The American Family

Marriage Homogamy – marrying individuals who have social characteristics similar to their own  Based on age, socioeconomic status, religion, race Heterogamy – marriage between individuals who have different social characteristics  Due to rising ability of contact between people of different social arenas

Family Violence Perhaps the most disruptive aspect of the family  Exist amongst all social classes and ethnic groups 1998 – nearly 1/3 of people had experienced some form of family violence  ¾ of people had hit their children more than once Other Statistics:  1 million crimes of violence were committed against people by intimate partners  11 percent of all murders were result of intimate partner violence  3.2 million cases of neglect/physical abuse against children were reported  1,400 Children died from child abuse Ray Rice

Divorce - D-I-V-O-R-C-ED-I-V-O-R-C-E In the United States, 1 out of 2 marriages eventually ends in divorce  19.8 million Americans over the age of 19 who are divorced  Marriage in teens increases likeliness of divorce  Couples with college education are less likely to divorce  Minorities are more likely to be divorced than white A lot of the divorce rate is contributed to the increase in dual-earner families – families where both husband and wife have jobs  Why does this increase divorce? Society is far more tolerant of divroce

Delays Delayed Marriage  1890 – Women (22) and Men (26)  2000 – Women (25) and Men (27)  Why?  Finish education is number one reason Delayed Childbearing  1960s – 15 months before first child  1970s – 27 months  2000s – 36 months  Delayed birth has led to the sandwich generation – 30 year olds who have both children to raise and aging parents who need care

Childlessness 1. couples keep putting off until they are “ready” to have a child 2. Infertility 3. Voluntary Childlessness – the conscious choice never to have children  Typically have high levels of education and income  Career success outweighs family  Value freedom, financial security

One-Parent Families and Remarriage Stress of One-Parent Families 1. Responsibility Overload 2. Task Overload 3. Emotional Overload 4. Lack of Money 43% of marriages have at least one member who is remarried and 75% of those who get divorced remarry  Step family struggle - Brady BunchBrady Bunch Yours, Mine, Ours

Key Vocabulary Homogamy Heterogamy Family Violence Divorce Dual-earner families Delayed Marriage Delayed Childbearing Sandwich Generation Voluntary Childlessness