Chapter Thirteen: Families

Marriage and FamilyCopyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 2

Chapter OverviewChapter Overview Marriage and Family in

Global Perspective

Marriage and Family in

Theoretical Perspective

The Family Life Cycle

Diversity in U.S.

Families

Marriage and Family in

Global Perspective

Marriage and Family in

Theoretical Perspective

The Family Life Cycle

Diversity in U.S.

Families

Trends in U.S.

Families

Divorce and

Remarriage

Two Sides of

Family Life

The Future of

Marriage and

Family

Trends in U.S.

Families

Divorce and

Remarriage

Two Sides of

Family Life

The Future of

Marriage and

Family

Marriage and Family

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Family DefinedFamily Defined

Two or more people

That are related by blood, marriage, or adoption

or or

Are part of a relationship that includes mutual rights and obligations and is assumed to be permanent

Marriage and Family

Nuclear Family – husband, wife, and their immediate children

Extended Family – nuclear family plus grandparents, cousins and other relatives living in the same household or nearby

Family of Orientation – family a person grows up in

Family of Procreation – family formed when a couple has their first child

Marriage – a group’s approved mating arrangements, usually marked by a ritual or some sort (wedding) to indicate the couple’s new public status.

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Marriage and Family

Mate Selection Informal Norms dictate who should marry who.

Exogamy Norm requiring that mates be selected from outside one’s group or

category

Endogamy Norm requiring that mates be selected from one’s own group or

category

Courtship and Marriage PatternsCourtship and Marriage Patterns

Marriage and Family

Societies around the world trace descent in various ways:

Patrilineal – father’s side

Matrilineal – mother’s side

Bilineal – father’s and mother’s side

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Marriage and Family

Monogamy Marriage of one woman & one man

Serial monogamy

Polygamy Marriage to multiple spouses

Polyandry and polygyny

Courtship and Marriage PatternsCourtship and Marriage Patterns

Marriage and Family

Functions of the Family Defining and limiting sexual access Reproducing new members and integrating them into

society Socializing new members Care of the young & the elderly Providing emotional support Providing ascribed statuses

Courtship and Marriage Courtship and Marriage PatternsPatterns

Marriage and Family

The family is universal because it fulfills certain functions including: sexual control, socialization, care of the sick and aged, recreation, economic production

Talcott Parsons (1950) stated that men fulfill the instrumental role and women fulfill the expressive role in the family

Dysfunctions include: incest, abuse, and divorce

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Marriage and Family

The family is a reflection of the patriarchal society in which many societies live

Families are arenas of conflict where members struggle for resources or power

There are many dual earner families today but women still pull the “second shift” (Hoschild) leaving many women dissatisfied with their marriage

7 ½ to 11 hours a week than what their husbands contribute.

The balance between power in marriages has led to the rising divorce rate

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Marriage and Family

Strategies of resistance (Struggles over Household chores)—Hochschild (1989) Waiting it Out Playing Dumb Needs Reduction Substitute Offerings

The Conflict PerspectiveThe Conflict Perspective

Marriage and Family

Jesse Bernard – husbands and wives “see” their marriages in different lights which causes a lot of dissatisfaction

Focus on “negotiating meanings” in marriage and families

Looks at the meaning of housework

Looks at the definition of family, marriage, and divorce has changed over the past 50 years

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Marriage and Family

Dating and Mate Selection

Courtship Romantic love Marriage squeeze Propinquity

Homogamy The selection of a mate with personal and social characteristics similar to one’s own.

Heterogamy The selection of a mate with social characteristics different than one’s own

Dating and MatingDating and Mating

Marriage and Family

Cohabitation Two people living

together without legal marriage

U.S. Families over the

Life Course

Marriage and Family

U.S. Families over the Life CourseS

inglehood Postponing marriage Widowhood and divorce

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Marital satisfaction tends to follow a U curve

Marital satisfaction is at its highest points when couples first get married and at the retirement stage

Marital satisfaction decreases with the arrival of the first child

During the empty nest stage satisfaction increases

42 % of children ages 24-29 are still living at home today and are often referred to as “the boomerang generation”

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 17

Marriage and Family

Grandparents as Parents – more grandparents are fulfilling the parental role as more parents are working

Sandwich Generation – families who are taking care of their children and their parents at the same time; often this responsibility is taken on by the daughter’s

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 18

Marriage and Family

Marriage and Divorce

Marriage Rates

steady decline since

early 1970s

Divorce Rates increased

dramatically in last 60 years

Marriage and Family

Divorce rates rose between 1950 and 1980 and since then the numbers have leveled off

Divorce has increased because of: changing norms, less stigma, and governmental policies

The effects of divorce on children are varied

Serial Fatherhood – fathers who keep in contact with their children for about a year after a divorce, get remarried, and refocus their attention to the “new” family

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Marriage and Family

Marriage and FamilyCopyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 22

Marriage and Family

Child Abuse – the majority of victims are children under the age of six

The most common form of child abuse is neglect

Other forms of child abuse are emotional and physical abuse

Spousal Abuse – more men than women are the perpetrators of spousal abuse

Women stay in abusive relationships for various reasons including: lack of resources, fear of retaliation, salvation ethnic, blaming themselves

Police response to abuse has changed in recent years

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Marriage and Family

Studies of couples that have been married for 50 years indicate that there are several reasons for lasting happiness:

1.Thinking of their spouse as their best friend

2.They laugh together

3.They share the same goals

4.Think of marriage as being sacred

5.Think of marriage as a long-term commitment

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