1. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

2. Chapter 15: Social Problems of Marriage and Family

3. Background of a Family Marriage Family Nuclear Family Extended Family
Union of two people typically recognized by law or cultural norms
Family
Two or more people related by blood, marriage, or adoption
Nuclear Family
Household consisting of husband, wife, and children
Extended Family
Structure that includes nuclear family plus one or more additional relatives

4. Myths About the Family Family researcher Stephanie Coontz
Myths about family that persist in United States:
Belief that all families structured like a nuclear family
Family units are self-reliant
Within each family, there is a predetermined and different set of roles and responsibilities for men and women
The nuclear family of the 1950s is the ideal family
Perfect family more a product of imagination than reality

6. The American Family: A Work in Progress
Idea of typical American family constantly changing
Median age at which person gets married has changed considerably
Economic and educational opportunities for women expanded greatly since 1900
Led some to postpone marriage in favor of starting careers
May be due to change in values on nature of marriage, family, and what one seeks from life

7. New Family Structures Cohabitation
Rate of cohabitation increased significantly over past 40 years
Rise in divorces over past few decades, young adults now aware of realities of divorce
Changing societal norms about cohabitation and sexual relationships outside marriage
Different couples may have different reasons for choosing cohabitation over marriage
Trial period before marriage or substitute
Others may view living together as logical step in serious relationship

8. Continued
These different reasons for cohabiting can affect the success of a relationship
Without legal recognition of their union, researchers noted that couples that opt to remain unmarried maintain striking resemblance to families of the past
Particularly true if couple brings children into relationship
Parental roles remain typical

10. Continued Blended Families and Single-Parent Homes Blended Families
Consist of children and some combination of biological parents and stepparents
Many single-parent households in which children typically raised by mother who is divorced or never married father of her children
Blended families share number of possible problems similar to single-parent households
Though single-parent households tend to have lowest incomes of all forms of the family
48% of all single mothers live below poverty line
Employed single mother’s per capita income is 13% lower than per capita income in two-parent households in which father is only one employed outside the home

11. Continued Children raised in single-parent families:
Increased risk for poor academic performance
Low self-esteem
Substance abuse
Delinquent behavior and a host of other social problems
Researchers suggested this results from being stigmatized by other children
Others suggest it is due to lack of clear and consistent parenting roles
Others maintain that because family processes in these families different from nuclear family, wellbeing of individuals suffers
Research supports idea that differences have less to do with family structure and more to do with family processes

12. Continued Gay and Lesbian Families
Research is difficult to find and is often controversial
1990s Census data
Approximately 60% of gay families and 45% of lesbian families live in urban areas and are concentrated in certain regions of US
Only small percentages have children
50% of heterosexual couples have children
Only 5% of gay couples and 22% of lesbian couples do

13. Continued
Children raised in gay/lesbian homes no more likely to grow up to be gay than children raised in straight homes
Less likely to suffer abuse
Tend to have more opportunities because parents are generally better educated and better off financially than their peers
Children raised by same-sex couples don’t exhibit adverse effects on self-esteem or self-worth related to fact their homes are “different”

14. Issues in the Family Marital Satisfaction Difficult to measure
Married people tend:
To be happier
Have better health
Enjoy higher standard of living because incomes tend to be higher
Research on life satisfaction
Men tend to benefit more from marriage than women
Married men live more stable lives than their single peers
Less likely to be involved in dangerous activities
More likely to experience contentment in their lives

15. Continued Having children can affect marital satisfaction
Studies show parents report lower levels of satisfaction compared to nonparents
Mothers of infants show greatest difference in martial contentment when compared to women with no children
Data show satisfaction for both men and women decreases after birth of first child
Due to conflicts from parenting and decreased levels of personal freedom
Regardless the form of family
Adult participants exhibit lower levels of sense of well-being while expressing more frequent negative emotions than do their peers who are without children

16. Continued Child Rearing and Child Care Raising children is expensive
2006
Raising child until age of 17 was $289,000
Expenses can be major point of tension
Main issue is making decisions about child care
May involve deciding whether one parent will stay home
In families where both spouses employed, means making arrangements for children during work hours
Several different options
Day care centers, family day cares, hiring babysitters, or having children stay with other relatives during the day

17. Continued
Increased number of women in workforce corresponded with changes in child care arrangements
1965
15% of mothers employed cared for their preschool children while they worked
1994
Number dropped to 6%
Percentage of working fathers who cared for young children increased from 14% to 19%
Percentage of preschool children in day care centers increased from 7% in 1965 to 29% in 1994

18. Divorce Despite best intentions Some families wind up in divorce court
Amy Taylor
Some couples see divorce as only alternative
In case of many failed marriages, cheating constitutes grounds for divorce
Some seek to escape domestic violence
Other couples divorce because they can’t get along anymore

19. Continued
Changes in attitudes about family made it easier to obtain divorce in the United States
Family roles and stigma surrounding divorce changed
Divorce rate increased considerably since 1950s
More women able to pursue own careers and earn a successful living
Removed economic concerns single women faced in the past
People today more supportive of divorce than in the past
Getting divorced much more common

20. Continued
1950s
More than 85% of marriages lasted 10 years or more
Now, only about 70% last that long
Factors such as cohabitation can increase chances of divorce by 35%
Why is a complicated and unanswerable question
Appears people willing to cohabit have different values and attitudes about meaning of marriage
Hurts chances of creating lasting relationship

22. Decreasing the Odds
There are features that decrease likelihood of divorce
Some risk factors can be controlled, others based on circumstance
People who share similar educational and religious backgrounds more likely to remain married
Those who marry in mid-20s or older and wait to have children more likely to stay with their spouse
Coming from family that hasn’t been through a divorce decreases likelihood of experiencing one

23. Children and Divorce Children also heavily impacted by divorce
Couple can ease the blow by delivering message together and in a way that does not focus on conflict
Taking responsibility for the decision
Avoiding the blame game
Encouraging children to ask questions

24. Continued Children whose parents divorce experience social problems
Sometimes encounter difficulties at school
Emotional drain and loss of time while parents in transition
Research indicates that in the US
Child loses close to 70% of full school year due to divorce
Children who experience intense divorces have extreme difficulty in coping with the situation
Children from families with divorced parents more likely to get a divorce
Children of divorce found to have more negative attitudes about marriage and possibility of sustaining a long-term relationship

25. Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionists examine how marriage relates to society
Researcher Stephanie Coontz
Family structure has always changed
In previous eras, extended families common
Divorce and unmarried coupling rare
Definitions of family reflected social norms of those times
In present day, definition of family grown to include nuclear family, blended families, and other variations
These definitions also likely to change

26. Conflict Theory
Conflict theorists focus on competition over limited resources
See potential for struggle over time and energy
In an institution supposed to be based on mutual affection and desire to ensure happiness of both partners
Conflict revolves around household duties and child care
Men’s and women’s responsibilities at home not equal
Women today still do more total household chores
Conflict theorists claim this is a way for men to use advantage to keep busy and create a better life for themselves
Some suggest it is clearly oppression

28. Functionalism
Functionalists see family as means of ensuring people are able to function successfully in society
Sociologist Emile Durkheim
Learning to function in a family is first step in preparing individuals to function in society
Children taught which types of behavior are acceptable and which types are frowned upon

29. Continued
Living in a family environment helps children develop skills related to tolerance and cooperation
Children prepared to operate in the larger world
Skills acquired by living in a family:
Ability to make friends
Maintain a job
Interact with others on a daily basis
Without family environment, successful integration into society would be more difficult

30. Continued Sociologist David Popenoe
Traditional American nuclear family eroded over time
Particularly in past 25 years
Strengths that make up family Institutions have weakened
Cohesion
Performance of familial functions
Power over other social institutions
Change occurred as family members became more autonomous and less connected to one another
Without cohesion, families unable to perform proper functions

31. Preventing Child Abuse
Defined by federal law as
“Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm”
2007
1,760 child fatalities as direct result of injury related to neglect or physical abuse
Most vulnerable children are the youngest
Children under age of 4 accounted for 75% of child abuse-related fatalities

32. Continued Preventive measures that can be taken
Most states require immediate notification to authorities if person suspects child is being abused
More rapid responses lead to fewer children being murdered
Complications arise over the definition of “abuse”
Some parents who use violence believe they are using physical punishment as just form of discipline

33. Continued
Some suggest this form of chastisement (spanking) related to increased likelihood of child abuse
Children in US at greatest risk of being abused by someone responsible for their care
This social problem most often faced by
Schools, courts, and host of social service agencies
Therapy and family intervention
Help parents identify and understand their triggers
Develop ways of coping with and avoiding situations that previously resulted in abuse

35. No-Fault Divorce and Covenant Marriage
Divorce in which both parties in a marriage are granted a divorce without having to prove fault
Between 1953 and 1987
Most fault-based divorce laws eliminated in US
Enabled split without legally establishing blame
Some view elimination of laws as devastating to family institution
Laws provide incentives for divorce rather than providing incentives to solve marital problems

37. Continued One alternative is covenant marriage
Places conditions on circumstances in which divorce will be permitted
Specific terms vary by state
Intention is to put roadblock between couple and “easy divorce”
Does not mean that couples cannot divorce
Only that for those who agreed to enter into one, divorce is more difficult
Debate over benefits of covenant marriage
Will decrease divorces
Can trap people in unhappy marriages