1. Trends in Families

2. Age of brides
The average age of US brides is the oldest it has been since records were kept
About double what it was in 1970
Many postpone marriage but not cohabitation

3. Cohabitation Living together as an unmarried couple
about 60% of couples who marry have cohabitated
Commitment is the difference
Marriage assumes permanence
Cohabitation assumes remaining together “as long as things work out”

4. Sandwich generation
Refers to people who are sandwiched between 2 generations
Care for children as well as aging parents
Typically between age 40-55
More businesses are offering elder care assistance to their employees

5. Divorce
The US has the highest divorce rate in the industrialized world
At least 50% of all couples getting married today will eventually divorce

6. Divorce and Children
Grown children of divorce feel more distant from parents than do children from intact families
Less likely to marry and more likely to divorce
Children’s adjustment is affected by the relationship their mothers formed after divorce
Mothers who had single stable relationships after divorce had the best adjustment

7. Adjusting the divorce Factors that help kids adjust:
Both parents show understanding and affection
The parent whom the child lives with is making a good adjustment
Family routines are consistent
Family has adequate money for its needs
The child lives with the parent of the same sex

8. The serial father
Divorced fathers tend to live with, support, and play an active fathering role with children of the women to whom they are currently married or with whom they are currently living
Over time contact with their children from a previous marriage or relationship diminishes
1/6 of kids who live apart from their fathers see them as often as every week

9. Divorce as a “new chance”
Women are more likely to than men to see divorce as a new chance at life
Divorce = economic hardship for women and a higher standard of living for men

10. Remarriage
Most eventually remarry with an average period between divorce and remarriage of about 5 years for women
Most remarry other divorced people
Women with small children or with < a HS degree most likely remarry
Men are more likely to remarry than women
Divorce rate for remarried people w/o kids is the same as the 1st marriage
Those who bring kids into the new marriage are more likely to divorce again

11. Dark side of family life
Events people don’t talk about
Battering, child abuse, incest
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women
More than 5 children die every day as a result of child abuse

12. The future of marriage and family
Despite its problems, marriage is not likely to disappear as a social institution
It is likely that cohabitation with increase, as will the age at first marriage