In most families of the world the father or male head exercises the greatest power. His authority comes from the customary deference shown to the oldest male of the family and from his legal right to control the family's property and the fate of its members. This system of male dominance is known as patriarchy. Its logical opposite, matriarchy, appears to exist only in theory. No true matriarchy, in which women run the family by law and custom, has yet been discovered.
In advanced industrial societies patriarchal arrangements tend to break down. American men, for instance, no longer have a monopoly over money, education, and social prestige. When the husband was the only wage-earner, his control of the family's resources gave him virtually unquestioned power to make decisions for his wife and children. Now that more women are earning salaries and going to college, their husbands are less able to dominate the family's decision making. A number of studies have shown that working wives have more power at home than other wives. Even in more egalitarian middle-class families, however, husbands usually make the big decisions: what kind of car to buy, where the family will live, and whether or not to buy a house. In day- to-day decision making wives typically exercise far greater authority than their husbands over children and households. But when husbands and wives disagree, it is usually the man who wins. In working-class families, especially, the husband almost always has the final say.
At least in the middle class, children also have a great deal of power. Either by themselves or in coalitions with one parent against the other, older children frequently are able to "swing the vote" their way on such family decisions as where to go on vacations and whether to buy a television set or a washing machine.
Alternatives to the Traditional Family
Many alternatives to the traditional family have been suggested. Perhaps the most sweeping attempt to do away with the family was made in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Because the Bolsheviks considered the basis of the family to be inherited property and male dominance, they believed that it perpetuated social inequalities that socialism was intended to abolish. Therefore, the new government made drastic changes in sexual, marital, and parental relationships. Because marriage was to be based on equality instead of property, marriages were performed and divorces were granted simply by registration. Any man and woman who lived together were also considered legitimately married with respect to property rights and inheritance. Parents were no longer responsible for their children's behaviour or financial support, and children were not responsible for their aging parents. All children were considered equally "legal," and no distinction was made between legitimate and illegitimate offspring. Young children were to be kept in child-care centers so that their mothers could work, or they were to be sent to boarding schools, away from their parents' influence.
The result of these policies was not at all what the Soviet leaders intended. Bigamy became widespread and parents could not control their children. Government boarding schools turned out to be too expensive, and there were not enough child-care centers. After 1935 the family began to be reinstated. Parents were again made responsible for the disorderly conduct of their children, and the Soviet newspaper Pravda proclaimed the new doctrine that sexual freedom was bourgeois and against socialist principles. Since 1944 only registered marriages got legal in the Soviet Union, and divorces were difficult to obtain. The principle of legitimacy is again in effect: only children born in legal marriages can claim their family's name and property. Bastards again carry the stigma of their "fatherless" status.
As the Soviet experiment showed, the family is not easy to replace. Its structure, however, does change rather rapidly in response to external social pressures. In the 1970s new forms of the family appeared. Some of these functional alternatives to the nuclear family are discussed below.
Living Together
In the last ten years happily unmarried couples have become more socially acceptable. In 1984 the Census Bureau counted 1.9 million unmarried men and women sharing the same household—three times the number counted in 19 7 0. Many are young adults who are postponing marriage and children in order to finish graduate school or pursue a career. Others are divorced and reluctant to enter another marriage for economic reasons. For many men and women cohabitation offers the benefits of marriage without its obligations. Now that premarital sex is widely tolerated and contraception or abortion is more readily available, simply living together is a feasible alternative to marriage.
Nevertheless, most couples live together for only a short period of time before they decide to break up or get married. Far from being a threat to traditional marriage, "living together" appears to be more like the final stage of courtship.
Staying Single
The recent trend toward later marriages plus the increased rate of divorce mean that many more people are now single and living alone. Most people who live alone are not "swinging singles" but elderly widows—a statistic that reflects the fact that women usually outlive their husbands by several years.
Single Parenthood
After unmarried households, the fastest-growing new form of the family is the single parent household. One out of four families with children under 18 is now headed by a single adult, usually the mother. If the current divorce rate continues, about half the children will spend at least part of their childhood living with one parent.Single parenthood is a major factor in the femininization of poverty during the 1970s.
With few guidelines to follow, single mothers and fathers must create their own rules for childrearing, dating, and family activities. Moreover, single parents must be both father and mother to children who have often been left angry and disoriented by a divorce. Although most single parents eventually remarry, single parenthood is rapidly becoming recognized as a new kind of the family.
V VOCABULARY
Task 4. Skim-read the text to find the problems you cannot come across in it.
1. A family constantly changes preserving its essence.
2. Every society has rules about what sorts of people are permitted to marry each other.
3. The family in industrial societies uniquely provides a private haven of emotional support.
4. Too much perfection can't spoil the family.
5. Many alternatives to the traditional family have been suggested.
Task 5. Match column A with column B.
| A | B | ||
| Intercourse | А закононародження; | ||
| Heritage | B | взаємна користь; | |
| Legitimacy | C | відповідний; | |
| Eligible | D | співжиття; | |
| Reciprocity | E | скасовувати; | |
| Perpetuate | F | зв’язок, стосунки; | |
| Abolish | G | відновлювати, відбудовувати; | |
| Stigma | H | стереотип, клеймо; | |
| Cohabitation | I | увіковічити; | |
| Reinstate | J | спадщина. |
Task 6. Fill in the correct wordsfrom the previous exercise into the gaps below (not all words are needed).
1. He is one of the most__________bachelors in Europe today.
2. Current policy only serves to______the old class divisions.
3. The government voted against ________ the death penalty.
4. Unfortunately, there's still a ____ attached to mental illness.
5. Britain_____slavery in 1807.
Task 7. Fill in the correct word or word combination from the box into the gaps below.
| companion shipmate regulations belief reproduction universality legitimacy drastic cohabitation social status |
1. The biological needs for sex and infant care do not explain the ___ of the family.
2. According to popular______, the incest taboo is a universal way of preventing the genetic deformities.
3. Children inherit a ____ _____, a particular place in the complex of social relationships.
4. The social process of linking a father to every child is known as ________ .
5. The family, in other words, is the primary means of social ____________ .
6. People in modern societies are subject to impersonal rules and bureaucratic ___
7. The modernization of the world has thus given people more freedom to choose a ____________ .
8. For many men and women ________ offers the benefits of marriage without its obligations.
9. The new government made _______ changes in sexual, marital, and parental relationships.
10. Although the family is losing some of its traditional functions, it remains the primary institution for love and ___________ .
Task 8. Are the following statements about the text true (T) or false (F)?
| 1. | In advanced industrial societies patriarchal arrangements tend to break down. | T / F |
| 2. | Every society does not intrude on what sorts of people are permitted to marry each other. | T / F |
| 3. | The family functions as an economic unit that provides innumerable services ranging from child care and food production to transportation and secretarial help. | T / F |
| 4. | Single parenthood has nothing to do with the feminization of poverty during the 1970s. | T / F |
| 5. | There is no doubt that the family is changing in profound, even revolutionary ways. | T / F |
Task 9. Now look again through a part of the text called A Haven in a Heartless World. Find words in the paragraphs, which mean the same as:
a) remarkably, particularly ___________________
b) insensible
c) fellowship
d) tospring up, emerge
e) brutal, barbarous
f) toglide, crowl
g) dark, severe
h) a husband, a wife
i) to chain `
Task 10. Look through a part of the text called Other Functions of the Family. Rearrange the letters to form a word used in the text.
| uagulraicrlt | aaffected by the other thing and changes if the other thing changes; | ||
| cuonrmse | btoo many to be counted; | ||
| crdouepr | c the activity of moving people or things from one place to another; | ||
| nedendetp | в involved in farming or used for farming | ||
| naimbuernle | e a person or company that grows food or makes goods to be sold; | ||
| tortioasprntan | fbe in dincharge of someone or something; | ||
| psirlesitionby | g сapability of doing something; | ||
| gileninswls | hsomeone who buys and uses goods and services. |
Task 11. Look through a part of the text called Forms of the Family. Power and Descent. Choose the best option to complete the sentences.
1. According to the text, American men no longer have a monopoly over money, education, and
a) economic prosperity
b) social prestige
c) culture
2. A number of studies have shown that working wives have more at home than other wives.
a) stress
b) responsibility
c) power
3. The author points out that in day-to-day decision making wives typically exercise far greater than their husbands over children.
a) immunity
b) authority
c) violation
4.The author claims, when husbands and wives disagree, it is usually the man who .
a) wins
b) says sorry
c) cries
5. At least in the middle-class, also have a great deal of power.
a) children
b) pets
c) senior members
Task 12. Skim a part of the text called Alternatives to the Traditional Family.Use the words from the right side to make the expressions with the words from the left side. Then translate them into Ukrainian.
| male | inequality |
| social | relationships |
| parental drastic | married center |
| legitimately | Dominance |
| financial | changes |
| child-care | support |
v GRAMMAR
|
Task 13. Fill in each gap with a suitable verb from the box, using the correct tense form.
| discus call try consist be shower |
1. He wished he had a family who would love him and ____ him with care, support and guidance.
2. If a family ____ of a couple and their children, living together under one roof it is called a nuclear family.
3. When there is a family, where there are parents and siblings of the couple, the family is ____ a joint family.
4. If we … with you about how a family strives to achieve all its functions, we would like you to get familiar with various stages in the life of a family.
5. If they had ____ to know and adjust with each other, it would have ____ a social, physical and mental preparation to face marriage.
Task 14. Replace each word/phrase in bold with a suitable expression from the box.
| immortal roots phenomenon essence offsprings mind |
1. To my viewpointthere is no exact definition, what a family is.
________________________________________________________________
2. It is definitely a fabulous occurrence, cemented by blood, which is thicker than water.
________________________________________________________________
3. It is really a masterpiece and as every genius creation of humanity it is surviving.
________________________________________________________________
4. Its source dates back to prehistoric times, and it has made a long way from polygamy to monogamy.
_______________________________________________________________
5. Like a real masterpiece it constantly changes preserving its burning issue.
6. Prehistoric mothers used to be as caring, over-protective and ambitious about their adorable kids, as all today's mothers are.
______________________________________________________________
Task 15. Study the table, translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.
| 1. to tell the truth | правду кажучи; |
| 2. to begin with | завершуючи; |
| 3. to conclude / to sum up | не кажучи про ...; |
| 4. to say nothing of | перш за все; почнемо з того, що; насамперед; |
| 5.to put it simply | коротше кажучи; |
| 6. to put it briefly | інакше кажучи; |
| 7.to put it another way | просто кажучи. |
1. A strong economy begins with a strong, well-educated workforce, to say nothing of its possible psychological effect.
2. To put it another way, in the new economy, information, education, and motivation are everything.
3. To avoid making mistakes is difficult, because, to begin with, to err is human.
4. To put it briefly, our nation's security, economy, and place on the world stage depends on the success of our educational system.
5. To tell the truth, after unmarried households, the fastest-growing new form of the family is the single parent household.
6. To put it simply, the connection between education and a healthy economy is critical.
Task 16. There is an extra word in each of the sentences below. Check your knowledge of Conditionals.
1. If everything had been seemed to be going badly, I would have turned to my parents for advice and understanding.
2. If we were asked to give the exact definition what a family is, we would be fail.
3. It is would be a mistake if one thinks that a happy family doesn't face any problems.
4. If you are a clever parent, you will have show how excited you are by your child's originality and search for ways to take it further.
5. If you sometimes are believe that your critical comments encourage your children to greater efforts, you might be wrong.
6. If your child will had got a number of criticisms, he would have lost not only his interest in creating, but a great deal of his confidence.
7. If they were clever and understanding parents, they would be being ready to experiment and find the way out.
8. If he were a crest fallen orphan, he would be dream about a generous loving mother.
Task 17. Complete the asterisked gaps in the chart below with words from a part of the text called The Regulation of Sex.Then fill in the other gaps.
| NOUN | ADJECTIVE | VERB |
| * | prohibit | |
| permission | * | |
| * | access | |
| * | accept | |
| allowable | * | |
| * | exceptive | |
| * | believe | |
| conceivability | ||
| enmeshed | * | |
| * | continue | |
| sociology | * |
Task 18. Write down a suitable question for the following answers. Pay attention to the correct type forms of Conditionals.
A. What __________________________________________________________?
Children inherit a social status, a particular place in the complex of social relationships.
B.If you were asked to give a definition of ______________________________?
Legitimacy is the social process of linking a father to every child.
C. What___________________________________________________________?
Schools might play even a greater role in socializing children.
D. If your grandparents had lived in ____________________________________?
Since 1944 only registered marriages got legal in the Soviet Union, and divorces were difficult to obtain.
Task 19. Rearrange these words to form sentences, and translate them into Ukrainian.
1.the / is / taboo / genetic / universal / a / preventing / incest / of / way / the deformities/
2.the / been / family / alternatives / suggested / traditional / have / many / to /
3. and / social / the / is / the / means / of / biological / family / primary / reproduction /
4. for / couples / become / acceptable / happily / years / unmarried / have / ten / last / more / socially / the /
5. more / living / and / alone/ people / now / single / many / are /
Task 20. Find at least four examples of Conditionals in the text you have read.
v TRANSLATION
Task 21. Translate the following paragraph into Ukrainian, pay attention to the Conditionals.
 |
Task 22. Choose the best option to translate the sentences.
1. If I had had a larger number of questionnaires returned, I would have got more useful data.
A. Якщо б у мене було більше різноманітних словників, моя база була би кращою.
В. Якщо у мене буде більше опрацьованих анкет, я отримаю більше корисної інформації.
С. Якщо б у мене тоді було більше опрацьованих анкет, я би отримав більше корисної інформації.
2. I would receive more completed questionnaires if I made the questions easier to answer.
A. Я отримав би більше опрацьованих анкет, якби питання були простішими.
В. Я б отримав складніші питання, якби сам не поставив такі складні питання.
С. Я отримав складну анкету, бо думав, що зможу відповісти на питання цієї анкети.
3. I am more successful with my interviews if I plan the questions more thouroughly.
A.Я отримаю успішніші результати, якщо буду планувати питання ретельніше.
В. Я би отримав кращі результати, якщо би планував питання ретельніше.
C.Я отримую успішніші результати на інтерв’ю, якщо ретельніше планую питання.
4. Якщо б я тоді підготував детальніші питання, це б занадто стурбувало інтерв’юерів.
А.If I had prepared the questions in more detail, it would have restricted the interviewees too much.
В. If I had prepared the questions in more detail, it would have restrict the interviewees too much.
С.If I had been prepared the questions in more detail, it would restricted the interviewees too much.
5. Якби я розпочав збирати дані раніше, то не було б такого поспіху у кінці.
AIf I started collecting data sooner, it wouldn’t have been such a rush in the end.
BIf I start collecting data sooner, it wouldn’t be such a rush in end.
CIf I started collecting data sooner, it wouldn’t be such a rush in the end.
6. Якщо навіть шлюб вже більше не актуальний, він все одно лишається популярним.
AIf marriage will be no longer necessary, it is still just popular.
B If marriage is no longer necessary, it is still just as popular.
CIf marriage is no longer necessary, it was still just as popular.
v WRITING
Task 23. Think about the main concepts of marriage and family. List all the problems touched upon in thetext. Discuss the outcome together.
Task 24. Summarize what you have read in the text in 10 sentences.
Task 25. Prepare a brief report (about 70 words) on the development of the family as a social institution. Find additional information on the problem.
Begin with:
CHECK YOUR WORK
Have you
used any interisting expressions from the text in your summary?
checked your spelling?
used any Conditionals?
ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE
1. a) 0 b) 5 c) 10
2. a) 0 b) 5 c) 10
3. 0 nurse/artist first
2 builder/policeman or police woman/teacher/journalist first
5 engineer/actor/actress/pop star first
10 politician/accountant first
4. Yes 10 No 0
5. Yes 0 No 10
6. a) 0 b) 2 c) 5 d) 10
7. Yes 10 No 0
8. Yes 10 No 0
9. Yes 10 No 0
10. Yes 10 No 0
11. Immediately 10 Last moment 0
12. Yes 10 No 0
13. Yes 10 No 0
14. Yes 10 No 0
15. Love 0 Happiness 5 Money 10 Health 0
Your score
0 – 50You aren't very ambitious! You're happy with a quiet life.
50 – 100 You're quite ambitious, but you don't want to work too hard!
Over 100 You're very ambitious! Good luck, and try to be nice to people.
UNIT 12
Дата: 2016-10-02, просмотров: 202.
