Chapter 11

Fourth Edition ANTHONY GIDDENS ● MITCHELL DUNEIER ● RICHARD P.APPELBAUM ● DEBORAH CARR

Chapter 11: Families and Intimate Relationships

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The big issues • What do sociologists mean by family? • What have families looked like across time and space? • What are current trend in families in the United States and around the world? • What are alternatives to traditional families?

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What is “the family”? • The family is a critical social institution that functions as part of society. • The family is also a distinct social group with its own roles, patterns, and behaviors. • Family is a cultural universal, though its structure varies across time and space.

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Family concepts • • • • •

Kinship Marriage Nuclear versus extended family Family of orientation versus procreation Monogamy versus polygamy

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Theory and family • Functional theories see two primary roles of family: – Primary socialization of children – Personality stabilization of adults

• Feminist approaches often focus on the ways in which “traditional” models of family reinforce our system of gender inequality. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Division of labor (DOL) in families • The DOL in families is a frequent topic of concern for feminist scholars. • Arlie Hochschild, The Second Shift (1989, with Anne Machung) • Although both parents typically work outside the home today, it is women who do the bulk of the domestic work.

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The American family over time • The structure of families has varied throughout U.S. history. • Colonial families were organized around work and community obligation and were kept in line with highly structured authority.

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The American family over time • With modernity came a separation of spheres for men and women: Men went to work for capitalists and women stayed in the home. – This was not a matter of choice. – Child labor was commonplace.

• The “traditional” 1950s family was less golden than current nostalgia suggests. – Example: Women often felt trapped in the home.

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Changes in families worldwide • The spread of Western culture appears to be affecting families around the globe. – Example: increased attention to romantic love

• In some countries there have been systematic efforts by governments to alter family size and structure. • Rural-urban migration has led to a change in family structure. • Worldwide shift toward the nuclear family model

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Seven important global trends 1. 2. 3. 4.

Declining influence of clans and kin groups Increasing freedom of mate selection Expanding rights for women Fewer kin marriages

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Seven important global trends 5. Increasing degree of sexual freedom 6. Declining birthrates 7. Increasing room for children’s rights

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Trends in U.S. families today • • • •

Rising age at first marriage Increasing numbers of people living alone Sharp rise in cohabitation Increasing numbers of single-parent and stepfamilies • Ongoing high rate of divorce • Sharp rise in dual-earner families

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Figure 11.1 Percentage of Twenty- to Twenty-FourYear-Olds Who Have Never Married © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Other trends in families • Only one-fifth of households are the “traditional” family. • More people are living alone than ever before. • Dual-career and single-parent families are now numerically normal.

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Figure 11.2 The Changing Structure of American Families with Children © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Families in poverty • Poor families often adapt by creating extensive kin and quasi-kin networks. – Pros and cons to this kind of support structure • For poor, young women there is typically high value placed on having and raising children. – Children can elevate a woman’s social value and self-esteem © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Figure 11.4 Divorce Rates in the United States © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

After divorce • Women and children often experience a significant decline in economic status. • Men often experience an improved financial situation. • The majority of divorced individuals will remarry.

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Effects on children • There is disagreement on this topic among scholars of divorce and family. • Some research—which is mostly psychological in nature—suggests that a period of initial trauma followed by adjustment is the norm.

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Effects on children • Other research suggests that there continue to be deficits in some outcomes: – Education – Occupation – Future marital success

• The cause of these differences appears to be economic and social.

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Why so much divorce? • Implementation of no-fault laws • Declining stigma • Less connection to extended family obligations or to property between families • Women’s economic independence • Unrealistic expectations plus an easy escape hatch

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Risk factors for divorce Which of these increase one’s risk of divorce? Which decrease risk?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Married at a young age (under age 21) Have divorced parents Lived with your romantic partner prior to marrying Have been divorced at least once Had a child prior to marrying Have a childless marriage Knew your partner for a short time prior to marrying Experience financial hardship Have less than a college degree You and your partner are similar with respect to social class background, age, and religion You or your partner is depressed You or your partner frequently drinks alcoholic beverages You fear disapproval from family and friends You believe married people should stay together “for the sake of the kids”

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Risk factors for divorce IF YOU CHECKED YES: Married at a young age (under age 21) Have divorced parents Lived with your romantic partner prior to marrying Have been divorced at least once Had a child prior to marrying Have a childless marriage Knew your partner for a short time prior to marrying Experience financial hardship Have less than a college degree You and your partner are similar with respect to Social class background, age, and religion You or your partner is depressed You or your partner frequently drinks alcoholic beverages You fear disapproval from family and friends You believe married people should stay together “for the sake of the kids” © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Increase risk Decrease risk Increase risk Increase risk Decrease risk Decrease risk 24

Figure 11.5 Number of Single-Parent Families, in Millions © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Single-parent families • Approximately half of children in the United States spend of part of childhood in single-parent families. • These families are nearly always headed by women. • There is a small movement of “single mothers by choice” made up of affluent, never-married women. • For most, though, single parenting is related to divorce or factors related to poverty and deprivation.

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Change in Cohabitation in the U.S. Total Unmarried Partners Living Together (Numbers in Millions)

Note: All data is for opposite sex couples.

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Source: Cohen 2010.

Change in Cohabitation in the U.S. Total Unmarried Partners Living Together (Numbers In Millions)

7.5 6.8 6

4

2.9

3.1

1996

1998

3.8

4.2

4.7

5.0

2004

2006

2

0 2000

2002

2008

2010

Note: All data if for opposite sex couples. SOURCE: Cohen 2010 © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Change in Cohabitation in the U.S. Percentage of 2010 Cohabitants

EMPLOYMENT

WOMEN

MEN

Ages 15–29

38.8%

Ages 15–29

30.3%

Ages 30–44

32.4%

Ages 30–44

36.4%

Ages 44+

28.8%

Ages 44+

33.3%

Both in Labor Force

66.6%

One in Labor Force

25.7%

Neither in Labor Force

7.7%

HOUSEHOLD INCOME Earn under $20,000

12.1%

Earn $20,000– 33.5% $49,000 Earn over $50,000

54.4%

Note: All data if for opposite sex couples. SOURCE: Cohen 2010 © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

Cohabitation • About 50 percent of you will cohabit prior to marriage. • Cohabitation is now understood as a stage in the relationship process preceding marriage. • The main reason people give for cohabitation is to ensure future compatibility. • Interestingly, statistics show that those who cohabit prior to marriage are more likely to divorce. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Figure 11.7 Reasons for Cohabiting © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Gay-parent families • Despite ongoing dissent, there is slow movement toward acceptance of gay marriage and gay parenting. • This shift is taking place globally: the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, and others have already legalized either civil unions or gay marriages. • In the United States, only Florida prevents gay couples from adopting children. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint Presentation for Chapter 11: Families and Intimate Relationships

For more learning resources, please visit our online StudySpace at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/soc/essentials-of-sociology7/

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Clicker Questions 1. How was the pre-modern family in the United States different from the modern family? a. The pre-modern family was an extended family, and the modern family is nuclear. b. The pre-modern family was more stable than the modern family. c. The pre-modern family was only slightly larger than the modern family. d. The pre-modern family was one in which the father and the mother went out to work. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Clicker Questions 2. What is the family of orientation? a. The family of orientation is represented by childless couples. b. The family of orientation consists of the family into which a person is born. c. The family of orientation is represented by gay couples. d. The family of orientation is the family into which a person enters as an adult and within which children are raised.

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Clicker Questions 3. Why are families worldwide today adopting a nuclear family form? a. Because of shortened life expectancy, there are fewer grandparents around to provide extended family relationships. b. Because of warfare, families find it easier to survive as nuclear families. c. Because of the spread of Western culture, more people today are exposed to the ideals of romantic love and the nuclear family. d. Because of the rise of highly centralized national governments, new laws are undermining extended families. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Clicker Questions 4. Which one of the following is true regarding important changes in families occurring worldwide? a. There is a general trend toward arranged marriages. b. The rights of women are becoming more suppressed. c. Kin marriages are becoming more common. d. Higher levels of sexual freedom are developing in societies that were very restrictive.

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Clicker Questions 5. Which of the following is a reason for the steep increase in divorce rates in the 1960s and 1970s? a. Changes in the law made divorce available for the first time. b. With few exceptions, marriage no longer had much connection with the desire to perpetuate property and status from generation to generation. c. As men became more economically independent, marriage was less of a necessary economic partnership for them. d. The stigma of divorce increased, but this only affected women and not men. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.

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Clicker Questions 6. Increases in cohabitation among younger people, increases in postsecondary school enrollment (especially among women), and women’s increased participation in the labor force are all explanations for the trend toward _____ in the last several decades. a. remarriage b. later marriage c. single motherhood d. later divorce

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Clicker Questions 7. The most recent victory for same-sex couples came in July 2011, when ______ became the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. a. Massachusetts b. Iowa c. New York d. California

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