Changing Dynamics of Family Structures and Relationships

1. Chapter 13 The Family

2. What is “family?” • Reasonable to approach from a functionalist perspective: • A small kinship structured group with the key function of nurturant socialization of the newborn. • Kinship not necessarily biological – socially defined connections • Functions and structure very different across cultures • E.g., Atlas of World Cultures is data set of non-industrialized cultures

3. Variations in Family Life in Premodern Societies

4. Breakdown of the family? • Compared to when? • What is you measure of “breakdown?” • History of the family not always a pretty history • High infant and child mortality • Children leave home and work at early ages • Parents often indifferent - Abuse and neglect common • Marriage typically an economic arrangement • Good mothering is an invention of modernization

5. In the “Modern Family” • Marriage is about choice, and “cupid’s arrow,” finding happiness • This kind of marriage a product of modernization and industrialization • This is a good thing, right? • Research on novelty and attraction • Idealizing romance or sexual attraction probably related to increase in divorce

6. Children – the trends • Couples marrying later, waiting longer to have kids • Family size dropping – 2 most often response to “ideal” question – mean is between 2 and 3 • Children = strain in marriage – marital happiness highest before and after kids • 60%+ of American mothers employed outside the home • Preschool and daycare more common • Egalitarian relationships more common (but still not the norm - Working women still carry a disproportionate % of the childrearing responsibilities)

7. Back to the breakdown question • Divorce is up – US the highest rates in the world (partly reflects high marriage rate) • Marriage not significantly down, interestingly (one might assume it is) • < 5% report current status as divorced • 75% who divorce will remarry • Divorce rate difficult to calculate • Divorce rate well over 50% but…

8. Center for Disease Control (2002) % of American Women Whose First Marriage Ended in Divorce

9. % of American Women Whose First Marriage Ended in Divorce

10. % of American Women Whose First Marriage Ended in Divorce

11. % of American Women Whose First Marriage Ended in Divorce

12. % of American Women Whose First Marriage Ended in Divorce

13. Stark says: High divorce rate probably indicates that marital relationship more important than it used to be • Partly saying that people expect more from marriage • Also important to not necessary equate divorce with breakdown • When all marriages stayed together not same thing as saying they were happy

14. Why Is Divorce Common? • Romance is a highly perishable commodity • The opportunities to get divorced have increased – norms have relaxed • The divorce rate is higher where a larger proportion of women work outside the home. • Where women outnumber men, divorce is high • Few children, family more mobile, extended kinship networks less common (greater isolation of the family)

15. Trent and South analysis of these factors in 66 nations • Divorce rate of country is correlated with % in workforce, modernization, sex ratios • Interestingly, proportion Catholic appears not to be a strong predictor

16. Living Together • Increased dramatically – almost ½ of 25-45 have lived together • 51% of women who lived with their future spouse were divorced by the end of 15 years of marriage. • 39% of women who had not lived with their spouse divorced within 15 years. • But are higher divorce rates because they lived together?

17. The One-parent Family • In 1960, 5% of all births in the U.S. were to unmarried women. • This has risen to 33% • Over 60% in African community • In Iceland and Sweden, more than half of all births are to unmarried women. • Most unwed mothers keep their children and in 90% of divorces, children remain with the mother.

18. Unmarried Motherhood

19. Sweden an interesting example • Family in Sweden • Over ½ kids born to single moms • Swedes criticized for being individualistic and seeking self-fulfillment • Expanding welfare state the problem? • Government replacing family? (e.g., state supported child care with no incentives for parents to stay home) • But on the other hand, crime, drug abuse, poverty considerably lower • In other “welfare states” out of wedlock rate low (Netherlands, Germany) • And does the US do enough? – 1993 Family Medical Leave Act = 12 weeks unpaid to care for newborn or sick family member • Sweden 18 months at 90% salary

20. Effect of One Parent Families on Children • more prone to delinquency but the differences are not great. • poor parenting, regardless of the number of parents, is the primary cause of deviant behavior in children. • Biggest problem might be relationship to poverty

21. Gay and Lesbian couples • Homosexuals are raising children (previous heterosexual unions, adoption, other methods) • In this country it is illegal (1996 US Congress passed law banning) • But some states (Vermont, Hawaii) and cities (San Fran, NY) conferred some marital benefits • In 1989 Denmark became first country to lift ban. Also legal in Canada • But in Nov of 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that Gov attorneys “failed to identify any constitutionally adequate reason” to deny homosexuals the right to marry • San Fran mayor defies California law and begins to marry people • Pres Bush, initially against Constitutional Amendment, changes mind • Gay marriage a “treat to the family”?

22. Should we / can we save the “traditional family” • No question, dramatic changes since 1960 • this is point of reference for most of the “breakdown” arguments • Since 1960, % single up, divorce up, children out of wedlock up • Debate about gay marriage • Many will point to a long list of social ills that have gone up as family has deteriorated. • Cultural progressives see “traditional family” as a moral statement • There are other family models, they argue