#3

 

This week in class we learned about social class and cultural diversity and how it effects families and the other way around, how families effect social class and cultural diversity.

How does the family create and/or perpetuate the culture?

Ones culture depends a lot on the family’s dynamic. It depends on how close the mum and dad are, how many kids, the relationship between parents and kids, married or cohabitating? Many other factors contribute to your family’s culture. When I think about how my own family creates/perpetuates the culture a few examples come to mind. I am very close and open with my parents and tell them nearly everything. This has created a culture of openness, trust, and love between us. Because I opened up to my parents and they welcomed the conversation that created a positive attribute that adds to our family culture, we all seem to be pretty open with one another. The family creates its culture by how they interact and treat each other and what becomes the norm. How they interact and treat each other depends on what I said earlier such as how close the mum and dad are.

Are all cultures equally valid; do they all meet the same purposes with the same effectiveness?

Different cultures have different purposes and different effectiveness. I think some cultures produce better outcomes. For example, if the family culture is based on a parents co habituating relationship, it doesn’t have the same outcome as married parents with children. Family culture can also contribute to social class. Single mothers are usually in a lower class because they only have one income and its harder to be there to impact their children. A single mum probably won’t have the same effectiveness as a stay-at-home mum whose husband works. Although it depends on every individual situation.

How can one carefully choose the aspects of one's culture to keep, and how do we perpetuate those into coming generations?

I think people have a basic understanding of what aspects of their family culture they would like to continue based on their childhood experience. You can carefully select what aspects to keep based on what gave you a positive experienced opposed to negative. Traditionally a family starts with two people and its important to discuss what aspects you both want to bring in, especially when it comes to having kids. To perpetuate certain values in your own family culture into coming generations I think you have to tie them to a positive experience. That way when the former child is grown and having their own family, they will look back on certain aspects with a positive outlook and will want to give the same positive experience to their children.

What are two aspects of your own culture you'd like to perpetuate?

In my family a big part of the culture was education. I was 4 when my parents went into university and throughout my life I watched them earn degrees. That’s something I would like to bring into my future family’s culture, valuing education. I saw how it helped my family’s life when I was younger, and I think my university education will positively contribute to my future family. Secondly, I want to have a relationship with my kids like I do with my parents, able to be open with each other and express feelings. I think it’s important to give your child a safe environment that they can express their emotions in.

Traditions are "inherited patterns of belief or behavior". Which traditions encourage the best in families and individuals, and which might best be discarded?

I think the best family outcome is intact biological families, therefore that is a belief that would be beneficial to pass on.