Chapter 9 Chapter Summary

Chapter Overview

Families experience many kinds of stress that affect their ability to function well. Immigrants experience acculturative stress—stress due to being forced to adapt to a new culture with different customs and traditions. In general, however, family stress falls into four categories. Major upheavals include times of natural disaster and war that affect many people simultaneously. Major life transitions are acute disruptions that affect some family members but not others, the death of a family member, the birth of a baby, or a divorce. Chronic stressors include disability, mental health problems, and occupational issues. Occasional stressors include car accidents, burglaries, and even family vacations. Divorce is a particularly large stressor. Until the 1960s getting a divorce was a challenge as one had to demonstrate that one spouse had shown fault, often through adultery. The Divorce Act of 1968 adjusted how divorce could be attained. With the Divorce Act it was possible to divorce on the basis of marital breakdown.

Due to the reality of forced segregation of Indigenous people through the residential school system, the traditional system of child-rearing practices for Indigenous Canadians has been largely lost. The Truth and reconciliation process attempts to rectify some of the long-term consequences of forced cultural loss. Indigenous women face their own specific set of problems. For example, until recently, if they married outside of the Indigenous community, they would lose their Indian status. The same rule did not apply to Indigenous men.

The structural functionalist believes that the family is an integral part of society and is necessary for their nurturing and socializing roles. Conflict theorists believe that families operate to serve the best interests of the capitalists as they form their own workforce with zero pay. Feminists believe that the labour divide and wage divide within the family are arbitrary and can/should be changed to facilitate greater equality for women. They also look at the family through an intersectionality framework, where they see that white women have a different experience in their families than do black women. Of particular concern to feminists is the notion of the patriarch, male dominance that puts females at a disadvantage. Symbolic interactionists see the family as a primary socializing agent and that myths about the family preserve the continuation of the family form. Social constructionists look at the role of the myth in the family dynamic, but they are concerned about the ways that these myths shape the media’s interpretation of the family and in turn beliefs held by moral entrepreneurs.