1. Chapter 7 Marriage Relationships

2. Individual Motivations for Marriage
People get married for a variety of reasons.
Love
Is this a mandatory requisite in the U.S?
Personal fulfillment
What the heck?
Companionship
Obviously… think about lonely nights….
Parenthood
Can’t you raise children alone?
Economic security
Do we do this consciously?
Discussion: Would you consider marrying someone you were not in love with?

3. Societal Functions of Marriage
Important functions of marriage:
Binds couple together who will reproduce
Provides physical care for dependent young
Socializes children into society
Regulates sexual behavior
Provides companionship
Discussion: Does society still need marriage?

4. Marriage as Commitment
Commitment: the intent to maintain a relationship
Marriage is a person-to-person commitment.
Marriage is a family-to-family commitment.
Marriage is a couple-to-state commitment. Social policy directs marriage, divorce, and child support.

5. Marriage as a Rite of Passage
Rite of passage: an event that marks the transition from one status to another.
Families cooperate to produce the wedding.
Brides often wear traditional artifacts—concrete symbols that reflect a phenomenon).

6. Changes After Marriage
While laws vary by state, partners typically become part owner of the other’s income and assets.
New spouses often develop increased self-confidence and adopt new values and behaviors.
Marriage affects relationships with friends.

7. Changes After Marriage
The couple’s relationship often changes to disenchantment—transition from a state of newness and high expectation to a state of the mundane tempered by reality.
Partners shift their focus from each other to work or children.

8. Changes After Marriage
Couples also experience (Pg. 137):
Loss of freedom
More responsibility
Less alone time
Changes in how money is spent
Discovering that one’s mate is different from one’s date
Sexual changes
Power changes

9. Changes After Marriage
Marriage affects relationships with parents.
Only a minority of spouses report that they do not get along with their in-laws.
Time spent with extended family rapidly increases after children are born.

10. Changes After Marriage
Marriage involves the need for spouses to discuss and negotiate how they are going to get and spend money.
Debt tends to strain relationships.

11. Diversity in Marriage May-December marriage: age-discrepant marriage.
Typically the man is older than the woman.
Research finds no difference in reported marital satisfaction between age-discrepant and age-similar marriages.
Such marriages tend to benefit men more than women.
Discussion: Why are May-December marriages beneficial for men?

12. Diversity Interracial marriages
About 15% of all marriages in the U.S. are racially mixed.
Interracial partners sometimes experience negative reactions.
Do the self assessment
Discussion: Will interracial marriages become more common? Why?
Interracial marriages are more likely to dissolve.

13. Diversity Interreligious Marriages
Over one third of marriages in the U.S. are interreligious.
The impact of a mixed religious marriage may depend on the devoutness of the spouses.
Those who are religious tend to be more satisfied with their marriages.

14. Diversity Cross-national marriages
Cross-national marriages are becoming more common.
Much of the stress of these marriages is related to society’s intolerance of cross-national marriages.

15. Diversity Military marriages
About 60% of U.S. military personnel are married and/or have children.
Military contract marriage: marriage in which a military person and a civilian participate to get more money and benefits from the government
Military marriages are particularly difficult for women.
Discussion: Why are military marriages difficult for women?

16. Diversity Challenges for military marriages:
Traditional gender roles are challenged.
Loss of control over deployment
Infidelity: length of separation increases the chances of infidelity
Frequent moves and separations
Lower marital satisfaction and higher divorce rates
Employment problems
Discussion: What are the benefits of being in the military? What could the government do it make marriage easier for military spouses?

17. Marital Success
Characteristics of couples in happy, stable relationships
Personal and emotional commitment
Common interests/positive self-concepts
Good communication/effective use of humor
Religiosity
Trust
Not materialistic

18. Marital Success Characteristics of couples in happy, stable marriages
Positive role models in their parents
Sexual desire
Equitable relationships
Absence of negative attributions
Forgiveness
Health
Attribution: assigning cause

19. Marital Success
The Healthy Marriage Initiative is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Research confirmed the positive effects of education and support for marriages and families.