Social institution

Introduction

The expression, "social institution" has been defined differently by both philosophical literatures and other language literatures. In general, contemporary sociologists apply the expression to refer to complex social forms that reproduce themselves such as the family, human languages, governments, hospitals, business corporations, universities and legal systems. A social institution is, therefore, use to refer to a complex, integrated set of social norms structured around the maintenance of basic societal values. Social institutions determining Kinship, provide for the legitimate use of power, transmit knowledge from one generation to the next, regulating the distribution of goods and services, ; and regulate our relation to the supernatural. These five essential functions are performed by the government, family, education, economy, and religion. Family is, therefore, one of the fundamental social institutions.

Family as a social institution

The family as an institution serves the function of socializing and nurturing children, providing a sense of belonging and identity and passing on generational traditions. The universality of family indicates that they are deeply rooted in human nature besides being critical in the maintenance and development of orders. Belonging to a family or being a family member of means that one has certain responsibilities, legal and cultural rights that are spelled out in both formal and informal laws and traditions. For example, parents have the legal obligations to provide food, clothing, shelter and nurturance to their children. The failure to do so may result in parents facing legal charges of neglect or abuse. Another example regards the contemporary debates surrounding same-sex marriage. According to Andersen and Taylor 2009, Most members of the society presume that al families are meant to be Heterosexual. As a result, those living in gay and lesbian marriages invent novel practices not supported by the institutional fabric of society. They incorporate traditional marriage rites that take place such as within the wedding shower, engagement, rehearsal dinner, bachelor party, wedding ceremony, and honeymoon. (Andersen and Taylor 2009)

Family as a culture symbol

The family stands for a powerful cultural symbol. For example,, family theme parks, family restaurants and "family movie" part at the local video store. In addition, consider the familiar rhetoric of "family values" made use of in many political agendas and campaigns. In these aspects, term "family" is a symbol of wholesomeness. As such, "family" carries a great deal of symbolic importance, which goes beyond mere cohabitation. (Stiers, 2011)

Social Functions of the Family

The First social function of a family is the socialization of children. Parents, siblings, and other relatives all take part in the practice of socializing children from the time they are born. The society is possible without enough socialization of its young. In most societies, the socialization process takes place in the family setting. Secondly, the family plays the role of emotional and practical support for its members. It provides the members with food, shelter, clothing and other essentials. Further, it provides them with love, help, comfort in times of emotional grief in addition to other types of intangible support that we members require. Thirdly, the family as an institution helps regulate sexual reproduction and regulate sexual activity. All societies have norms that govern how often and with whom a person should have sex. The family acts as the most important unit for teaching such norms and the primary unit through which sexual reproduction occurs.

The primary reasons for the establishment of such norms are to ensure that children have enough practical and emotional when they are born. Practices such as incest are forbidden in most societies. The norms that regulate such behavior between certain relatives helps to reduce conflict inside the family. As well, the family provides a social identity to its members. Children are born into their parents’ social class, race and ethnicity, religion, and so forth. Various children have advantages throughout life owing to the social identity they obtain from their parents. Similarly, other children face many obstacles due to the social race class and ethnicity into which they were born. (Newman, 2009)

Conflict theory perspective

According to conflict theorist, the family institution contributes immensely to social inequality by reinforcing patriarchy and economic inequality. The family contributes towards conflict, including violence physical and emotional cruelty, for its members. The family contributes to social inequality in several ways. The lifelong chances of children are not only affected by their life chances, but it also establishes society’s system of stratification. The family helps reinforce existing inequality because they pass along wealth to their children,. Family has also helped to retain the status at the top of the social hierarchy especially during industrialization. This has enabled the family to become more and more of a patriarchal unit. Lastly, the family can also be a source of conflict for its members through physical abuse, arguing, shouting and emotional cruelty. Not all families provide the necessary emotional support to family members.

Conclusion

Family is an essential component of our everyday lives. The issue of who is to be included, how individuals balance personal needs with family responsibilities and how private or public it is, reflect the values we hold as a society. Moreover, while individual often think of family solely in personal terms, the relationships are to a large extent shaped by social structure. Our behaviors, attitudes, and experiences are not entirely random.

References

Newman, David M. (2009). Families: A Sociological Perspective. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Stiers, Gretchen A. (2011) Marriage, and Family in Lesbian and Gay Relationships." Understanding Contemporary Families, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard F. Taylor (2009) Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth.

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