Chapter 7 Marriage Relationships

Chapter Sections 7-1 Individual Motivations for Marriage 7-2 Societal Functions of Marriage 7-3 Marriage as a Commitment 7-4 Marriage as a Rite of Passage 7-5 Changes After Marriage 7-6 Diversity in Marriage 7-7 Marital Success

Individual Motivations for Marriage People get married for a variety of reasons. Love Personal fulfillment Companionship Parenthood Economic security

Societal Functions of Marriage Important functions of marriage: Binds couple together who will reproduce Provides physical care for dependent young Socializes children into society Regulates sexual behavior Provides companionship

Marriage as Commitment Commitment: the intent to maintain a relationship Marriage is a person-to-person commitment. Marriage is a family-to-family commitment. – Bride wealth: amount of money a prospective groom will pay to the parents of his bride-to-be. Marriage is a couple-to-state commitment. Social policy directs marriage, divorce, and child support.

Marriage as a Rite of Passage Rite of passage: an event that marks the transition from one status to another. A wedding is both religious and civil. Families cooperate to produce the wedding. Brides often wear traditional artifacts—concrete symbols that reflect a phenomenon).

Rite of Passage The average cost of a wedding is approximately $30,000. The honeymoon is the time in which the couple recovers from the wedding and solidifies their new status as spouses.

Changes After Marriage While laws vary by state, partners typically become part owner of the other’s income and assets. New spouses often develop increased self-confidence and adopt new values and behaviors. Marriage affects relationships with friends.

Changes After Marriage The couple’s relationship often changes to disenchantment—transition from a state of newness and high expectation to a state of the mundane tempered by reality. Partners shift their focus from each other to work or children.

Changes After Marriage Couples also experience: Loss of freedom More responsibility Less alone time Changes in how money is spent Discovering that one’s mate is different from one’s date Sexual changes Power changes

Changes After Marriage Marriage affects relationships with parents. Only a minority of spouses report that they do not get along with their in-laws. Time spent with extended family rapidly increases after children are born.

Changes After Marriage Marriage involves the need for spouses to discuss and negotiate how they are going to get and spend money. Debt tends to strain relationships.

Diversity in Marriage May-December marriage: age-discrepant marriage. Typically the man is older than the woman. Research finds no difference in reported marital satisfaction between age-discrepant and age-similar marriages. Such marriages tend to benefit men more than women.

Diversity Interracial marriages About 15% of all marriages in the U.S. are racially mixed. Interracial partners sometimes experience negative reactions. Interracial marriages are more likely to dissolve.

Diversity Interreligious Marriages Over one third of marriages in the U.S. are interreligious. The impact of a mixed religious marriage may depend on the devoutness of the spouses. Those who are religious tend to be more satisfied with their marriages.

Diversity Cross-national marriages Cross-national marriages are becoming more common. Much of the stress of these marriages is related to society’s intolerance of cross- national marriages.

Diversity Military marriages About 60% of U.S. military personnel are married and/or have children. Military contract marriage: marriage in which a military person and a civilian participate to get more money and benefits from the government Military marriages are particularly difficult for women.

Diversity Challenges for military marriages: Traditional gender roles are challenged. Loss of control over deployment Infidelity: length of separation increases the chances of infidelity Frequent moves and separations Lower marital satisfaction and higher divorce rates Employment problems

Marital Success Marital success: measured in terms of marital stability and marital happiness Stability: how long the marriage lasts Happiness: satisfaction, adjustment, integration

Marital Success Characteristics of couples in happy, stable relationships Personal and emotional commitment Common interests/positive self-concepts Good communication/effective use of humor Religiosity Trust Not materialistic

Marital Success Characteristics of couples in happy, stable marriages Positive role models in their parents Sexual desire Equitable relationships Absence of negative attributions Forgiveness Health

Marital Success Marital happiness has variable patterns over time in relationships. Five different patterns in happiness: – Started out happy and remained happy – Started out slightly less happy and remained so – Started out happy, slowly declined, followed by recovery – Started out not too happy and remained so – Started out not too happy and declined

Trajectories of Marital Happiness

Marital Success The Healthy Marriage Initiative is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Research confirmed the positive effects of education and support for marriages and families.

Chapter Summary Individuals have different motivations for marriage. Marriages performs functions for society. Marriage involves commitment: person-to- person, family-to-family, and couple-to-state. Marriage is a rite of passage. Couples experience change after marriage. Marriage is increasingly characterized by diversity. A variety of factors is related to marital success.

Chapter Review 1.What are the individual motivations for marriage? 2.What are the societal functions of marriage? 3.In what ways is marriage a commitment? 4.What is a rite of passage? 5.What changes are couples likely to experience after marriage?

Chapter Review 6.Discuss the increasing diversity in marriage. 7.What are the challenges for military families? 8.What factors tend to lead to marital success? 9.How does marital happiness change across time?