Title: Sociology of the family.

POPLINE Document Number: 201653

Author(s):

Nock SL

Source citation:

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 1987. xiv, 401 p.

Abstract:

Nock concentrates on families in the American context. He discusses the essential theoretical framework employed by sociologists who study the family and presents an extended discussion of worldwide variations found in family structures and functioning. The 1st 3 chapters discuss the varieties of families and ways of studying them. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 form a section entitled Family Formation and Dissolution, and 7, 8, and 9 form a section labeled Family Transitions. The final section, The Family and Other Institutions, includes chapters on education, the economy, the state, and religion. The chapter on economy discusses issues of family economics, family budgets, poverty, labor force behavior, prestige, and time-use. Family law, family policy, and welfare programs are considered in detail in the section on the state. The education chapter includes a discussion of the social importance of age, of the timing and importance of life-cycle transitions, of the conflict between parents and schools over the content of the curriculum, and family influence in academic success. The chapter on religion considers the religious aspects of marriage, fertility, socialization, divorce, and sex roles. It also includes descriptions of the typical family patterns found among Catholics, Jews, and Protestants in the US.

Keywords:

United States
Family and Household
Mate Selection
Marriage
Divorce
Remarriage
Parents
Child
Family Policy
Developed Countries
North America
Americas
Nuptiality
Marriage Patterns
Family Relationships
Family Characteristics
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Social Policy
Policy