Deck 1: The Family in Question: What Is the Family Is It Universal

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an assumption made by Murdock in his definition of a family?

A) All family members must live in the same residence.
B) Families have a shared culture around eating, sleeping, and grooming.
C) Families must include a heterosexual, married couple.
D) All adults in the family must contribute financially.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Social constructs often result in double standards between the ways humans behave and the ways in which they are expected to behave. Which of the following is a social construct that results in double standards?

A) the patriarchy
B) notherhood/womanhood
C) family values
D) wage earning

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Using examples from Gittins, describe the relationship between gender and age in determining the allocation of work within a society. Then, provide an example from your own life demonstrating how gender and/or age impacted your understanding of family.

Answer 3

Varies. May include the following:
-Although gender is ascribed in all societies, very few jobs are performed solely by men or women and are instead allocated through a combination or gender and age.
-Young men may hunt, while old men and women may care for children.
-Young men and women may work in fields, while old women prepare food.
-Eldest daughters often take responsibility for younger siblings, whereas sons tend to have more free time for playing and socializing

Question 4

What conclusion can you draw from the universality of an incest taboo?

A) Cultures vary in the definition of incest, but it is has never been tolerated.
B) All societies have social rules and norms for sexuality and reproduction.
C) A universal trait should be included in the definition of kinship.
D) People are universally concerned with keeping bloodlines "pure."

Question 5

According to Gittins, why is Edholm's anthropological definition of kinship preferable to the functionalist definition of the family?

A) It argues that there is no biological base to kinship.
B) It argues that kinship is a straightforward biological relationship.
C) It stresses the fact that kinship is a social construct and emphasizes the variability of kinship.
D) It specifically outlines the importance of gender and age in understanding families.

Question 6

The negative impact of the socially constructed nature of biological kinship in western societies can be seen in which of the following examples?

A) A child physically looks like both her mother and her father.
B) A child who was conceived via a sperm donor feels no need to meet the donor.
C) A child with two mothers is often teased about "not having a real family."
D) A child is given her father's last name on her birth certificate.

Question 7

Because of the historical emphasis on studying vertical relationships in families and neglecting lateral relationships, in addition to siblings, which potential kin group has been underexamined?

A) aunts and uncles
B) mothers
C) fathers
D) children

Question 8

Which of the following concepts of family are NOT variable over time and among cultures?

A) childrearing
B) age
C) siblings
D) resource allocation

Question 9

Using at least two pieces of evidence that demonstrate why many definitions of family do not adequately account for the diversity within and outside of contemporary western society, explain why "the family" is a social construction.

Question 10

Which of these statements supports the notion that maternal instinct is a social fallacy?

A) Maternity is always known, while paternity is potentially contestable.
B) The biological basis of motherhood begins with carrying and giving birth to a child.
C) Women feel a drive to procreate and nurture above and beyond what is felt by men.
D) Women employ a number of different techniques to mitigate, delay, or alter motherhood, including contraception, nannies, extended relatives, and more.