Sociology and Family

1. Sociology and Family Dr. Mari Plikuhn Assistant Professor of Sociology University of Evansville

2. Marriage in the United States • How old is the average person when they get married?

3. Median Age of First-Time Marriage 1890-2011 U.S. Census Bureau. 2011. “ Estimated Median Age at First Marriage by Sex, 1890 to the Present.” From http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/ms2.xls.

4. Marriage in the United States • Today’s average first time bride and groom are older than any other time in US history • Reasons for this trend include: • Increase in cohabitation • Increase in education (particularly for women) • Focus on establishing careers • More people are living independently longer

5. Divorce in the United States • Between 40% and 50% of new U.S. marriages will end in divorce • Most divorced individuals remarry and create blended families: a family whose members were once part of other families • Increasing in the US • Traditionally referred to as stepfamilies

6. Divorce and Remarriage • Problems in Measuring Divorce • Can’t look at raw numbers • Can’t look at number of marriages/number of divorces in a given year • Can’t look at total number of people married/number of divorces • Percentage of people who are divorced? • Percentage of people who have ever been divorced? • But does any of this tell us our chances of getting divorced?

7. Social Factors Contributing to Divorce Changing family functions (today the function of marriage is intimacy and love) Economic autonomy of women Increased work demands Inequality in marital division of labor Liberalized divorce laws Increased individualism Weak social ties Increased life expectancy

8. The American Family • Traditional: • Husband worked to support family, wife stayed home to take care of the house and raise children • Modern: • Dual-income families: a family in which both spouses are in the paid labor force • Also called: dual-earner families

9. Dual-Income Couples • In 2001, 70% of couples were dual providers, up from 41% in 1970 • Husbands as sole providers decreased from 56% to 25% of couples • Equally shared income couples went from 9% of couples to 24% • Employment of married women with children under age 18 rose from 24% in 1950, to 71% in 2012 • In the majority (59%) of married-couple families with children under 18, both parents are employed

10. Advantages of Dual-Income Families • Multiple roles can have a beneficial effect for both men and women with regard to mental, physical, and relationship health • Both men and women develop a sense of success and accomplishment from balancing work and family • Multiple roles can provide added income, social support, opportunities to experience success, and expanded frame of references

11. Disadvantages of Dual-Income Families • Work-family spillover: the extent to which participation in one domain (e.g.: work) impacts participation in another domain (e.g.: family) • Job stress affects marital relationships and relationships with children • Work-family conflict can lead to both job and life dissatisfaction • Balancing has negative effects on one’s health; high work stress doubles the risk of heart attack

12. Cohabitation • A living arrangement in which two unrelated people are not married but live together • From 1980 to 2012 the percentage of people who cohabited with their spouses before marriage skyrocketed from 16% to 60% • Most cohabiting relationships are short-term, with a median duration of about a year • Only about 50% end in marriage • Divorce rates are higher for those who cohabit than people who don’t live together before marriage • Commitment levels differ between cohabitation and marriage

13. Family Transitions • Adultolescentsand the Not-So-Empty Nest • ADD HERE • More common with prolonged education and rising costs of establishing an independent household • Widowhood • Must learn to adjust to a new identity • Most adjust within a year

14. Diversity in U.S. Families • One-Parent Families • Families are more likely to be poor • Children of one-parent families are more likely to… • Drop out of school • Get arrested • Have emotional problems • Get divorced

15. Violence and Abuse Globally, 1 in 3 women has been subjected to violence in an intimate relationship 1 in 5 U.S. women has been assaulted by an intimate partner during her lifetime

16. Violence and Abuse • In the United States, women are more than four times more likely to be victims of partner violence than are men • In 2010, 73% of female rape or sexual assault victims (12 and older) reported that the offender was an intimate partner, friend, or acquaintance

17. Violence and Abuse • Why Do Some Adults Stay in Abusive Relationships? • Adult victims of abuse are commonly blamed for tolerating abusive relationships and for not leaving • Multiple compelling reasons to stay: • Economic dependency • Emotional attachment • Commitment to the relationship • Hope that things will get better • View violence as justified because they “deserve” it • Guilt • Fear

18. The Bright Side of Family Life • Successful Marriages have common themes: • ADD HERE

19. The Bright Side of Family Life • Successful Marriages have common themes (con’t): • Agree with spouse’s aims and goals • Believe spouse has grown more interesting • Want the relationship to succeed • Laugh together

20. Happy Families Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. -Tolstoy • Spend a Lot of Time Together • Are Quick to Express Appreciation • Committed to Promoting Mutual Welfare • Talk and Listen a Lot • Are Religious • Deal with Crises Positively

21. The Future of Marriage and Family • No Danger of Becoming a Relic • Cohabitation, Single Mothers, Age at Marriage, Grandparents as Parents will Increase • Continued Distorted Images of Marriage and Family • ADD HERE

22. Why Does Sociology Matter?

23. What is Sociology? • Scientific study of society • Social lives and groups • Social institutions • Stratification and inequality • Application of the scientific method to the social world • Allows us to systematically explain the world around us • Not just guessing or using “common sense”

24. What Do Sociologists Do? • Three main areas: • Social Services • Research • Academic • Other areas: • Business • Government • Non-profit organizations

25. So Why Should It Matter to You? • Sociology allows you to understand and explain: • The world around us • Why people do things • Why good and bad things happen • People’s experiences as they vary by demographics • Expected behaviors and roles • Social patterns and their outcomes • Sociology gives us the ability to ask and answer the question: what else is going on?

26. Questions? Dr. Mari Plikuhn University of Evansville mp168@evansville.edu