Family pt. 2

Family Patterns Inheritance: Patrilineal: descent and inheritance are passed from father to his male descendants Matrilineal: descent and inheritance are transmitted from the mother to her female descendants Bilateral: descent and inheritance are passed through both parents

Which do you typically see in an American family?

Which do you typically see in an American family? Bilateral

Family Patterns Authority: Patriarchy: the oldest man living in the household has authority over the rest of the family members. Matriarchy: the oldest woman living in the household holds the authority. Egalitarian: authority is split evenly between husband and wife. Both spouses make decisions

Which do you typically see in an American family?

Which do you typically see in an American family? Egalitarian

Family Patterns Place of residence Patrilocal: living with or near the husband’s family Matrilocal: residing with or near the wife’s parents Neolocal: married couples establish residences of their own; live apart from their parents

Which do you typically see in an American family?

Which do you typically see in an American family? Neolocal

Family Patterns Marriage Partners Monogamy: one man to one woman (one man to one man/one woman to one woman) Polygamy: multiple partners Polygyny: one man to multiple woman Polyandry: one woman to multiple men

Which do you typically see in an American family?

Which do you typically see in an American family? Monogamy

Changes in Marriages and Families The divorce rate increased slowly between 1860 and 1960. A dramatic increase happened over the next twenty years. Since then, the rate has leveled off. Sociologists believe there are four factors that affect divorce/marriages. First, divorce rates rise during economic prosperity and go down during hard times. Second, the rise in divorce rate after 1960 followed the growing up of the baby-boom generation. They did not attach a stigma to divorce the way earlier generations did so were more likely to leave unhappy marriages than stay.

Changes in Marriages and Families Third, the increasing financial independence of women means they are more willing to end bad marriages. Fourth, American values and attitudes about marriage and divorce are changing/ Society is much more forgiving of divorce and remarriage. The relatively high divorce rate in the U.S. has created the blended family.

Who is more likely to get divorced? Couples marrying during teenage years or who marry after age 20? Couples with more or less college education? White women or African American women? White women or Hispanic women?

Changes in marriages and families Blended families, a type of extended family that is not based strictly on blood relationships Single-parent families are growing in numbers as well. Childless marriages are growing in number.

Changes in marriages and families Cohabitation – living with someone in a marriage like arrangement without the legal obligations and responsibilities of formal marriage—has become a widely discussed alternative to traditional monogamy. An increasing number of Americans are choosing to remain single rather than to marry. The term boomerang kids is being applied to young adults who either leave home and return or stay at home and live with parents.