1 / 28

Family

Family. Chapter 11. Marriage and Family Defined. Marriage - a legal union based on mutual rights and obligations. Family - a group of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption. In the U.S., marriage traditionally involves a legal relationship between a man and a woman.

anoki
Download Presentation

Family

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Family Chapter 11

  2. Marriage and Family Defined • Marriage - a legal union based on mutual rights and obligations. • Family - a group of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption. • In the U.S., marriage traditionally involves a legal relationship between a man and a woman.

  3. Cross-Cultural Analysis of Family and Marriage • Nuclear family – wife, father, and children • Extended family – nuclear family plus other relatives – like grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. • Marriage = wedding - culture

  4. Dimensions of Family Structure • Patrilineal – descent and inheritance are passed from the father to his male descendants. • Matrilineal – descent and inheritance are passed on from the mother to her female descendants. • Patriarchal control – oldest man living in household has authority over the rest of the family members. • Matriarchal control – oldest woman living in the household holds the authority. • Democratic/Egalitarian control – authority is split evenly between husband and wife.

  5. Mate Selection • Romantic Love – idea of people being sexually attracted to one another and idealizing the other • Ex. Soul mate • 2 components: 1) Emotional – feeling of sexual attraction 2) Cognitive – feeling we describe as being “in love” • Homogamy –the tendency to marry someone similar to oneself based on personal preference. • Heterogamy– partners are dissimilar with respect to some important social characteristics. • Interracial marriage

  6. Intermarriage Types, Newly Married Couples in 2008

  7. Types of Marriages • Monogamy – marriage of one man to only one woman at a time. • Polygamy – marriage of a male or female to multiple partners of the other sex at the same time. • Polygyny– marriage of one man to two or more women at the same time. • Polyandry – marriage of one woman to two or more men at the same time (found in South Asian countries. e.g. Tibet, Nepal).

  8. Functionalist Theory of Families - Stresses how family is related to other parts of society and how it contributes to the well-being of society Functions of the Family • Economic production, socialization of children, care of sick and aged, recreation, sexual control, and reproduction.

  9. Conflict Theory and Family • Draws attention to the struggles of scarce resources: • Housework = time, energy, leisure • “second shift” • Examines women’s oppression and how the family has been used to maintain male domination of females.

  10. Symbolic Interaction and Family • Understanding behavior within the family based on the interactions among family members and in the meanings that members assign to these interactions. • How each sex experiences marriage differently • Ex. housework • Socialization begins within the family. • Relationships within the family are constantly being redefined.

  11. Theoretical Perspectives

  12. Nature of the American Family • Marriage rate – the number of marriages per year for every one thousand members of a population. • The U.S. marriage rate has fluctuated since 1940.

  13. Divorce • Divorce rate – the number of divorces annually for every thousand members of the population. • Research – people who go to college, belong to a religion, wait to get married, and have children have a much better chance of their marriage lasting. • Working with co workers of opposite sex and working with people who are recently divorced, increase one’s risk of divorce • Divorce and children

  14. Family Violence • Over 1/5 of all reported cases of aggravated assault involve domestic violence, however many episodes go unreported. • Domestic violence involves children, spouses, siblings, and older people. • As many as ½ of married women in the U.S. are victims of spousal violence. • At least 4 million women are battered by their husbands annually. • 4,000 women each year are beaten to death. • 14% of married women are sexually attacked by their husbands every year. • ¾ of spousal violence occurs during separation or after divorce.

  15. Family Resiliency • Family resiliency – refers to the family’s capacity to emerge from crises as stronger and more resourceful. • Families that flourish despite distress are resilient.

  16. Factors Promoting Family Resiliency • Individual characteristics such as: self-esteem, autonomy, sense of humor, problem-solving skills • Family characteristics such as: emotional support, commitment, warmth, affection, cohesion • Community characteristics such as: opportunities for participation in community life, emphasis on helping others • Family-friendly public policy.

  17. Median Age at First Marriage

  18. New Family Forms • Blended Families - Families formed when at least one of the partners in the marriage has been married before and has one or more children from a previous marriage.

  19. Single-Parent Families • have been on the rise since 1970; 23 million children now live in single-parent families (32 percent of all children) • 95% of children in single-parent families are in single-mother families • Children in single-parent families are without the same economic resources available in two-parent families. • Most research indicates that growing up with a single parent negatively affects a child’s well-being.

  20. Single-Parent Families – Economic Outcomes • Children in single-parent homes: • exhibit more behavioral problems, • have higher teenage pregnancy rates, • perform lower academically, • score lower on tests of psychological well-being, • are less able to adapt in social settings than children living with their biological parents

  21. Childless Marriages • In the past, there was a stigma attached to marriages without children. • In 2008, one in five American women ages 40–44 was childless, up 80 percent since 1970 • Highest rates among White women, highly educated women. • Reasons to remain childless: • less stigma • importance of careers • Independence • do not enjoy children • too much delay • physical or mental limitations.

  22. Dual-Employed Marriages • Dual-employed marriages are where both the husband and wife are in the labor market. • A relatively new trend, it is now considered the norm.

  23. Cohabitation • Cohabitation – living with someone in a marriage-like arrangement without the legal obligations and responsibilities of formal marriage. • While cohabitation is more common among people with less education, it is increasing at higher educational levels. • Cohabitation is on the rise. In 2009, cohabitation increased by 13 percent, twice the average annual increase of the preceding few years. • Cohabitation has almost doubled since 1990.

  24. Same-Sex Domestic Partners • Due to the stigma surrounding homosexuality, it is difficult to know exactly what proportion of the American population is gay. • Americans have differing views of legalizing same-sex marriage: • 48% of Americans oppose legalizing gay marriage; 42% favor it. • Same-sex partners living together with children—are also increasing in number, although their number is small compared with heterosexual marriages.

  25. Adult Children Returning Home • “Boomerang kids” – • young adults (18-34) have a much higher probability of living in their parents’ home than they did 30 years ago. • Contributing factors: • Young adults are marrying later. • More young adults are continuing their education, and live at home while doing so. • Due to the high cost of living, young adults return home after completing their education. • High divorce rate also increases the proportion of young adults living at home.

  26. Adult Children Returning Home: Consequences • An added financial burden for older parents. • Many parents complain that their adult children do not share in expenses, fail to help around the house, invade privacy, and prevent them from developing relationships with spouses and friends. • Adult children living at home forfeit some freedom and are subject to some unwanted parental control.

  27. The Sandwich Generation • More middle-aged adults are finding mothers and fathers living with them. • Sandwich generation – term applied to those adults caught between caring for their parents and caring for the family they formed after leaving home. • Elderly parents receive better care from those who love them and feel responsible for them. • Aging parents also offer emotional support and financial resources. • Taking care of an elderly parent is not easy, physically or emotionally. • The burden of caring for an aging parent falls much more heavily on women. • About 2/3 of unpaid caregivers are female.

  28. Looking Forward • Is the nuclear family deteriorating? • Family Decline Perspective • Family Change Perspective • The nuclear family remains the most popular choice among Americans.

More Related