.

6. Using what you have earned throughout this class about increasing numbers of women working for pay, increased divorce, higher age at marriage, how might these demographic changes influence women's role in housework. In other words, based on other demographic changes -- how and why do you expect change in the division of household labor by gender. And why SOCIOLOGICALLY might it not change as much as you might expect? Give this some deep thought before writing.

6.  With more women working I think that they will expect their husbands to help them out around the house.  If they are out at work all day, just like their husbands, I think they will want the help.  It's not like they are home all day and have all the time to clean the house, they're out making money and with less time in the home it would be more efficient for the men to help out.  With higher divorce rates there may be more conflict in the marriage which could lead to someone not holding up their end of the deal. Women marrying later may have a strong sense of self and be more independent than a woman marrying at a younger age.  They know what they want and what they want their partner to do and will likely establish what will get done by who.  I think as women become more independent and able to take care of themselves they will expect to be equals in all aspects of their marriage.  I think this may not change because some men and women will still hold those traditional beliefs and will not change.  

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Assignment 5

According to the reading by Julian Sanchez pp: 313-320 in your Risman text:

1) Identify one of the examples of ancient marriage described by the author and discuss how it differed from the "one man, one woman idea" of marriage

1. In Tibet about a quarter of marriages consisted of brothers sharing one wife, this differed from the one man, one woman idea of marriage because it consisted of multiple men and one woman and was not always a love marriage.

2) Among which two groups has postponing marriage become the most likely? Why?

2. Postponing marriage has become more likely for poor and middle class couples because they want to be somewhat settled economically first.


List all the wedding traditions in the clip.

exchanging of wedding bands
kissing the bride
bridesmaids and groomsmen
best man speech at the reception

Choose one tradition and do a little research on-line - what is the history behind that tradition.
Write about a paragraph about the origin of the tradition and whether you will include this in your own wedding - if you plan on having one.

Having bridesmaids and groomsmen dates back to ancient Rome.  There were typically ten maids and ten men standing up at the altar with the bride and groom to protect them from evil spirits.  The bridesmaids dressed exactly the same as the bride and the groomsmen exactly the same as the groom in hope to confuse the evil spirits.  I will definitely be having bridesmaids and groomsmen in my wedding.  I think it is important to share this special day with everyone I love and to have my closest friends and family up at the altar with me.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Assignment 4

1) According to the lecture slides what is the difference between sex and gender? Use your own words.
1. Sex refers to what biologically makes one male or female and gender refers to cultural and social ideas that are appropriate for males and females.

2) Give an example from your own life of doing gender (i.e. acting in a gender stereotypical way). I was doing gender when I ...

2. I was doing gender when I babysat all day and cooked dinner for the children.

3) According to the chapter by Reisman and Seale:

A) What method(s) did these researchers use to collect their data, who was their study population, and what was the sample size of the population?

a. 44 middle school children, ages 11-14,  in the southeastern U.S. were interviewed.  The students were asked questions, told stories and were asked to draw pictures and write poems.

B) Describe one limitation of the method used as described by the researchers.

b. The researchers were not able to directly observe the interactions of the tweens so they had to rely on what they were told.

C) What was the difference between what the "tweens" said about the "ideal" of gender equality and how they actually acted?

c. A majority of the tweens said that men and women should be treated equally and they felt that they were.  This was contradicted in other areas of the interview such as when asked what jobs men and women should hold.  It seems they felt men and women were equal but when asked to participate in activities showed that there were areas men and women were not equal.

D) Describe one example of how the middle-schoolers defined "girly-girls" and one example of how they described "tomboys."

d. Girly-girls were described as "afraid to get dirty, obsessed with their hair and like to wear makeup a lot".  Tomboys were associated with being athletic and some said that it would be hard for tomboys to get a boyfriend.

E) After reading the lecture slides and this chapter, briefly describe your own beliefs regarding whether children "naturally" act like girls or boys or how this behavior might be learned or fostered by the larger society and/or social institutions like education, the economy, government etc. For example, think about toys that children play with or the clothes/colors they like and wear. Pick a side "nature/biology" or "nurture/learned," and defend it!

e. I think society and social institutions definitely have a major impact on whether children act like girls or boys.  When a baby is born the girls are automatically surrounded by everything pink and boys surrounded by everything blue.  Girls are given dolls and boys are given toy cars.  It's just what society views as the norm.  I think the people you are surrounded with have a major impact on this.  If your mother is dressing you in pink dresses and buying girly clothes the child will likely think that is what they're supposed to wear.  But if a mother buys her daughter more masculine clothing that would be all that they know as a child and think that is supposed to wear.  Children will see other children playing with certain toys and wearing certain outfits.  I believe what a child is exposed to from a young age is what they will see as the norm and what they will continue to want to be like.

F) Do you think children want to play with these toys or do we create gender roles by rewarding children for gender appropriate behavior or punishing them when they display gender inappropriate behaviors? Many of you work in day care centers or schools - how do teachers react when boys want to play dress up versus when girls act aggressively? Why do girls like pink and boys blue? Are we born that way or do we learn to like these colors?

f.  I think it starts with adults giving children gender appropriate toys and the want for those toys grows from that.  If a little girl has never seen a doll house she is not going to know what it is or expect to have one, if trucks are the only toy available to her I think that is what she will like.  But if her parents buy her dolls and a dollhouse that is likely what she is going to want to play with.  I think a teachers first reaction to children going against gender norms is that they should not be doing that and to steer them back in the other direction.  But I do think that now adults are becoming more understanding and accepting of what gender students identify with and I think that is very important for a teacher to be able to do.  I think girls liking pink and boys liking blue is socially constructed.  When planning a baby shower it is usually always pink for a baby girl and blue for a baby boy automatically.  I think it would be viewed as odd by many if the shower for a baby boy had a pink theme.  

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Assignment 3

1. According to functionalist theory, what was the definition of the "instrumental leader" and what was the definition of an "expressive leader." What family roles were connected to each of these leader definitions?
The husband was the instrumental leader because he worked and provided financial support for the family.  The stay at home wife was the expressive leader because she provided emotional support to her husband and children.

2. What main demographic change during the 1960s and 1970s led theorists to be critical of the functionalist perspective?

Married women began to enter the workforce.

3. In contrast to functionalist theorists, in your own words, what is the main theme of conflict theory?

Conflict theory has a big focus on power, seeing men as more powerful than women.  

4. Social exchange theory is based on ideas from what discipline (not sociology). What do exchange theorists say about husbands bargaining power versus that of wives?

This perspective is similar to the model of human behavior.  It is suggested that husbands are in a better position to bargain when they are the sole earner for their family because the wives have fewer options for sources of income.

5. Feminist theory is based on what main ideas?

Feminist theory is based on gender differences, that culture differences have this idea that men have power over women.  The experience of living in a family is different for women than it is for men.


6. After reading about the various methods or ways that we collect data to study the family, tell us:

A) A research question about family/relationship interaction.
How has technology and social media influenced family relationships?


B) Do you want to study the family at the micro or macro level?
Macro level


C) What method will you use to collect data? Refer to the methods listed in the lecture slides.
I would use the survey method.


D) How many people will be in your study? Remember we use large samples for demographic studies and surveys, smaller samples if we are going to observe a sample or interview family members.
About 1,000 families across the U.S. interviewing different members within the family.


E) Devise 3 questions you will ask them to answer your research question.

How much time daily do you spend on your phone, computer etc?
Do you find other members of your family spend more or less time on their phones, computers, etc than you do?
Do you think technology has impacted the amount of time you spend with your family or has had a positive or negative affect on your relationships within your family?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Assignment 2

Part 1 Assignment 2
1) Describe 1 or 2 highlights that struck you from the report. Do not cut and paste from the report, use your own words.
I thought it was interesting that the amount of married couples with no children is expected to increase.  As I get older I realize that this is understandable for some because of fertility rates and economic reasons.  I have always wanted to get married and have children and I know that my friends want to do the same so at first it was shocking to me to think that rates of married couples with children would be decreasing.

2) Were you surprised by the data/findings on the chart or are they in line with what you would have expected?

Before doing the readings I probably would have been surprised but after looking at the highlights I found that the data was what I expected.

3) What do you notice on the chart?

That both single and 2 parent households with children have decreased since 1995.

3a.) What types of families are more typical (higher percentage) compared to 1995.

In 2010 more typical families consisted of being married with no children, other family households with no children, living alone with no children and living with non relatives only and no children.

3b.) What types of families are becoming less the norm (percentage decreases from 1995 to 2010.
Two parent households with children and mother with children households are decreasing.

4) What type of family do you expect to be living in, in 5 years? In 10 years? When you are 70 years old?

In 5 years I would say that I expect to be married with no children.  In 10 years I plan to be married with children and when I am 70 I plan to be living in a household with my husband and the children have moved out and started their own families.

Part 2 Assignment 2
1) What is different about women today versus 40 years ago?
Women are getting married and having children much later.  More women are going to school and furthering their education as well as starting careers.  Women are leaving home and moving into bigger cities.

2) What is the norm in terms of what women are doing and when they are marrying?

Now women go to college so they can have a career.  They are moving into cities and living alone or with roommates and getting married and having children at later ages than in the past.

3) Do women work more or less than in the past etc?

Women are working more than in the past, typically long hours in the office.

4) Next, please write about what you plan to do as you finish school and reach adulthood. Will you work and get your career started and then marry or the other way around?

As I finish school I hope to be able to get a job soon after.  I will probably get my career started and then marry shortly after.  Once I am settled into my career and am married I plan to have children and continue working.

And - just for fun: if you are female: describe which Sex and the City girl you most identify with and why. You can also note your favorite boyfriend/husband. If you are male which main boyfriends do you most identify with and why or which female character would you most like to date. Would you date marry any of them? Why or why not?

I would say that I identity most with Charlotte.  I have always wanted to find love, get married and start a family and that is what she searches for throughout the series.

Part 3 Assignment 2
1) Tell us about one change in age at marriage, or how many people marry, or childbearing, or cohabitation, or in divorce, or in aging.
39.7% of births in the U.S. are to unmarried women.

2) How does the latest research topic you chose differ from the past research on that chosen topic -- as noted in the article?

In 1950 the rate was only 4% of births were to unmarried women, compared to 39.7% in 2007.

3) Who did the article author cite in describing the newest research on your chosen topic?

The author cited U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 2005, 2009b.



Monday, June 16, 2014

Assignment 1

1) Please tell us about yourself. What makes you interesting or unique or tell us a funny story about you.
My name is Marissa.  I will be a senior at MSU this fall.  I am 21 years old and enjoy spending time with my family, friends and boyfriend.  I love to laugh and have a good time.

2) Please tell us are you an FCST major or not. If you are not a major, tell us about your own major and why you chose it.

I am an FCST major with a concentration in school settings.  I am in the teacher education program going for K-6 as well as being certified to teach special education.  I have always wanted to be a teacher!

3) What are your current career plans? Or tell us if you plan to marry rich or travel the world!

I plan on becoming an elementary school teacher.

4) Next tell us about your family - for example - are your parents married or not, do you live with them, do you have siblings, pets etc? Or maybe you grew up in foster care, or you are married and live with your spouse and/or children.

My parents are married and I have one sister who is 17.  I live at home with my family.

5) Please describe an activity you like to share with your family? etc.

I enjoy going down the shore with my family, watching movies and spending time with extended family.

6)  Choose 2 topics on the syllabus that interest you and tell us a few sentences why they interest you.
LGBT & Q Families is a topic of interest to me because it is definitely possible that one of my future students will come from a LGBT&Q family and I think it is important for me to informed on LGBT&Q families to understand part of the child's background.  The effects of divorce on children is also another topic I am interested in learning about.  As a future teacher I think it is important for me to know these effects so I can better understand one of my future students if their parents are going through a divorce.
7) Next tell me what you think about wikis - or what you learned from the video.
After watching the video wikis definitely seem like an easier way to communicate between groups of people.  I like that each member has the ability to post and edit what they choose to.  It seems very effective.


8) Review quiz of syllabus:

A) What day and time does class meet?

Class meets fully online and runs from June 16-July10.

B) How many blogs must you complete for full credit?

We must complete 6 blog assignments.

C) When are blogs due?

Blog 1 - June 18
Blog 2 - June 19
Blog 3 - June 23
Blog 4 - June 25
Blog 5 - July 2
Blog 6 - July 10
 
D) What should you do for EVERY class?

For every class we must complete the readings, view the lecture slides, and post the assignment that is due to our blog page.

E) What is a topic of a class during week 3?

Divorce

F) Which week do we focus on Marriage?

Week 3