1. 3. Family and Marriage in the United States

2. The American Family
Nuclear
Bilateral
Practice democratic decision making
Neolocal
Monogamous
50% marriages end in divorce
Many are blended

3. 90% of Americans will marry in their lifetime
Reasons for Marriage
In the US 83% of married people report they married for love. (compared to near 0% in many cultures around the world)
US believes marriages done for reasons other than love cannot succeed, while most other cultures believe marriages based only on love cannot last
90% of Americans will marry in their lifetime
Statistics estimate 6-8% of Americans are homosexual

4. Marriage Rate

5. Why does divorce happen?
Marriage for love means that in many cases religion, laws, parents, social pressures aren’t a reason to keep a loveless marriage together
Women are financially independent
The “stay together for the kids” ideal has been abandoned for most couples

6. Emotionally painful for each partner Economically harmful
Effects of Divorce
Emotionally painful for each partner
Economically harmful
Custody issues
Kids tend to have less supervision and are therefore more likely to stray from rules
Remarriage can be very difficult if children are involved

7. Characteristics of Divorce-Prone Couples
Different backgrounds
At least one partner has divorce in their family
The couple dated for only a short time before marriage
Families or friends disapprove of the marriage
The couple has opposing views on the roles of husband and wife
The partners have no formal membership in a religious group.

8. Divorce is most likely in the first 5 years
Statistics
Divorce is most likely in the first 5 years
Divorce more common in younger couples than older
Unexpected crisis can place an otherwise happy marriage under strain
Disagreements on how to raise kids or handle certain issues with kids can end a marriage
Problems with children of divorce has remained the same, despite its common presence for most kids