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Essentials of
Sociology
9th Edition
Chapter 12: Marriage and Family
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Chapter Overview
Marriage and Family in Global Perspective
Marriage and Family in Theoretical Perspective
The Family Life Cycle
Diversity in U.S. Families
Trends in U.S. Families
Divorce and Remarriage
Two Sides of Family Life
The Future of Marriage and Family
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Family Defined
“A family consists of people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption.”
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What is a family?
Nuclear Family – husband, wife, and their immediate children
Extended Family – nuclear family plus grandparents, cousins and other relatives living in the same household or nearby
Family of Orientation – family a person grows up in
Family of Procreation – family formed when a couple has their first child
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Mate Selection
Each human group establishes norms to govern who marries whom.
Endogamy: members of the group must marry within their group
Exogamy: people must marry outside of their group
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Descent and Authority
Societies around the world trace descent in various ways:
Patrilineal – father’s side
Matrilineal – mother’s side
Bilineal – father’s and mother’s side
Patriarchy-a social system in which men dominate women
Matriarchy-women dominate men as a group
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8. The Functionalist Perspective
The family is universal because it fulfills certain functions including: sexual control, socialization, care of the sick and aged, recreation, economic production
Talcott Parsons (1950) stated that men fulfill the instrumental role and women fulfill the expressive role in the family
The incest taboo helps families to avoid role confusion
Dysfunctions include: incest, abuse, and divorce
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9. The Conflict Perspective
The family is a reflection of the patriarchal society in which many societies live
There are many dual earner families today but women still pull the “second shift” (Hoschild) leaving many women dissatisfied with their marriage
The balance between power in marriages has led to the rising divorce rate
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Figure Who Makes the Decisions at Home? Note: Based on a nationally representative sample, with questions on who chooses weekend activities, buys things for the home, decides what to watch on television, and manages household finances. Source: Morin and Cohn 2008.
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11. The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Jesse Bernard – husbands and wives “see” their marriages in different lights which causes a lot of dissatisfaction
Looks at the meaning of housework
Looks at how the definition of family, marriage, and divorce has changed over the past 50 years
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The Family Life Cycle
Romantic love is the basis for marriages in the U.S. but is not necessarily the basis for marriages throughout the world (i.e., arranged marriages)
Marriage in the U.S. is based on homogamy (similar characteristics)
Polygamy is practiced in certain parts of the world whereas monogamy is the norm in the U.S.
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Child Rearing
Mothers tend to take on the majority of the child rearing tasks in a married couple
¼ children are in day care and few provide quality services
Differences can occur when it comes to social class and child rearing
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Figure Who Takes Care of Preschoolers While Their Mothers Are at Work? aIncludes day care centers, nursery schools, preschools, and Head Start programs. bIncludes in-home babysitters and other nonrelatives providing care in either the child’s or the provider’s home. cIncludes self-care and no regular arrangements. Source: America’s Children 2005:Table POP8.B.
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Family Transitions
Marital satisfaction tends to follow a U curve
Marital satisfaction is at its highest points when couples first get married and at the retirement stage
Marital satisfaction decreases with the arrival of the first child
During the empty nest stage satisfaction increases
42 % of children ages are still living at home today and are often referred to as “the boomerang generation”
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16. Diversity in U.S. Families
African American Families – Middle Class African American families focus on achievements and responsibility
Least likely to be headed by married couples and most likely to be headed by women
Latino Families – families differ by country of origin
Machismo is decreasing with every generation
Asian Families – have retained Confucian values
Two parent families are common
Native American Families – Elders play a strong role in the child’s development
Variations among tribes
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17. Diversity in U.S. Families
Single-Parent Families – the number of single parent families, especially headed by women, has increased in large numbers since Families Without Children – married couples who are making the decision not to have any children has increased. The biggest reason is freedom from responsibility.
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Figure Family Structure: U.S. Families with Children Under Age 18 Headed by Mothers, Fathers, and Both Parents Sources: By the author. For Native Americans, Kreider and Elliott 2009:Table 1. For other groups, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009:Table 69.
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19. Diversity in U.S. Families
Blended Families – families whose members were once part of other families. This number has risen as divorce rates have increased.
Gay and Lesbian families with and without children has increased in recent years and some states have now legalized marriage
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Trends in U.S. Families
Postponing Marriage and Childbirth – the average age of first time grooms is now 29 and for first time brides is 27, an increase of 5 years since This average age of first time mothers is now about 29. Cohabitation – 2/3 of marriage couples have lived together before they got married. The studies of cohabitating couples and marital success are not positive. Unmarried mothers –this refers to mothers in cohabitative relationships and has risen along with cohabitation.
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Figure When Do Americans Marry? The Changing Age at First Marriage Note: This is the median age at first marriage. The broken lines indicate the author’s estimate. Source: By the author. Based on U.S. Census Bureau 2009:Table MS-2.
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Figure What Percentage of U.S. Married Women Never Give Birth? Source: By the author. Based on women ages 40–44 in Dye 2008.
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Trends in U.S. Families
Grandparents as Parents – more grandparents are fulfilling the parental role as more parents are working
Sandwich Generation – families who are taking care of their children and their parents at the same time; often this responsibility is taken on by the daughter’s
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Divorce
Divorce rates rose between 1950 and 1980 and since then the numbers have leveled off
Divorce has increased because of: changing norms, less stigma, and governmental policies
The effects of divorce on children are varied
Serial Fatherhood – fathers who keep in contact with their children for about a year after a divorce, get remarried, and refocus their attention to the “new” family
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Figure What Percentage of Americans Are Divorced? *Author’s estimate Note: This figure shows the percentage who are divorced and have not remarried, not the percentage who have ever divorced. Only these racial–ethnic groups are listed in the source. The source only recently added data on Asian Americans. Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 1995:Table 58; 2010:Table 57.
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Figure The “Where” of U.S. Divorce Note: Data for California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, and Louisiana, based on the earlier editions in the source, have been decreased by the average decrease in U.S. divorce. Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 1995:Table 149; 2002:Table 111; 2009:Table 123.
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Remarriage
Most people who get divorced will remarry within three years.
If children are brought into the remarriage divorce is likely
The biggest problem, according to step-parents, is discipline
Boundary ambiguity can lead to problems in blended families
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29. Two Sides of Family Life
Child Abuse – the majority of victims are children under the age of six
The most common form of child abuse is neglect
Other forms of child abuse are emotional and physical abuse
Spousal Abuse – more men than women are the perpetrators of spousal abuse
Women stay in abusive relationships for various reasons including: lack of resources, fear of retaliation, salvation ethnic, blaming themselves
Police response to abuse has changed in recent years
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30. The Bright Side of Successful Marriages
Studies of couples that have been married for 50 years indicate that there are several reasons for lasting happiness:
Thinking of their spouse as their best friend
They laugh together
They share the same goals
Think of marriage as being sacred
Think of marriage as a long-term commitment
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31. The Future of Marriage and Family
No Danger of Becoming a Relic
Cohabitation, Single Mothers, Age at Marriage, Grandparents as Parents will Increase
Equality in Marriage not on Horizon
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