Sociological Perspective Of Family Essay

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When asked to describe a family, what is the typical response? In a traditional perspective, a family consists of a father, mother, brother, and sister. However, if a random sample of families was taken today, a large amount of them would not resemble the traditional portrayal of a family. Families can contain single parents, multiple children, extended relatives and several other diverse components. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is defined as a group of related people living together. For the family in the television show The Fosters, their household consists of an interracial, lesbian couple Stef Foster and Lena Adams and their biological, adoptive, and foster children. Although they are not all blood-related, they are still considered a family. In a sociological perspective, a "family deals with reproduction and the care and support for children and adults." In The Fosters, Lena becomes pregnant through insemination because she has the desire to have a biological child …show more content…

For example, the institutional marriage requirements "revolved around things like food production, shelter, and protection from violence." Following this was the companionate era which was "centered around intimate needs such as to love, be loved and to experience a fulfilling sex life." Since then, we have adapted to an era of the self-expressive marriage in which "Americans now look to marriage increasingly for self-discovery, self-esteem, and personal growth." In today's society, love is seen as a requirement for marriage. "DNA doesn't make a family. Love does." This is one of the most inspirational quotes from the show because growing up in a nontraditional family is not the easiest, considering the world we live in. When Stef realizes she is no longer in love with her ex-husband Mike, she discovers her true feelings and finds what she is looking for in life which is a relationship with

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