2. 2 The marriage ceremony is an important ritual announcing that a man and woman have become husband and wife, that a new family has been formed, and that any children born to the couple can legitimately inherit the family name and property. Patterns of Family Structure

3. 3 Monogamy–the marriage of one man to one woman–is the most widely practiced form of marriage and the only legal form in many societies. Some often-married people practice serial monogamy–having several husbands or wives, but being married to only one at a time. Polygamy involves the marriage of a male or female to more than one person at a time. –Polygyny is the marriage of one man to two or more women at the same time. –Polyandry is the marriage of one woman to two or more men at the same time. What forms does marriage take?

4. 4 Exogamy is the practice of marrying someone outside one’s group. Endogamy requires an individual to marry within one’s group. The tendency of people to marry those with social characteristics similar to their own is homogamy. In heterogamy, partners are dissimilar in some important characteristics, such as age, race, social class, and ethnicity. Choosing a Mate

5. 5 Indicate whether exogamy (Ex), endogamy (En), or homogamy (H) is reflected in each of the following situations. ____ a. Catholics are supposed to marry Catholics. ____ b. A father is not permitted to marry his daughter. ____ c. Members of the same social class marry. ____ d. A brother and sister are legally prohibited from marrying. ____ e. People tend to marry others of the same age. ____ f. Rich people marry other wealthy people. H Ex H En H

6. 6 Family and Marriage in the United States Although the United States is a diverse society, the American family possesses many similarities. Families are nuclear. Families are bilateral. Families are democratic. Families are neolocal. Families are monogamous.

7. 7 People marry for many reasons. In the United States, the norm is for love to precede the marriage vows. One of the strongest motivations for marriage is conformity–parents and peers expect/pressure children to marry after a certain age. Some marry for wealth, power, or career advancement. The marriage rate is the number of marriages per year for every one thousand members of the population. Romantic Love and Marriage

8. 8 The divorce rate is the number of divorces per year for every one thousand members of the population. Four main factors affect divorce in American society. –The divorce rate rises during economic prosperity and goes down when times are hard. –The rise in the divorce rate after 1960 followed the growing up of the baby-boom generation. –The increasing financial independence of women means they are more willing to end bad marriages. –American values and attitudes about marriage and divorce are changing–society is much more forgiving of divorce and remarriage. Divorce

9. 9 There is a good chance that the recent decline in the United States divorce rate may continue for several reasons. The average age at first marriage is increasing. The average age of the population is increasing. As baby boomers grow older–they are no longer in the age bracket that produces the highest divorce rate. American couples are having few children and spacing them farther apart, reducing one pressure on marriages. What does the future for marriage look like?

10. 10 Family and Marriage Across Cultures In all societies, the family has been the most important of all social institutions. It produces new generations, socializes the young, provides care and affection, regulates sexual behavior, transmits social status, and provides economic support.

11. 11 For sociologists, family is defined as a group of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption. While the concept of family may appear simple on the surface, the family is a complex social unit that is difficult to define. Marriage is a legal union between a man and a woman based on legal rights and obligations. Defining the Family

12. 12 It gives the child an ascribed status in the community. It orients children to their neighborhoods, communities, and society and locates them in the world. The family of orientation is the birth family. The Family of Orientation

13. 13 The marriage ceremony legally sanctions a couple to have offspring and to give children a family name. It becomes the family of orientation for the children created from the marriage. The family of procreation is established upon marriage. The Family of Procreation

14. 14 The nuclear family is composed of a parent or parents and any children. The extended family consists of two or more adult generations of the same family whose members share economic resources and live in the same household. There are Two Basic Types of Families

15. 15 Families behave in similar ways across cultures. Descent determines who becomes head of the family. Inheritance determines who owns the family property. Patterns of Family Structure

16. 16 In a patrilineal arrangement, descent and inheritance are passed from the father to his male descendants. In a matrilineal arrangement, descent and inheritance are transmitted from the mother to her female descendants. In some societies, descent and inheritance are bilateral– they are passed equally through both parents. Who inherits?

17. 17 In a patriarchy, the oldest man living in the household has authority over the rest of the family members. In a matriarchy, the oldest woman living in the household holds the authority. With equalitarian control, authority is split evenly between husband and wife. Who is in authority?

18. 18 The patrilocal pattern calls for living with or near the husband’s parents. Residing with or near the wife’s parents is expected under a matrilocal pattern. In the neolocal pattern married couples establish residences of their own. Where do couples live?

19. 19 Functionalism Functionalists believe the family benefits society in many ways. It teaches the young how to participate in society. It provides socioemotional maintenance, offering unconditional love and support. It offers an orderly means for producing new members. It regulates sexual activity. It transmits social status. It serves as an economic center.

20. 20 Conflict theorists focus on the way family members compete and cooperate. According to the conflict perspective, families in the past have fostered social inequality with males in control and females as submissive helpers. Many feminists today believe that family power struggles between men and women result in conflict. Conflict Theory

21. 21 Symbolic interactionism believes the key to understanding family behavior lies in the interactions of family members and the meanings they assign these interactions. Symbolic interactionism, believes the key to understanding family behavior lies in the interactions of family members and the meanings they assign these interactions. Children develop self-concepts and learn to put themselves mentally in others’ places by sharing meanings and feelings with family members. Symbolic Interactionism

22. 22 Children acquire human personality and social characteristics by interacting with adults. Family relationships change constantly Each additional member of the family adds a degree of complexity. Symbolic Interactionism

23. 23 Match the following examples with the major theoretical perspectives: functionalism (F), conflict theory (C), symbolic interactionism (SI). ____ a. fathers “giving away” brides ____ b. having children ____ c. development of self-concept ____ d. newly married partners adjusting to each other ____ e. child abuse ____ f. social class being passed from one generation to another F F SI C F

24. 24 Americans have traditionally denied the existence of widespread violence in the family setting, but we are learning that domestic violence occurs at all class levels and affects all family members. National statistics indicate that 47 of every 1,000 children are reported as victims of child maltreatment annually. At least four million women are battered by their husbands annually. Husbands are also victims of abuse from their wives. Verbal and psychological abuse are other forms of domestic violence. Family Violence

25. 25 Sibling violence is the most frequent and most tolerated violence in the family. Elder abuse takes the form of physical violence, psychological mistreatment, economic manipulation, or neglect. Family Violence

26. 26 Choose the word from each pair that best describes the typical American family. a. nuclear or extended b. patrilineal or bilateral c. authoritarian or democratic d. neolocal or matrilocal e. polygynous or monogamous

27. 27 Changes in Marriage and Family blended families, single-parent families, child-free families, dual-employed marriages, cohabitation, same-sex domestic partners, single individuals, and families with boomerang children. Many new patterns of marriage and family have emerged in the United States including the following:

28. 28 Blended Families A blended family is formed when at least one of the marriage partners has been married before and has a child or children from the previous marriage. Blended families create a new type of extended family, not strictly based on blood relationships. Blended families face three major problems: –money difficulties –stepchildren’s antagonism, and –unclear roles.

29. 29 One in four American families is headed by a single parent. Eighty-five percent of single-parent families are headed by women. Thirty percent of children under the age 18 in America live in single-parent households. Adolescents, children between the ages of 12 and 17, living in single-parent households have higher rates of deviant behavior. Single-Parent Families

30. 30 Childless marriages: In 1998 about 19 percent of women who have ever been married did not have children, offering a variety of reasons. Dual-employed marriages: In families where both parents are working outside the home there are benefits and drawbacks to this arrangement. Cohabitation: A marriage-like arrangement without the legal obligations of formal marriage has become an alternative to traditional monogamy. Other Types of Families

31. 31 Same-sex domestic partners: The number of same-sex domestic partners is increasing, although exact figures are not available. Single life: An increasing number of Americans choose to remain single. The term boomerang kids is being applied to young adults who either leave home and return or stay at home and live with parents. Other Types of Families

32. 32 While many Americans are experimenting with alternative living arrangements, the nuclear family remains the most popular choice. The American family is changing. The trend toward more working parents will continue, producing increased strain on parents, children, and society. The family will survive, but what forms will it take are unclear. What is the future of the American family?

33. 33 How does a blended family differ from a nuclear family? While a nuclear family includes only parents and children, the blended family is more complex. It may include children from previous marriages, stepparents, and additional sets of grandparents.