Chapter 12

Family

Chapter Outline

Marriage and Family: Basic Institutions of Society

The U.S. Family Over the Life Course Roles and Relationships in Marriage Contemporary Family Choices Problems in the American Family

Universal Functions of the Family

1. Replacement through reproduction.

2. Regulation of sexual behavior.

3. Economic responsibility for children, the disabled, the elderly, and the ill.

Universal Functions of the Family

4. Socialization of the young.

5. Status ascription.

6. The provision of intimacy, a sense of belonging, and emotional support.

The Life Course

Childhood - norms call for children to be sheltered but about 1 in 5 children are raised in poverty and suffer abuse.

Adolescence - a time of role strain and inner uncertainty.

Transition to adulthood - marked by right of passage.

The Life Course

Marriage and divorce - 95 % of Americans marry by age 45.

Middle age - between the ages of 45 and 65.

Age 65 and beyond.

The Sexual Side of Courtship

In the 1950s, people had sex when they intended to marry.

Today, young people are more likely to engage in sexual activity and girls have become more sexually experienced.

 Intergenerational Bonds

1. Youth and parents contend with the generation gap.

2. Adults and their parents tend to remain bonded.

3. Grandparents and grandchildren often form important and persistent bonds.

Roles and Relationships in Marriage

Gender rolesAmerican norms continue to make the husband the primary breadwinner.

Sexual rolesWomen are as likely to engage in affairs as men.

Mothering Versus Fathering

A father’s attachment to the workforce grows stronger in marriage while that of women is lessened.

The burden of childcare remains mainly “women’s work” even though fathers are more inclined to help if not to take responsibility.

% Births to Unmarried Women, Selected Countries: 1970–1999

1970 1980 1990 1999

United States 11 18 28 32

Bulgaria 9 11 12 35

Denmark 11 33 46 45

Italy 2 4 6 9

Netherlands 2 4 11 23

Sweden 18 40 47 55

Switzerland 4 5 6 10

% Births to Unmarried Women, Selected Countries: 1970–1999

1970 1980 1990 1999

United States 11 18 28 32

Bulgaria 9 11 12 35

Denmark 11 33 46 45

Italy 2 4 6 9

Netherlands 2 4 11 23

Sweden 18 40 47 55

Switzerland 4 5 6 10

United Kingdom 8 12 28 39

Step Parenting

An inevitable effect of high divorce and re-marriage rates.

Between 25 and 30% of children will live with a stepparent before age 18.

Often, the good intentions of a stepparent are rejected by both the children and the spouse.

 Marital Happiness

Reaches a peak during the honeymoon period.

Declines during the active middle years. Increases again for older married

couples.

 Cohabitation

About 55% of couples have lived together before marriage.

Evidence suggests that cohabitation does not enhance the chances of marital happiness.

Having Children

1/3 of births are to unmarried women. Surgical and chemical interventions can

help some couples overcome problems of infertility.

Women may remain childless into their thirties or forties.

Violence in the Family

Each year, 1.5 million children are known to be sexually, physically, or emotionally abused by their parents or caregivers.

22% of women and 7% of men have been assaulted by a spouse or cohabitant of the opposite sex.

Occurs in homes of all classes and races.

Changing Probability of Divorce, 1870-1995

Probability of First Marriage Breaking up within First 10 Years

% Ending in Divorce

Total 23%

Age at Marriage

< 18 48

18–19 40

20–24 29

25 or over 24

Probability of First Marriage Breaking up within First 10 Years

% Ending in Divorce

Total 23%

Education

Less than 12 years 42

12 years 36

13 years or more 29

Probability of First Marriage Breaking up within First 10 Years

% Ending in Divorce

Total 23%

Children before marriage

No 31

Yes 50

Parents are divorced

Yes 43

No 29

 Factors Predictive of Divorce

1. Marrying young.

2. Having parents who got divorced.

3. Bearing a child before marriage.

 Factors Predictive of Divorce

4. Low level of education.

5. Race.

6. Abusive, violent, or addictive behavior by one or both spouses.