1. Singlehood and Cohabitation Chapter 3

2. Singlehood Individuals are staying single longer. – Yet 95% of Americans eventually marry

3. The Acceptance of Singlehood Acceptance of singlehood as a lifestyle can be attributed to social movements: – Sexual Revolution – Women’s Movement – Gay Liberation movement

4. Alternatives to Marriage Project Mission Statement: – To advocate “for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who are single, choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together before marriage”.

5. Categories of Singles Never Married Singles Divorced Singles Widowed Singles

6. Are married people or single people happier and healthier, on average?

7. Ways of Finding a Partner Do individuals search for mates differently then they did in the past?

8. Cultural and Historical Background of Dating The Industrial Revolution – Commercial industries had developed, and women transferred their activities in these areas from the home to the factory. – Women had more frequent contact with men.

9. Ways of finding a partner Hanging out – Refers to going out in groups where the agenda is to meet others and have fun. Hooking up – A one-time sexual encounter in which there is little or no expectation of a relationship. – The nature of the encounter may be making out, oral sex, and/or sexual intercourse.

10. Meeting a New Partner The Internet—Meeting Online – There are over two hundred Web sites designed for meeting a new partner. The Internet: The downside – WildXAngel.com is a website detailing horror stories of online dating.

11. Functions of Involvement with a Partner 1.Confirmation of a social self 2.Recreation 3.Companionship/intimacy/sex 4.Anticipatory socialization 5.Status achievement 6.Mate selection 7.Health enhancement

12. Cohabitation Also known as living together. – Becoming a “normative life experience”, almost 60% of U.S. women who married in the 1990s reported that they had cohabited before marriage. Why has there been such an incredible increase in cohabitation?

13. Same-sex cohabitation and race Of the six million unmarried partner household, 7% consist of two males; 6% consist of two females. We might estimate that about 13 percent of these are black couples.

14. Why do people cohabitate?

15. Types of Cohabitation 8 types?

16. Consequences of Cohabitation Advantages – Sense of well being, delayed marriage, knowledge about self and partner, and safety Disadvantages?

17. Cohabitation Disadvantages – Feeling used or tricked – Problems with parents – Economic disadvantages – Effects on children

18. Living Apart Together A committed couple who does not live in the same home – Would you consider living apart while married? Why or why not