6-10
AA6666
Week6_FamilyandMarriage.pptxFamily & Marriage
Week 6
Key Take Aways
Opinions on family and marriage as well as trends in marriage and divorce have changed drastically over the years
Nuclear families are not the only type of family
Marriage can create advantages for couples and their children, but it can also be a source of inequality both within and between families
Research and discussions on marriage and family in the US tend to leave out lots of things (which we’ll discuss)
Overview
Textbook Definition
Family: “a group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage, adoption, or a mutual commitment and who care for one another”
Families throughout history & the status of the nuclear family
Nuclear families are the most universal now, but have not always been
For most of human history life expectancies were much shorter than today, meaning that most children grew up with one or no parents
Divorce rates began to rise in the 1960s and 70s
Major marriage and family arrangements in the US
In 2019, about 6.1 per 1,000 Americans got married
About 2.7 per 1,000 Americans got divorced
As of 2019, approx. 48.2% of all Americans ages 15+ were married
THE FAMILY
Definitions from Social Problems: Continuity and Change
Changes in Marriage and Cohabitation
THE FAMILY
Trust and Satisfaction within Marriage and Cohabitation
THE FAMILY
Reasons for Marriage and Cohabitation and Opinions on Legal Rights
THE FAMILY
Sociological Perspectives on the Family
THE FAMILY
| Theoretical Perspective | Major Assumptions |
| Functionalism | The family performs several essential functions for society. It socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support, it helps regulate sexual activity and reproduction, and it provides its members with a social identity. Family problems stem from sudden or far-reaching changes in the family’s structure or processes; these problems threaten the family’s stability and weaken society. |
| Conflict | The family contributes to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality and patriarchy. Family problems stem from economic inequality and from patriarchal ideology. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical and emotional violence. |
| Symbolic Interactionism | The interaction of family members and couples involves shared understandings of their situations. Individuals within partnerships have different styles of communication, and social class affects expectations that partners have of their marriages/partnerships and of each other. Family problems stem from difference understandings and expectations that spouses have of their marriage. |
| Intersectionality | Marriage and family life are differently experienced and viewed based on class, race, gender, nationality and other differentiating factors; any inequalities that arise are based in racial, gender, and/or economic inequalities |
The divorce rate today is only slightly higher than at the end of WW2
Reasons for divorce
Women’s increasing economic independence
Divorce is no longer extremely taboo
Easier to legally obtain
Effects of divorce
Women often fall into poverty
Mental health and well-being gets worse for some but gets better for others
Worsened financial situations for children
Parental conflict affects children more than the actual divorce
Children often become estranged from their fathers
Changes and Problems in American Families
Working mothers
Effect on children is mixed – depends largely on income and education levels of parents
Family violence
Violence against intimate partners
Very common; about 80% consists of violence by men against women
Violence against children
Difficult to know how prevalent it is
Families in the Future
Implications of social science theory & research
Most families that live in poverty are headed by women, and most of these households are the result of divorce – very little social support for these types of families
Much of family violence is rooted in the stress of poverty and gender inequalities – reducing poverty and gender inequality would reduce violence
Low-conflict marriages that end in divorce are usually spurred by financial difficulties – government efforts to reduce poverty would help
1. Since so many marriages end in divorce, why do you think that so many people continue to marry?
2. Why do you think the United States lags behind other democracies in efforts to help families?
3. We just discussed marriage and family in current US society. What is missing from this discussion? What don’t we have data on?
Whose experiences are we not considering?
Think - Pair - Share
Indigenous Perspectives
Not all tribes have “wedding ceremonies” as we commonly take part in today
There is infinite variety in defining marriage and family
Communal responsibility
Involvement of grandparents and other community/tribal members
“One of the major destructive forces to American Indian peoples were the assimilation-based policies that destroyed traditional kinship systems and family units. This destruction contributed to the cycle of dysfunction that continues to plague families and homes in Indian country. A second major destructive blow occurred when colonial forces, through law and policy, reinforced white male patriarchal kinship and family systems” (Killsback 2019)
The impact of boarding/assimilation schools
Traditional kinship systems
Example: “The traditional Cheyenne kinship system emphasized familial relationships for the sake of childrearing and imparting traditional values of respect, reciprocity, and balance” (Killsback 2019)
Source: Killsback , Leo Kevin. 2019. “A nation of families: traditional kinship, the foundation for Cheyenne sovereignty.” AlterNative 15(1):34-43. DOI: 10.1177/1177180118822833
