Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens 2e

Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens 2e

Elizabeth B. Pearce

Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens 2e by Elizabeth B. Pearce is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Contents

Author Info

About this book Welcome to our Work in Progress! Accessibility Statement [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] Lens Course Learning Outcomes Pedagogical Foundations

How to Navigate this Book Table of Contents Turning a Page Reading on Smaller Screens

In Gratitude

Epigraph

Foreword: Nana Osei-Kofi

Foreword: Amy Hofer and Michaela Willi-Hooper

The Authors Elizabeth B. Pearce, Lead Author Christopher Byers Alexis Castaneda-Perez Nyssa Cronin Cassie Cruze Shonna Dempsey Ruta Faifaise Jessica N. Hampton Katherine Hemlock Amy Huskey Carla Medel Hannah Morelos Katie Niemeyer Wesley Sharp

Dedication

Preface

Chapter 1: Social Constructions

1.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 1.1.2 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

1.2 The Family: A Socially Constructed Idea 1.2.1 Societal Contributions to the [pb_glossary id="727"]Social Construction of Difference[/pb_glossary] 1.2.2 [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary], [pb_glossary id="745"]Equality[/pb_glossary], and Fairness 1.2.3 Twenty-First Century American Families 1.2.4 Families and Society 1.2.5 Licenses and Attributions for The Family: A Socially Constructed Idea 1.2.6 References

1.3 A Historical Context for Today's Families 1.3.1 The “Nostalgia Trap” 1.3.2 Defining Family 1.3.3 Pre-Industrial Period 1.3.4 Industrialization 1.3.5 Early and Mid-Twentieth Century 1.3.6 How Policies Define Family 1.3.7 Licenses and Attributions for A Historical Context for Today’s Families 1.3.8 References

1.4 The Social Construction of Difference 1.4.1 Social Identities 1.4.2 The [pb_glossary id="727"]Social Construction of Difference[/pb_glossary] 1.4.3 The [pb_glossary id="741"]Social Construction[/pb_glossary] of Race 1.4.4 [pb_glossary id="741"]Social Construction[/pb_glossary] of Other Social Identities, including Gender 1.4.5 [pb_glossary id="743"]Intersectionality[/pb_glossary] 1.4.6 Want to know more? 1.4.7 Licenses and Attributions for The Social Construction of Difference 1.4.8 References

1.5 The U.S. Government and Families 1.5.1 Family Formation and the Law 1.5.2 Family Residence and [pb_glossary id="739"]Kinship[/pb_glossary] Structure 1.5.3 Licenses and Attributions for The U.S. Government and Families 1.5.4 References

1.6 Looking Ahead 1.6.1 Want to Learn More? 1.6.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

1.7 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 1.7.1 Reflective Questions 1.7.2 Key Terms 1.7.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

1.8 Chapter 1 Feedback Survey

Chapter 2: Studying Families

2.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 2.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

2.2 How and Why We Study Families 2.2.1 Objective and Subjective Views 2.2.2 Using Your [pb_glossary id="707"]Sociological Imagination[/pb_glossary] 2.2.3 Learning about Others 2.2.4 Families and Social Structure 2.2.5 Licenses and Attributions for How and Why We Study Families

2.3 Research Methods and Applications to Studying Families 2.3.1 Surveys 2.3.2 Experiments 2.3.3 Observational Studies 2.3.4 Analysis and Synthesis of Existing Data 2.3.5 Qualitative and Quantitative Research 2.3.6 The Scientific Process and Objectivity 2.3.7 Licenses and Attributions for Research Methods and Applications to Studying Families 2.3.8 References

2.4 Learning about Families 2.4.1 [pb_glossary id="677"]Cognitive and Emotional Perspective-Taking[/pb_glossary] 2.4.2 Objectivity and Humanity 2.4.3 [pb_glossary id="705"]Cultural Humility[/pb_glossary] 2.4.4 Dimensions of Diversity 2.4.5 Licenses and Attributions for Learning about Families 2.4.6 References

2.5 Social Stratification 2.5.1 Social Classes in the United States 2.5.2 Social Mobility 2.5.3 The Layers of Socioeconomic Classes 2.5.4 Licenses and Attributions for Social Stratification 2.5.5 References

2.6 Theories, Perspectives, and Key Concepts 2.6.1 Core Theories Used in Contemporary Families: An [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] Lens 2.6.2 Licenses and Attributions for Theories, Perspectives, and Key Concepts

2.7 What Is a Social Problem? 2.7.1 The [pb_glossary id="707"]Sociological Imagination[/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id="699"]Social Problem[/pb_glossary]s 2.7.2 An [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] Lens 2.7.3 Want to Learn More? 2.7.4 Licenses and Attributions for What Is a Social Problem? 2.7.5 References

2.8 Looking Ahead 2.8.1 Want to Learn More? 2.8.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 2.8.3 References

2.9 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 2.9.1 Reflective Questions 2.9.2 Key Terms 2.9.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

2.10 Chapter 2 Feedback Survey

Chapter 3: Connection, Community, Love, and Partnering

3.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 3.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

3.2 Introduction to Connection, Love, and Community 3.2.1 Theoretical Perspectives that Emphasize Connection 3.2.2 Social Support Networks 3.2.3 Licenses and Attributions for Introduction to Connection, Love, and Community 3.2.4 References

3.3 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality 3.3.1 Socially Constructed Binary Systems 3.3.2 Understanding Sex and Gender 3.3.3 Gender Identity and Gender Expression 3.3.4 Understanding Sexuality 3.3.5 Licenses and Attributions for Sex, Gender, and Sexuality 3.3.6 References

3.4 Love and Union Formation 3.4.1 Theories of Love 3.4.2 Influences on Union Formations 3.4.3 Licenses and Attributions for Love and Union Formation 3.4.4 References

3.5 A Word about Marriage 3.5.1 Marriage as a [pb_glossary id="741"]Social Construction[/pb_glossary] 3.5.2 Activity: How do our ideas about marriage reflect theories? 3.5.3 Who Is Left Out? 3.5.4 Licenses and Attributions for A Word about Marriage 3.5.5 References

3.6 Governmental Influences on Union Formations 3.6.1 Federal Student Aid and Loans 3.6.2 Social Security and Income Taxes 3.6.3 Medicaid and Medicare 3.6.4 Activity: What if Your Spouse was in a Devastating Car Accident? 3.6.5 Military Policies 3.6.6 Immigration Law 3.6.7 In Focus: [pb_glossary id="599"]Transnational Families[/pb_glossary] 3.6.8 Official Definitions and Societal Stigma 3.6.9 Relationship Health and Relationship Challenge 3.6.10 Activity: What Makes Relationships Hard? 3.6.11 Licenses and Attributions for Governmental Influences on Union Formations 3.6.12 References

3.7 Union Dissolution and Divorce 3.7.1 Reasons for Divorce 3.7.2 Effects of Divorce and Single-Parent Households 3.7.3 Licenses and Attributions for Union Dissolution and Divorce 3.7.4 References

3.8 Looking Ahead 3.8.1 Want to Learn More? 3.8.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

3.9 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 3.9.1 Reflective Questions 3.9.2 Key Terms 3.9.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

3.10 Chapter 3 Feedback Survey

Chapter 4: Nurturance, Parenting, and Caregiving

4.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 4.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

4.2 Nurturance: Caring for Others 4.2.1 Licenses and Attributions for Nurturance: Caring for Others 4.2.2 References

4.3 Changing Demographics 4.3.1 Birth, Fertility, and Fecundity Rates 4.3.2 Activity: How do cultural and environmental changes contribute to childbearing rates? 4.3.3 Child Care 4.3.4 Single Parenting, Co-Parenting, and Step-Parenting 4.3.5 Grandfamilies and Multigenerational Families 4.3.6 Licenses and Attributions for Changing Demographics 4.3.7 References

4.4 Child and Family Theories and Perspectives 4.4.1 Psychosocial Theory 4.4.2 The Ecological Systems Theory 4.4.3 Nature and Nurture 4.4.4 Baumrind’s Four Styles of Parenting 4.4.5 Concerted Cultivation and Natural Growth 4.4.6 Attachment Theory 4.4.7 Licenses and Attributions for Child and Family Theories and Perspectives 4.4.8 References

4.5 The Overlap of Public Policy with Parenting 4.5.1 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 4.5.2 Activity: Ester’s Story 4.5.3 Disrupted Attachment at the U.S. – Mexico Border 4.5.4 Disrupted Attachment during the COVID-19 Pandemic 4.5.5 Immigrant and Refugee Families 4.5.6 Justice-Involved Families 4.5.7 Licenses and Attributions for The Overlap of Public Policy with Parenting 4.5.8 References

4.6 Socially Constructed Ideas: Form and Function 4.6.1 Families without Children 4.6.2 Same-Sex Parenting 4.6.3 Student Parents 4.6.4 Foster and Adoptive Families 4.6.5 Families with Disabled Members 4.6.6 Poverty 4.6.7 Pandemic Parenting 4.6.8 Licenses and Attributions for Socially Constructed Ideas: Form and Function 4.6.9 References

4.7 Looking Ahead 4.7.1 Want to Learn More? 4.7.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

4.8 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 4.8.1 Reflective Questions 4.8.2 Key Terms 4.8.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

4.9 Chapter 4 Feedback Survey

Chapter 5: Routines, Traditions, and Culture

5.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 5.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

5.2 How Routines and Predictability Affect Children and Adults 5.2.1 In Focus: Reading as a Family 5.2.2 In Focus: Family Meals 5.2.3 Outcomes for Children 5.2.4 Outcomes for Adolescents 5.2.5 Outcomes for Adults 5.2.6 Licenses and Attributions for How Routines and Predictability Affect Children and Adults 5.2.7 References

5.3 Traditions and Rituals 5.3.1 In Focus: Learning to Catch Each Other 5.3.2 Rituals Related to Life Transitions 5.3.3 In Focus: La Quinceañera: A rite of passage among Latina adolescents 5.3.4 Legal and Structural Overlap with Traditions and Rituals 5.3.5 Licenses and Attributions for Traditions and Rituals 5.3.6 References

5.4 Culture 5.4.1 Cultural Erasure versus Persistence 5.4.2 The Overlap of [pb_glossary id="729"]Culture[/pb_glossary] and Religion 5.4.3 Licenses and Attributions for Culture 5.4.4 References

5.5 Cultural Identities 5.5.1 Jean Phinney’s Model of Positive Ethnic Identity 5.5.2 John W. Berry’s Model of Acculturation 5.5.3 Belonging 5.5.4 Overlapping [pb_glossary id="729"]Culture[/pb_glossary]s and/or Religions Within a Family 5.5.5 Assimilation versus acculturation 5.5.6 Creating Communities of Belonging 5.5.7 Community, [pb_glossary id="729"]Culture[/pb_glossary], and Belonging as Resistance 5.5.8 Licenses and Attributions for Cultural Identities 5.5.9 References

5.6 Revival of the Hawaiian Language 5.6.1 Licenses and Attributions for Revival of the Hawaiian Language 5.6.2 References

5.7 Looking Ahead 5.7.1 Want to Learn More? 5.7.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 5.7.3 References

5.8 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 5.8.1 Reflective Questions 5.8.2 Key Terms 5.8.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

5.9 Chapter 5 Feedback Survey

Chapter 6: Representation and Belonging in Social Systems

6.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 6.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

6.2 Representation and Belonging 6.2.1 [pb_glossary id="725"]Social Identity[/pb_glossary], Institutions, and [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] 6.2.2 The Significance of the U.S. Census 6.2.3 Licenses and Attributions for Representation and Belonging 6.2.4 References

6.3 Decision-Making and Power 6.3.1 Who Votes? 6.3.2 Voter Registration Across the United States 6.3.3 Voting by Mail 6.3.4 Barriers to Voting 6.3.5 Barriers to Participation 6.3.6 Do Demographics Matter? 6.3.7 Licenses and Attributions for Decision-Making and Power 6.3.8 References

6.4 Working Outside of the System: Social Movements and Activism 6.4.1 Social Movements 6.4.2 Focusing on Feminism and [pb_glossary id="743"]Intersectionality[/pb_glossary] 6.4.3 Licenses and Attributions for Working Outside of the System: Social Movements and Activism 6.4.4 References

6.5 Looking Ahead 6.5.1 Want to Learn More? 6.5.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

6.6 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 6.6.1 Reflective Questions 6.6.2 Key Terms

6.7 Key Terms 6.7.1 Licenses and Attributions for Key Terms

6.8 Chapter 6 Feedback Survey

Chapter 7: Health and Health Care

7.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 7.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

7.2 Health, Wellness, Sickness, and Disease 7.2.1 Activity: Lung Cancer, Stigma, and [pb_glossary id="743"]Intersectionality[/pb_glossary] 7.2.2 Licenses and Attributions for Health, Wellness, Sickness, and Disease 7.2.3 References

7.3 Health Equity 7.3.1 [pb_glossary id="659"]Social Determinants of Health[/pb_glossary] and Disparities 7.3.2 Interrelationship of Mental and Physical Health 7.3.3 Licenses and Attributions for Health Equity 7.3.4 References

7.4 Health and Health Insurance 7.4.1 The Role of Health Insurance in the United States 7.4.2 Access to Health Care Coverage and Insurance 7.4.3 Who Is Left Out? 7.4.4 Licenses and Attributions for Health and Health Insurance 7.4.5 References

7.5 Looking Ahead 7.5.1 Want to Learn More? 7.5.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 7.5.3 References

7.6 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 7.6.1 Reflective Questions 7.6.2 Key Terms 7.6.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

7.7 Chapter 7 Feedback Survey

Chapter 8: Housing

8.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 8.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

8.2 Housing and Homes 8.2.1 [pb_glossary id="643"]Houseless[/pb_glossary]ness 8.2.2 Shelters for People Experiencing [pb_glossary id="643"]Houseless[/pb_glossary]ness (aka Homeless Shelters) 8.2.3 Housing Insecurity 8.2.4 Somewhere In-Between 8.2.5 Licenses and Attributions for Housing and Homes 8.2.6 References

8.3 The Influence of Institutions: Governments and Lending Institutions 8.3.1 Where Families Live 8.3.2 Licenses and Attributions for The Influence of Institutions: Governments and Lending Institutions 8.3.3 References

8.4 Finding a Home: Inequities 8.4.1 Power and the American Dream: Home Ownership Versus Renting 8.4.2 Historic [pb_glossary id="703"]Discrimination[/pb_glossary] and Today’s Effects on Families 8.4.3 Licenses and Attributions for Finding a Home: Inequities 8.4.4 References

8.5 Looking Ahead 8.5.1 Updating [pb_glossary id="601"]the Fair Housing Act[/pb_glossary] with the [pb_glossary id="745"]Equality[/pb_glossary] Act 8.5.2 Addressing [pb_glossary id="643"]Houseless[/pb_glossary]ness: Housing First 8.5.3 Creating Standards to End [pb_glossary id="643"]Houseless[/pb_glossary]ness 8.5.4 Changing Opportunities 8.5.5 Community Efforts 8.5.6 An Existence Worthy of Human Dignity 8.5.7 Want to Learn More? 8.5.8 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 8.5.9 References

8.6 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 8.6.1 Reflective Questions 8.6.2 Key Terms 8.6.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

8.7 Chapter 8 Feedback Survey

Chapter 9: Safety and Stability

9.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 9.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

9.2 What Children and Families Need to be Safe 9.2.1 Macro-Level and Micro-Level Aspects of Safety 9.2.2 Protective and Compensatory Childhood Experiences 9.2.3 Adverse Childhood Experiences 9.2.4 Activity: Childhood Trauma Over the Lifetime 9.2.5 In Focus: Creating Community Resilience 9.2.6 Licenses and Attributions for What Children and Families Need to be Safe 9.2.7 References

9.3 Macro-Level and Micro-Level Factors Related to Safety 9.3.1 Social Supports Increasing Safety 9.3.2 Interconnection of Macro-Level Safety Factors 9.3.3 Quality Relationships 9.3.4 Licenses and Attributions for Macro-Level and Micro-Level Factors Related to Safety 9.3.5 References

9.4 Freedom from Violence and Abuse 9.4.1 Intimate Partner Violence 9.4.2 Sexual Violence 9.4.3 Child Abuse 9.4.4 Elder Abuse 9.4.5 Intergenerational Trauma 9.4.6 Licenses and Attributions for Freedom from Violence and Abuse 9.4.7 References

9.5 Access to Safety and Stability 9.5.1 Limiting Factors for Safety and Stability 9.5.2 Addressing Barriers to Safety and Stability 9.5.3 Activity: Why Domestic Violence Victims Stay 9.5.4 Licenses and Attributions for Access to Safety and Stability 9.5.5 References

9.6 Looking Ahead 9.6.1 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 9.6.2 References

9.7 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 9.7.1 Reflective Questions

9.8 Key Terms 9.8.1 Licenses and Attributions for Key Terms

9.9 Chapter 9 Feedback Survey

Chapter 10: Food and Water

10.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 10.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

10.2 Food and Food Production 10.2.1 Food Production and Systems of Oppression 10.2.2 Black Farmers During Reconstruction 10.2.3 Farm and Field Workers 10.2.4 Food Factory Workers as Essential Workers 10.2.5 Licenses and Attributions for Food and Food Production 10.2.6 References

10.3 Equitable Access to Food 10.3.1 Food Deserts 10.3.2 The Poverty Line and Food Costs 10.3.3 Food Security and Food Insecurity 10.3.4 Food Stamps 10.3.5 Licenses and Attributions for Equitable Access to Food 10.3.6 References

10.4 Food Equity and Families 10.4.1 Children and Nutrition 10.4.2 Early Food Experiences 10.4.3 Obesity 10.4.4 Licenses and Attributions for Food Equity and Families 10.4.5 References

10.5 Access to Water and Sanitation 10.5.1 Diverse Water Challenges 10.5.2 In Focus: Flint, Michigan 10.5.3 Licenses and Attributions for Access to Water and Sanitation 10.5.4 References

10.6 Systemic Uses of Water 10.6.1 Wasted Water 10.6.2 Sustainable Agri[pb_glossary id="729"]culture[/pb_glossary] Movement 10.6.3 Licenses and Attributions for Systemic Uses of Water 10.6.4 References

10.7 Looking Ahead 10.7.1 Want to Learn More? 10.7.2 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

10.8 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 10.8.1 Reflective Questions

10.9 Key Terms 10.9.1 Licenses and Attributions for Key Terms

10.10 Chapter 10 Feedback Survey

Chapter 11: Justice

11.1 Author’s Note

11.2 Chapter Learning Objectives 11.2.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

11.3 Justice: An Introduction 11.3.1 The [pb_glossary id="741"]Social Construction[/pb_glossary] of Justice and Criminality 11.3.2 Race, Legal, and Extralegal Justice 11.3.3 [pb_glossary id="657"]Socioeconomic Status[/pb_glossary] and Incarceration 11.3.4 In Focus: Career, Criminality, and Race 11.3.5 Licenses and Attributions for Justice: An Introduction 11.3.6 References

11.4 The Intersectionality of Justice 11.4.1 Preface 11.4.2 What Does Justice Look Like? 11.4.3 Activity: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 11.4.4 “Justice” Depends on Race 11.4.5 The War on Drugs 11.4.6 The Militarization of Police 11.4.7 Police Brutality 11.4.8 Gender, Underrepresentation, and [pb_glossary id="743"]Intersectionality[/pb_glossary] 11.4.9 Licenses and Attributions for The Intersectionality of Justice 11.4.10 References

11.5 Treatment, Jail, or Justice? 11.5.1 Preface 11.5.2 Mental Health and Substance Abuse 11.5.3 Licenses and Attributions for Treatment, Jail, or Justice? 11.5.4 References

11.6 Real Laws, Real Families 11.6.1 Preface 11.6.2 [pb_glossary id="649"]Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals[/pb_glossary] 11.6.3 DREAM Act 11.6.4 The Legal Process 11.6.5 Licenses and Attributions for Real Laws, Real Families 11.6.6 References

11.7 Looking Ahead 11.7.1 A Preference for the Undocumented 11.7.2 Interwoven families 11.7.3 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead

11.8 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 11.8.1 Reflective Questions

11.9 Key Terms 11.9.1 Licenses and Attributions for Key Terms

11.10 Chapter 11 Feedback Survey

Chapter 12: Visual Culture

12.1 Chapter Learning Objectives 12.1.1 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives

12.2 Experience, Expression, and Equity 12.2.1 Art: A Historical Context 12.2.2 Using Art to Teach 12.2.3 Protest Art 12.2.4 [pb_glossary id="627"]Public Art[/pb_glossary] 12.2.5 Access to Art and [pb_glossary id="729"]Culture[/pb_glossary] 12.2.6 Licenses and Attributions for Experience, Expression, and Equity 12.2.7 References

12.3 Art, Media and Dominance 12.3.1 Art, Race, [pb_glossary id="595"]Ethnicity[/pb_glossary], and [pb_glossary id="729"]Culture[/pb_glossary] 12.3.2 Art, Sex, and Gender 12.3.3 Television 12.3.4 Activity: Representation and Humanization 12.3.5 Film 12.3.6 Representation of People of Color 12.3.7 Licenses and Attributions for Art, Media and Dominance 12.3.8 References

12.4 Looking Ahead 12.4.1 Beauty, Art, and Identity 12.4.2 Conclusion 12.4.3 Want to Learn More? 12.4.4 Licenses and Attributions for Looking Ahead 12.4.5 References

12.5 Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms 12.5.1 Reflective Questions 12.5.2 Key Terms 12.5.3 Licenses and Attributions for Application and Discussion: Questions and Key Terms

12.6 Chapter 12 Feedback Survey

About the Publisher

Appendix A: Foundational Theory Table A.1: Inclusive (eleven) foundational theories related to the study of families for the “Contemporary Families: An [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] Lens” textbook. A.2: Core theories (seven) in Contemporary Families: An [pb_glossary id="615"]Equity[/pb_glossary] Lens A.3: Licenses and Attributions for Appendix A: Foundational Theory Table

Appendix B: Comparison of Family Rituals and Family Routines B.1: Licenses and Attributions for Appendix B: Comparison of Family Rituals and Family Routines

Glossary

1

Author Info

Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens

Created by Elizabeth B. Pearce with Christopher Byers, Alexis Castaneda-Perez, Nyssa Cronin, Cassie Cruze, Shonna Dempsey, Ruta Faifaise, Jessica N. Hampton, Katherine Hemlock, Amy Huskey, Carla Medel, Hannah Morelos, Katie Niemeyer, and Wesley Sharp; Linn-Benton Community College student authors 2019 – 2021

Contributing Authors

Monica Olvera and Alexandra Olsen

Contributors

Dominic Church, Shyanti Franco, Audrey Mayo, Genna Watkins; Linn-Benton Community College students 2021 – 2022

2

About this book

Welcome to our Work in Progress!

This course is exciting because the textbook is still being written. This means that you have an opportunity to help make it better. You can give valuable feedback to the textbook authors by completing the feedback survey at the end of each chapter. Please note: You may see errors or inconsistencies in the current version.

We are working to ensure that all textbook content is accessible. If you encounter an accessibility issue, please let your instructor know right away.

Accessibility Statement

This book was created with a good faith effort to ensure that it will meet accessibility standards wherever possible, and to highlight areas where we know there is work to do. It is our hope that by being transparent in this way, we can begin the process of making sure accessibility is top of mind for all authors, adopters, students and contributors of all kinds on open textbook projects.

There are many known issues and potential barriers to accessibility in this version of Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens 2e. When we revise and publish this Pressbook in the next phase of this project, these issues will be addressed. If you encounter an accessibility issue that you need fixed, please let your instructor know right away.

Equity Lens

The Open Oregon Educational Resources Targeted Pathways Project seeks to dismantle structures of power and oppression entrenched in barriers to course material access. We provide tools and resources to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) primary considerations when faculty choose, adapt, and create course materials. In promoting DEI, our project is committed to:

Ensuring diversity of representation within our team and the materials we distribute

Publishing materials that use accessible, clear language for our target audience

Sharing course materials that directly address and interrogate systems of oppression, equipping students and educators with the knowledge to do the same

Designing and piloting openly licensed, intersectional, and antiracist course materials is one starting point among many when addressing inequities in higher education. Our project invites students and educators to engage with us in this work, and we value spaces where learning communities can grow and engage together.

We welcome being held accountable to this statement and will respond to feedback submitted via our contact page.

Course Learning Outcomes

Educators, students, and future employers all benefit when course-level learning outcomes guide our shared work. When course-level learning outcomes are public, institutions demonstrate a commitment to equitable student success through the potential for increased collaboration and inclusive course design. This project analyzed learning outcomes across the state of Oregon to identify themes and commonalities. Authors used this analysis as a basis for developing course outcomes that could match the curriculum of multiple institutions in Oregon while still considering their local needs and context.

See Supporting Cross-Institutional OER Teams in Open Practices and Learning Outcomes Alignment for additional information.

Pedagogical Foundations

The authors of this book embraced an equity-minded design for structure, scope, and sequence of chapters and chapter content. They sought to honor the needs and experiences of students who are often underserved in higher education in Oregon. Authors considered Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TILT), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Culturally Responsive Teaching to design meaningful learning pathways for you. You will find rich images and multimedia in addition to written content. You will also find provocative discussion questions that align with learning outcomes and objectives.

Accessibility Statement was adapted from Accessibility Features by Dave Dillon, Blueprint for Success in College and Career: Oregon Edition, licensed under CC BY 4.

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How to Navigate this Book

Table of Contents

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4

In Gratitude

One of my greatest hopes is to help students understand the complexities of how oppression and privilege affect families in this country. I want students to embrace the goal of working toward equity. Working toward understanding and creating a more equitable world is a team project. Although I’ve spent a significant chunk of my career teaching these concepts, I am still learning.

The worldwide pandemic has dramatically changed the world of teaching. I am thankful to have the opportunity to write this book and to reach out and touch students in ways other than in the classroom. Writing this book is a step toward living under the roof of hope; during its creation, I have had many mentors, co-thinkers, collaborators and supporters. Thank you all for being a part of this creation.

Michaela Willi-Hooper fosters my creativity in a way that makes this text impactful and innovative. She has provided the students and me with unwavering support, enthusiasm, and resources. Her knowledge of systemic privilege and discrimination is invaluable and her administrative and research skills sustained us. She is central to the success of this project.

Steve Smith and Katie Winder have guided me in a way that allows me to see beyond what exists and into what I can do and be. I am forever grateful to have worked with both of them.

Angie Klampe, Rica Amity, and Jason Kovac interweave the roles of friend, mentor, and colleague in ways that keep me joyful, challenged, inspired, and focused.

Karelia Stetz-Waters and Scott McAleer keep me sane. Our years of friendship on and off-campus have changed my life for the better.

Nana Osei-Kofi‘s wisdom, scholarship, warmth, collegiality, and guidance influence my continued growth as a social justice educator and author. One memorable appetizer and laughter infused evening with Nana was enough to get me over my writer’s block.

Chessie Alberti’s enthusiasm, encouragement, knowledge and technical skill have made significant contributions in both the development and the finishing touches of this book.

Open Oregon Educational Resources and Linn-Benton Community College Library have provided structural support, funding, and leadership in the fields of Open Educational Resources and Open Pedagogy. Amy Hofer is leading us toward more equitable education where more students have the chance to flourish. Dionna Camp of The Center for Accessibility Resources was instrumental in this project. The Learning and Innovation Center, and especially the faculty who participated in the January 2020 open pedagogy crowdsourcing session, contributed to this project.

Three people who have served as Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities Division Dean: Katie Winder, Oriana Mulatero Ferraro, and Meg Roland helped to plan the project, balance my workload and provide support to carry out a vision of equitable open pedagogy that involved student authors.

My colleagues at Linn-Benton Community College have helped me grow and have influenced the project through our conversations during lunchtime, learning community gatherings, faculty meetings, and walks on the Wellness Trail.

Isabelle Havet, Deron Carter, and Jane Sandberg have inspired me to think more deeply, to question more thoroughly, and to be my best self in the classroom and as an author.

Terese Jones, Jeff Flesch, and Verna Ourada have provided HDFS discipline specific knowledge and valuable insights into the early drafts of the first chapters and the foundation of this text.

My work during my sabbatical brought me in contact with faculty Alexis J. Walker, Richard Settersten, and Becky Warner at Oregon State University. Their scholarship and teaching has influenced my thinking, teaching, and writing.

Reviewers of individual chapters helped me to see other perspectives and include important sources. Their contributions provided immediate insight but also concepts that influenced other chapters and will be included in future editions. Andrew Douglas Campbell, Shelly Dermody, Bobbi Hall, Isabelle Havet, Terese Jones, Nana Osei-Kofi, Jane Sandberg, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Lauren Visconti, Mark Weiss, and Michaela Willi-Hooper all reviewed chapters and contributed feedback. Deron Carter and his Winter 2020 Geology 209 Environmental Justice students read chapters, provided resources, and met with the authors to discuss chapter drafts.

Oregon State University’s Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Academy, led by Nana Osei-Kofi and Bradley Boovy provide leadership to the DPD Faculty at LBCC. This ongoing partnership feeds all of our LBCC DPD courses and contributes to the scholarship of this text. LBCC DPD Faculty Learning Community discussions are critical to my ongoing learning in this field and I appreciate my colleagues who continue to learn together.

Jane Waite, Bruce E. Thomson, Christopher Byers, Marcia Walsh, Zakir Khan, Amy Hofer, Margarita Casas, and Fay Stetz-Waters all provided stimulating conversation and resources that have impacted this project.

Lauren Antrosiglio, Michaela Willi-Hooper, and Liz Baker volunteered time and skills to make edits to the Pressbook that turned it into an eye-pleasing and accurate product both in digital and in downloadable formats.

Learning doesn’t just happen when you are at work. Rica Amity, Angie Klampe, Nadine Wood, Kellie Neet, Deb Savageau, and Sarah Davis Farrell have all spent time in the forest with me, talking, and co-thinking about the topics in this text.

Alexis, Amy, Carla, Cassie, Christopher, Hannah, Jessica, Kate, Katie, Nyssa, Ruta, Shonna, and Wesley are my co-authors. They leapt into the unknown with me, entering the liminal space between consumership and authorship of a college textbook. They trusted me to guide an experience in which I was also a neophyte. They dug deep into their own family experiences, even painful, to develop the themes of this text. They took risks. They grew in their scholarship and built the foundation of this book. They played their roles in differing ways: as brainstormers, as organizers, as researchers and as writers. They all will make a difference in the experience of future learners.

Margaret Pearce, Frances Pearce, Beth and John Volz provide unwavering support and love from the other side of the United States. The voice of James Pearce helps me to write and to edit. I know he would be proud. My daughters Rachel and Sarabeth Pearce-Smith are some of my favorite conversationalists in general but especially when it comes to talking about privilege and oppression. My Oregon framily is vast and loving; their friendship keeps me whole.

Liz Baker provides a foundation at home that contributes to my thinking, teaching, and writing. She makes me laugh. She volunteered to move the text from Google Drive into the Pressbook format so that students could access it there in the Fall of 2020. She is my partner in life, companionship, and growth.

I move toward the house that shelters students in their learning about equity and social justice, together with you. The support of colleagues, friends, and family is crucial. Families matter and I am grateful to have mine.

–Elizabeth B. Pearce

5

Epigraph

“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” -Barbara Kingsolver

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Foreword: Nana Osei-Kofi

What would a nation of greater equitable social, economic, and political conditions mean for families in the United States? How might families be able to live if those who study families, those who create policies that shape the lives of families, and those who work with families, had the opportunity to engage with the content of the book you are currently reading? How can an equity lens contribute to critical thinking about families and the conditions they face? What can a justice-informed perspective reveal about what it means for all families to experience belonging, connection, and love? These are some of the many questions Liz Pearce and her students grapple with through this open educational resource (OER), freely available online.

As a result of an open pedagogy project, the community college students who co-authored this text offer readers content that is well-researched, deeply engaging, and thought-provoking. What they have accomplished through this project would not have been possible without bravery, dedication, and commitment to addressing the complexity of the many issues at hand. They have every reason to be very proud of what they have achieved.

As part of the Preface to this book, Liz Pearce discusses how coming to a deeper understanding of the ways in which power, privilege, and oppression overlap and shape life-conditions was life-altering for her. Hopefully, this book contributes to similar outcomes for students in classrooms across the United States and plays a part in creating a more equitable world for all families.

Nana Osei-Kofi, PhD

Director, Difference, Power, & Discrimination Program

Associate Professor, Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Oregon State University

7

Foreword: Amy Hofer and Michaela Willi-Hooper

The book you are reading is an open educational resource (OER). That means it’s free to read online, or you can purchase a print copy at cost. Other faculty anywhere in the world can make use of the open license on this book to customize it and use it in their own classes, so that their students can also use no-cost or low-cost materials.

It is also the result of an open pedagogy project, meaning that Liz coathored this book with her community college students. Student perspectives and voices make this book valuable and also make the case for why it is important. The student authors’ writing on issues that have directly impacted their lives, and their reflections on how they have changed their minds on these issues, are informed by personal experience and grounded in deep learning.

You know what is a really good read? The chapter of this book titled “The Authors.” I’m excited for every one of these authors to graduate and bring the care and talent they put into this project to the next stage of their careers.

Amy Hofer

Coordinator, Statewide Open Education Library Services

openoregon.org

To create this book, Liz facilitated a yearlong community conversation around the question of “what do families need?” This question engaged many people with many perspectives, and a lot of learning happened. Helping students interweave existing knowledge with their own experiences was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. The team created a work that is multivoiced yet coherent, easy-to-understand while still reflecting the complexities of our world. It reflects families in our communities, meets the learning goals of this course, and saves students money.

I hope the larger OER community will improve this, customize it locally, and share it back. Most of the original content the Linn-Benton Community College team created is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Re-users should refer to the attributions and licenses in each section for more detailed information, and note that some chapters have more restrictive licenses. Because important parts of people’s lived experiences are not Creative Commons-licensed4 some components are included with permission or under fair use.

Michaela Willi Hooper, M.S.I.

OER & Textbook Affordability Librarian

Linn-Benton Community College

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The Authors

Elizabeth B. Pearce, Lead Author

Liz is a faculty member who teaches the Human Services classes at LBCC. She has combined sections of multiple different openly licensed texts, edited them for clarity, and expanded those chapters. In addition, she has written new chapters specifically focused on the field of Human Services. She is credited for her original work and as the second author on chapters where she made substantial changes and additions.

She is proud to be a member of an institution that supports the work of open educational resources and open pedagogy, which strive to increase equity for students. Her passion is creating opportunities and resources for transformative learning. She is a long-time faculty member at Linn-Benton Community College, teaching Human Development and Family Sciences courses and advising future Human Services and Social Work professionals. In addition she leads and mentors faculty in several areas: equity-based teaching, active learning, technology use, and open pedagogy.

Liz earned a Bachelor of Arts in Child Study with a Performing Arts minor at Tufts University. After teaching young children for four years, she returned to earn a Master of Education degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has also completed post-graduate coursework in child development, life course development theory, educational policy, and sociology at Wheelock College (now Boston University) and Oregon State University.

Christopher Byers

Christopher earned an Associate of Science degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, Human Services option in June 2020 from Linn-Benton Community College. HE is now headed to Portland State University for the social work program. Christopher helped start the Human Services Club at LBCC, has been active in Student Government and is currently working on acquiring his Drug and Alcohol Counseling Certificate at Emergence Addiction & Mental Health Services. He expects to graduate with his Bachelors of Social Work degree in 2022 and his Masters of Social Work in 2023.

Alexis Castaneda-Perez

Alexis Castaneda-Perez is a Psychology major at Oregon State University and LBCC. He researched and wrote for the Justice chapter as well as the Food and Water chapter. In addition he assisted with ensuring accessibility, accessing open resources, and creating chapter glossaries. He hopes to eventually become a therapist and help college students. When not at school he enjoys writing music and playing guitar.

Nyssa Cronin

Nyssa Cronin is a proud Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University alumni with a Bachelors of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences, emphasizing in Human Services and minoring in Public Health. Her academic and personal interests have led her to study trauma and how that impacts individual, interpersonal, familial, and community health. No doubt, this led her to understand how systemic structures impact individuals based on their race, class, and gender. As an ally, she believes that education should be free to all; this book marks a step forward in that pursuit.

Cassie Cruze

Cassie is a working single parent in the process of attaining her undergraduate degree in Human Development Family Sciences at Linn-Benton Community College with the hope to see social and personal goals met. She worked on the Justice Chapter of this book. She is employed by the Lebanon Downtown Association; her favorite aspect is creating experiences for individuals and families to have lasting memories. She enjoys working alongside her child as they volunteer for community organizations that serve Linn and Benton counties. She expects to graduate from Linn Benton in 2021.

Shonna Dempsey

Shonna is a 40 year old, first generation college student. She is a full-time mother, part-time employee, and full-time college student. She is currently enrolled at LBCC. She will be graduating with an AS in HDFS in 2021. Shonna worked on the Housing and Routines, Traditions, and Culture chapters, as well as the glossaries. After graduating she plans on transferring to obtain a bachelor’s degree in social work or in HDFS. Shonna’s dream job is to work with women coming out of addiction and domestic violence or at risk youth.

Ruta Faifaise

Ruta is a dual-enrolled LBCC and OSU student who is majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. She was awarded the Oscar Humberto Montemayor Award at the 2020 Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration as a student who “embodies Oscar’s ethos of selfless service; steady, strong, considerate leadership; and trailblazing spirit and heart.”

Jessica N. Hampton

Jessica is finishing up her associate degree in the Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) field at Linn-Benton CC, and is heading forward to continue HDFS at OSU to obtain her Bachelor of Science degree. She contributed to the Visual Culture: Art and Beauty chapter, as well as the Health chapter of this text. She is a feminist, a mother of two, and believes that the beginning of every individuals journey to success starts with receiving the necessary services and support needed to help them flourish.

Katherine Hemlock

Katherine Hemlock is a Human Development Family Sciences student, dual-enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University. She helped start the Human Services Club at LBCC and also uses her Applied Science Degree in Horticulture to teach a gardening class for Justice Involved Youth. Katherine enjoys writing and art, and contributed to the Housing chapter as well as creating several illustrations. She is a parent of two school-aged sons and two little dogs she trained to chase birds out of her blueberry patch and fruit trees.

Amy Huskey

Amy is a mom who is a volunteer leader at her children’s schools and in her community. She is studying Public Health at LBCC.

Carla Medel

Carla Medel is a current Oregon State University student who is dual enrolled at Linn Benton Community College. She is majoring in Psychology and holding minors in Human Development and Family Sciences and Spanish. As a young Latina who is also part of an immigrant family she found it extremely important to include the stories of people and families like hers to this book. Throughout this project she showed continuous motivation and drive to have future students see themselves reflected in academic learning materials as she did not get to experience that in her previous education. She will be graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2021 and is looking to further her education with a Masters degree.

Hannah Morelos

Hannah is currently an Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) major at LBCC with an emphasis in Human Services and soon plans to transfer to OSU for a Bachelor of Science in HDFS. She contributed to the Art and Beauty chapter along with the Health chapter. Hannah’s dream career is to work with troubled adolescents along with making an impact in the systems that affect young individuals.

Katie Niemeyer

Katie Niemeyer is an aspiring artist who wants to see the world change for the better. When she took on this project, she had no idea what was in store for her but this project helped her learn and grow into the person she is today.

Wesley Sharp

Wesley Sharp is currently a Human Services major at Linn-Benton Community College. Wesley’s main passion is avocation for socially disadvantaged groups mainly focusing on the LGBT+ community. He contributed to the Love and Nurturance Chapter as well as the Housing chapter. He hopes to eventually run a non profit organization on empowering and elevating queer youth as well as finding them safe and affirming living situations where there are none.

9

Dedication

To all learners who strive to understand their own relationship with privilege and discrimination while doing their best to listen and see the experience of others.

In memory of:

Sandra Angel Nelson

and

Dr. Alexis J. Walker

who worked to make the world more just.

10

Preface

I’ve changed. Understanding how privilege, power, oppression, and discrimination overlap is life-altering. It humbles me to consider how much privilege I have and to wonder what families in the United States would look like if greater equity existed. Teaching a social justice class has been transformational.

In 2007-2008 I took a sabbatical and was exposed to sociology, family, and social justice course work at Oregon State University. During that time I studied with Dr. Alexis J. Walker, Dr. Richard Settersten, and Dr. Becky Warner. I began to teach Contemporary Families in the United States (HDFS 201), at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC), which is a Difference, Power, and Discrimination course at both institutions.

My understanding continued to develop when I participated in the Difference, Power, and Discrimination Academy led by Dr. Nana Osei-Kofi at OSU. With the leadership of Dr. Katie Winder, DPD became institutionalized at LBCC. Colleague Matt Usner and I co-led the first DPD Faculty Learning Community in 2015. Continued learning is a core aspect of social justice learning. Just because I’ve taught about it for twelve years does not mean that I fully comprehend all of the complexities and depth of these concepts. I count myself among the learners among the community that I lead. Talking DPD teaching and learning alongside Isabelle Havet, Jane Sandberg, Lauren Visconti, Stephen Rust, Deron Carter, Christy Stevens, Verna Ourada, Matt Usner, Paul Hibbard, Joseph Jess, and Arfa Aflatooni is one of the privileges of teaching at LBCC.

Learning about privilege and oppression extends beyond the workplace. I am thankful to have family and friends who are willing to grapple with these concepts. Many dinner conversations with my daughters Rachel and Sarabeth and my partner Liz Baker have been devoted to dissecting the ways that we experience and observe institutionalized power and discrimination. So many hikes and walks have been absorbed by my own thinking or conversations about social justice with friends. Whatever I am reading, including my favorite thrillers, are seen through the lens of equity. Once you’ve seen it, it can’t be unseen.

My greatest pleasures, challenges, and growth come from my work with LBCC students. I hear your questions; I read your articulation of concepts; I listen to your experiences being discriminated against; I support your work to comprehend your own privilege; I strive to understand the oppression you have experienced but perhaps did not have the language to describe. The greater my interactions with you, the better teacher I become.

Through my interactions with students and colleagues, it became evident that the commercial text we were using did not fully support students in meeting the course outcomes. Searches over the past five years did not reveal an existing openly licensed (free to users to read, remix, or reuse) text. With funding and support from LBCC, I undertook to facilitate an open pedagogy project and write a new text. This new text takes an interdisciplinary approach that more fully supports understanding the interaction of society, institutions, privilege, and oppression.

There is strong instructional and budgetary support for creating open educational resources (OERs) that are free to students at LBCC. Certainly making knowledge more accessible makes college more equitable. Going beyond by involving student authors embeds equity within the actual text by facilitating the expression of diverse voices. Michaela Willi-Hooper, the OER Librarian, was instrumental in supporting this outcome. All three Deans who oversaw my work during this 18-month long project, Katie Winder, Oriana Mulatero Ferrando, and Meg Roland, provided additional support specifically so that students could be involved.

This openly licensed text approaches contemporary families from an equity lens and asks a question that more fully meets the Difference, Power, and Discrimination outcomes. “What do families need?” and “ How do society and institutions support or get in the way of families getting what they need?” In order to answer these questions, I included the voices of the consumers of this class. I asked, “What matters most to LBCC and OSU students when it comes to family needs?” This has shaped the content of the book; it is a far different book than I would have written alone. I wanted to emphasize diversity of viewpoint, experience, social identity, and voice. It was the best way I could think of to live the concepts of Difference, Power, and Discrimination.

It takes a lot of guts to help write a textbook when you are an undergraduate, even more if you are the first person in your family to attend college. The thirteen students who participated in this project have my utmost regard for their courage and their scholarship. Deep examination of institutionalized privilege, oppression and justice is challenging and painful. They brainstormed, questioned, researched, debated, outlined, drew, and wrote. Each one has their own personal connection to the needs of families and the inequities that families experience. They introduced and advocated for the inclusion of topics that have an immediate relevance to current students’ lives.

The book content was created from brainstorming and discussion sessions with the students, followed by research conducted by the student authors, librarian and contributor, Michaela Willi-Hooper, and myself. The brainstorming sessions conducted in person during the winter and via ZOOM in spring term were integral to expressing a diversity of voice. Without those sessions, my own perspective, that comes from experiencing more privilege than most students, would override topics and viewpoints that student families experience and care about. The three images here in the preface come from student brainstorming and journaling sessions. Much of the book is written either by me or via collaborative efforts with students; you will see groups of names listed on those chapters where we collaborated. In the Justice chapter, I wanted you to read the students’ words unfiltered; you will see the individual authors credited. I hope that future students will add to this chapter.

One of the best parts of an openly licensed digital text is that it is a living document. While this has been one of the most invigorating experiences of my life, it is not over. I invite you to be a part of the future of this text. When the time comes to revise this text, I will be incorporating the suggestions of colleagues, students, and friends. When there is more funding available, additional chapters with topics like education and employment will be added. I look forward to the future of this book, to its contribution to understanding inequities that families face, and the knowledge that it inspires us to advocate for and improve structures and society.

–Elizabeth B. Pearce

I

Chapter 1: Social Constructions

Click on the + in the Contents menu to see all the parts of this chapter, or go through them in order by clicking Next → below.

1

1.1 Chapter Learning Objectives

1.1.1 Learning Objectives Define social construction. Define social identities and social groups. Contrast the social construction of difference with a social construction. Explain how equity is different from equality and fairness. Explore the relationship between intersectionality and equity. Analyze how the government affects the structure of kinship and family. Describe family demographic trends in the United States. Relate the historical context of families in the United States to the social construction of “the family.”

1.1.2 Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives 1.1.2.1 Open Content, Original “Chapter Learning Objectives” by Elizabeth B. Pearce is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

2

1.2 The Family: A Socially Constructed Idea

Figure 1.1. Social constructions are ideas that reflect the world in which we live. To begin our study of contemporary families in the United States, we will first define an important concept that is used for a large portion of this book: social constructions. A social construction is a mutual understanding and accepted reality created by members of a society: something that is not determined by biology or the natural world. In the same way that the reflection of a train in Figure 1.1 represents a real object, our socially constructed ideas are reflections of the real world. Is there anything that humans have created that holds no real value in the natural world, yet we have assigned a great deal of value to it? If you are thinking of cash, you’re right on the money. Humans have determined that certain pieces of paper and metal objects are worth an agreed-upon value. For example, in the United States, a one dollar bill is worth 100 times the value of a penny. One of the ways that we can tell money is a social construction is that it varies from culture to culture and over time. When you visit another country, the United States dollar bill has to be “exchanged” for money that has a different appearance and value. Compare money with another thing of value to human beings: air. Air is needed by all human beings to survive. The need for air and its value do not change over time or from culture to culture. Social constructions also relate to behavior and activities. For example, what food would you expect to see on the menu when you go out for breakfast in the United States? What if the eating place were described as a “Mexican” restaurant? And what if you traveled to another country, say, Korea? What is eaten for breakfast varies from culture to culture and even person to person. And yet, in general, we have a socially constructed idea of what is typically breakfast food in the United States: eggs, bacon, cereal, toast, and fruit, but not vegetables, noodles, pinto beans, or hot dogs. One of the ways that you can recognize that something is a socially constructed idea is that it differs from place to place and changes over time. In addition, whatever is part of the socially constructed idea (in this case what typical breakfast foods are) becomes “the norm” or what is expected. While we might welcome trying some different foods for breakfast, they are not what is seen as the typical, or expected, American breakfast foods (Figure 1.2).