Marriage and Family

Family What does family mean to you? How many “types” of families can think of?

Family Broad definition: a group of 2 or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption and live together (or have lived together) A household is different- consists of all people who occupy the same housing unit

Types of Families Nuclear family – spouses and children Extended family- a nuclear family plus other relatives who live together Family of orientation- family in which you grow up Family of procreation- family that is formed when a couple’s first child is born or adopted Marriage - a group’s approved mating arrangement, usually marked by a ritual

Common Themes Among Marriage and Families Each society establishes norms to govern who may and may not marry Endogamy- marrying within your group Exogamy- marrying outside your group Division of Power Patriarchy- male dominated society Matriarchy- female dominated society Egalitarian- authority equally divided

Theoretical Perspectives Functionalists- families contribute to the well- being of a society Economic production, socialization of children, care of the sick and aged, recreation, reproduction Incest taboo helps family avoid role confusion and forces people to look outside the family for marriage partners

Theoretical Perspectives Conflict- within a family the conflict over housework is really about control over scarce resources- time, energy, leisure Most men resist doing housework, women end up doing almost all, even though men believe it is equal Arlie Hochschild found that after an 8 hour work day, women come home to a “second shift” Wives work an extra month of 24 hour days each year

Theoretical Perspectives Symbolic Interactionist - interested in how husbands view housework Research indicates that the less difference between a husband and wife’s income, the more likely they are to share responsibilities When husbands are laid off from work, their contributions decrease Husbands who earn less that their wives do the least housework Contributed to gender roles and the “threat to their masculinity”

Mr. Mom What examples of the Functionalist, Conflict, and Symbolic Interactionist theories do we see in the clips from Mr. Mom?

Mr. Mom Housework Part 1 Housework Part 1 Housework My Brain is Like Oatmeal My Brain is Like Oatmeal

Mr. Mom What examples of the Functionalist, Conflict, and Symbolic Interactionist theories do we see in the clips from Mr. Mom?

Romantic Love Provides the context in which the United States seek mates and form families 2 components: Emotional- feeling of attraction Cognitive- the feeling we describe as being “in love” Social channels of love and marriage include age, education, social class, race and religion People tend to marry others with similar characteristics Interracial marriage is exception

Marriage Marital satisfaction usually decreases with the birth of a child Social class influences how couples adjust to children Working class are more likely to have kids 9 months after marriage and have major interpersonal and financial problems Middle class are more prepared because of more resources, postponement of children and more time to adjust to one another

Diversity Among Families Families today are small with fewer births that are more closely spaced Childbearing and child rearing now occupy a smaller fraction of the adult life of parents Death has been replaced by divorce as the major cause of early family disruption

Diversity Among Families Married couples make up a smaller proportion of household Single parent households, post-childbearing couples, gay and lesbian couples, and those without children are increasingly common

Raising Children Traditionally fell on the mother, but this pattern is changing For married couples, almost 1 in 4 children is cared for by the father Single mothers compensate for child care gap with help from grandparents 1 in 6 kids are in day care Birth order is significant First borns tend to be more disciplined and often competes to maintain attention

Single Parent Households ½ of all children can expect to live with only one parent at some point in their lives Numbers are growing due to: Pregnancy among unmarried teens High divorce rate

Single Parent Households Teen mothers are less likely to marry than in the past Social problems are caused by economic stress rather than the absence of a husband Single fathers tend to get more help than single mothers

Singles/Cohabitation As of 2013, 103 million people (over age 18) are single  this is 44% of the population (over 18) Men and women are marrying at a later age Being single does not hold the same stigma that it used to, especially for females

Singles/Cohabitation Cohabitation had become common among single people More than 3x as many couples live together without being married now than in the 1970’s Estimates: ¼ of all children will at some time during their childhood live in a family headed by a cohabitating couple

Divorce U.S. leads the world in the number of people who divorce 40-50% of married couples are divorced in the U.S. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher Divorce rates hit an all-time high during the 90’s

Stepfamilies Blended families demand both parents and children learn new roles The lack of support systems cause stress resulting in high probability of divorce

Gay and Lesbian Couples Less gender-stereotyped in household roles than heterosexual couples 37 states in the U.S. now allow for gay marriage 37 states in the U.S. now allow for gay marriage This has increased from 19 in the past year

Empty Nest Can be a difficult adjustment Lillian Rubin argues that most women feel relieved at being able to spend more time on themselves Couples report a renewed sense of companionship Freedom from responsibilities Increased leisure Higher income Fewer financial obligations But we know that nowadays kids are leaving home later….or become boomerang kids

Widowhood Women are more likely than men to face the problem of adjusting to widowhood Women tend to live longer than men, but also tend to marry men who are older Average age of death in the U.S for men  77.4 Average age of death in the U.S. for women  82.2