Family

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.