SOC101Y Introduction to Sociology Professor Robert Brym Lecture #14 Families 27 Jan 2010

 The nuclear family is composed of a cohabiting man and woman who maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and have at least one child.  In the traditional nuclear family, the wife also works in the home without pay while the husband works outside the home for money. The Nuclear Family

The Traditional Nuclear Family and New Alternatives legally married  never married singlehood, nonmarital cohabitation with children  voluntary childlessness two-parent  single-parent permanent  divorce, remarriage male primary provider,  egalitarian (dual-career) ultimate authority sexually exclusive  extramarital relationships heterosexual  same-sex relationships, households

The Growing Diversity of Canadian Families,

The Growing Diversity of Canadian Families, (in percent)

 Marriage is a socially approved, presumably long-term, sexual and economic union between a man and a woman. It involves rights and obligations between spouses and between spouses and their children. Marriage

The Five Functions of Families  Sexual regulation  Economic cooperation  Reproduction  Socialization  Emotional support

Percent “If a man (woman) had all the other qualities you desired, would you marry this person if you were not in love with him (her)?” Willingness to marry without love is more common in traditional than in modern societies.

Crude Divorce Rate, Canada, , and Selected Countries, 2005 Divorces per 100,000 population The crude divorce rate is the number of divorces that occur in a year for every 100,000 people in the population. 1968: Divorce law reform 1985: “No fault” divorce law 1987: Peak year

Crude Marriage Rate, Canada, Marriages per 100,000 population The crude marriage rate is the number of marriages that occur in a year for every 100,000 people in the population.

Total Fertility Rate, Canada, Total fertility rate Year The total fertility rate is the average number of children born to women of the same age over their lifetime. (The replacement rate is the number of children each woman must have on average for population size [excluding immigration and emigration] to remain constant [= 2.1]). Historic low

 Marxists assert the primacy of class inequality, especially under capitalism, in creating gender inequality in the family: Class inequality Problem of wealth transmission Economic control Sexual control  But feminists assert the priority of patriarchy over class inequality because patriarchy existed in pre-capitalist and communist societies.

Total Divorce Rate, Canada, Divorces per 1,000 marriages by 30 th anniversary Year

The Five Bases of Marital Satisfaction  Economic forces  Divorce laws  The family life cycle  Housework and childcare  Sex

Family Satisfaction and the Family Life Cycle Family satisfaction (scale 1-5) Men Women

Three Factors Account for Emotional Distress among Children of Divorce  High level of parental conflict  Decline in living standards  Absence of a parent

Nuclear Family Decline: USA and Sweden USA Sweden median age at first marriage men * women * percentage of population never married men * women * nonmarital birth rate * 1-parent hshlds among all hshlds with children < *18.0 % of mothers in labor force with children < * total fertility rate average household size *

Child Well-Being: USA and Sweden USA Sweden mean reading performance score at * % of children in poverty single-mother households * two-parent households * death rate of infants from abuse * suicide rate for children (/100,000) * juvenile delinquency rate (/100,000) 11.6*12.0 juvenile drug offence rate (/100,000) *