Myth of the Monolithic Family

1888 Words8 Pages
What does Baker (2001) mean by the myth of the monolithic family and how does that relate to academic and government definitions of the family? This is a difficult question to answer without first looking at both what a family is in general and then, more specifically, what is a monolithic family. Once this is established, then we can define why Baker (among others) defined this monolithic family as a myth. We will then be able to relate this definition to the differences between the academic definition and government definition of the family. Before we can begin to look at what Baker says of the ‘myth of the monolithic family’, we first need to attempt to define what a family actually is (and this is a very difficult task!). Baker shows that when we think about families, we usually base our initial thoughts one our own close relationships. If we study families from a sociological perspective, we must put aside our personal assumptions about what constitutes a ‘normal’ family (Baker, 2001, p2) and what this ‘normal’ family should look like. This definition is also confirmed by Aspin, who says that when we study the family “it is difficult to ignore our beliefs about what a family is, what a family should be, and what a family should do for its members” (1987, p1). These definitions from Baker and Aspin already show that there will be many, many different ideas and ideals of what a family could, would and should be. This will not only be based around what type of family that you have grown up in (our family life and close relationships) but also where you grew up and the social, political and cultural norms and ideals of the society that you have grown up in and around. When we think about our idea of what a ‘family’ is, we will all have a different definition. With the great variety of living arrangements and social entities that exist in today’s society,

More about Myth of the Monolithic Family

Open Document