Introduction
The family belongs to the cohort of complex and constantly developing social institutions. In this regard, various sociological theories can be applied to studying processes occurring within the family and evaluating their impact on society. For example, Landor and Barr (2018) studied the role of skin tone as a component of social exchange and found that a lighter skin tone is perceived as a status advantage in intimate relationships. Nocentini et al. (2019) confirmed that family conflict could act as a direct driver or indirect mediator of victimization and school bullying. Lastly, the structural functionalist approach helped understand families as systems and exposed the impact of systemic racism on families and their members (Allen & Henderson, 2022). Therefore, these theoretical perspectives can be applied to studying the systemic privilege of the Standard North American Family (SNAF).
Standard North American Family
In general, SNAF can be described as a proclaimed ideal of family structure in the U.S. and all of North America. According to Letiecq (2019), SNAF is characterized as a White, married, opposite-sex monogamous couple that embodies traditional gender roles and rears their biological children. In addition, this family type is associated with a relatively high socioeconomic status (SES) — a hypothetic SNAF owns a house in a middle-class neighborhood (Letiecq, 2019). SNAF’s dominance did not emerge by accident — its privileged position was actively consolidated through legislation and policies. For instance, the U.S. government implemented 1,138 federal benefits, rights, and protections aimed at helping heterosexual marital unions exclusively (Letiecq, 2019). Furthermore, SNAF supremacy was reinforced in cultural representations of healthy family life, as single-parent, queer, interracial, and low-income families were frequently marginalized (Letiecq, 2019). As such, SNAF can be viewed as an ideological concept, an image of a perfect family perpetuated in society for a long time.
Consequently, other family structures are deemed inferior to SNAF since SNAF became a systemically promoted social institution. In particular, Letiecq (2019) provides an example of multiple-partner fertility (MPF) family that involve individuals having biological children with more than one partner. On paper, MPF can be considered a neutral attribute that can occur in various family configurations. However, the dominant position of the SNAF in the family structure hierarchy leads to a significant distortion in MPF perception. For instance, typical MPF studies focus on documenting and problematizing the fertility patterns of unmarried and low-income couples, thus categorizing MPF families as a disorder. In addition, the MPF studies tend to focus strictly on marginalized groups, omitting more privileged families of this type from the general picture (Letiecq, 2019). As a result, SNAF becomes further institutionalized as the only problem-free family type. In contrast, the details and strengths of MPF or other complex and diverse family structures are largely ignored.
The trend for subconscious pro-SNAF bias can be identified in other ethnic groups in the United States. The SNAF concept is based on a stereotypical depiction of a happy and prosperous White American family. In this regard, Whiteness, or at least a lighter skin tone, has become associated with favorable outcomes in family life. Due to the SNAF image promotion through the legislation and social policies, people of non-White ethnicities have adopted the pro-SNAF attitudes that can be explained via the social exchange theory. According to Landor and Barr (2018), darker-skinned African Americans of higher SES marry lighter-skinned African Americans of lower SES to exchange economic advantage for skin tone. As a result, racial inequality perpetuates in American society since darker skin color becomes inherently associated with status disadvantage.
In this regard, one can find it logical that SNAF is effectively immune to a negative application of social, cultural, and historical constructs. In contrast, other family structures, such as MPF, face marginalization and social criticism. For instance, conservative pundits shamed MPF families of color and lower SES for the lack of values, morality, and self-control. However, these pundits also ignored that Donald Trump’s family comprises five children from three different marriages (Letiecq, 2019). According to Rodgers and Kohler (2016), Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would have been barred from entering high-level politics if they had children from three different spouses (as cited in Letiecq, 2019, p. 7). Therefore, in this example, one can see how Trump’s identity as a wealthy White man allowed him to blend his family into the SNAF category. Consequently, Donald Trump became invulnerable to any MPF-related criticism due to systemic privileges associated with SNAF’s public perception.
Conclusion
In conclusion, one can claim that SNAF has become an embodiment of perfect family structure from the functionalist perspective. Consequently, other family structures such as MPF are routinely marginalized, which justifies SNAF’s systemic privileges. The privileged position among the family structure types makes SNAF appealing to various ethnic groups despite its distinct focus on White Americans. As a result, families of color and lower SES are forced to choose between pursuing the SNAF ideal or facing social disapproval and discrimination. Overall, one can perceive SNAF’s privilege as a manifestation of systemic inequalities deeply rooted in American society.
References
Allen, K. R., & Henderson, A. C. (2022). Family theorizing for social justice: A critical praxis. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 1-20.
Landor, A., & Barr, A. (2018). Politics of respectability, colorism, and the terms of social exchange in family research. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 330-347.
Letiecq, B. L. (2019). Surfacing family privilege and supremacy in family science: Toward justice for all. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3), 1-14.
Nocentini, A., Fiorentini, G., Di Paola, L., & Menesini, E. (2019). Parents, family characteristics and bullying behavior: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 41-50.