1. To Know from Coontz (2000) Reason for initial historical “decline” of extended kinship Myths regarding: – “Affective individualism” & family Rs – Time spent with children – Nuclear or other “ideal” structures Aspects of family economy: – Sources of resource-attainment – Different ways resources are distributed within families Various expectations of roles for children Pros vs. Cons of marriage/family life vs. single Importance of context when studying families

2. Lineage emphases – Greek “families” among the gods – Judeo-Christian Adam & Eve – Roman paterfamilias – Dynasties (Assyria, Egypt, China) – Totem Poles (indigenous peoples) – European “ancestries” – U.S. mandated recording (christenings, marriages, burials) in 1632

3. Historical Record Upper class bias (e.g., nobles, wars, empires) 1 st study “ordinary” families 3

4. Primacy of Public Families (U.S.-Euro colonies) – Performed public services – All was public business Houses lacked internal privacy – Diverse structures – Marriage often unofficial 4

5. Rise of “Private” Family (1900-Present) Early Decades: Increase in : – – – rate – Privacy & private families – Decline in: – – Family dominance in people’s lives Emphases on: – Family as source of emotional satisfaction (rather than solely economic/material needs) 5

6. Recent distinct “group” trends Great Depression Generation – Family finances reduced – Father-authority undermined – Divorce-rate – Marriage & childbearing – Children Baby Boom Generation – Renewed focus on marriage & children – Highpoint of breadwinner-homemaker “model” – Not really “traditional family” – 1960s-Beyond – Birthrate – Married – Divorce-rate 1960s–70s – Emergence of “ ” – Children delayed for education

7. Life-course perspective on 20 th century social change 7

9. Transition over time… l “F”amily l Extended l Powerful l Context for life l Social, financial support l Based on economics, obligation To… l “f”amily l Conjugal l Weaker l Isolated from society l More freedom l Voluntary, based on emotional bond

10. “There is no golden age of the family gleaming at us in the far back historical past…Desertion by spouses, illegitimate children, and other conditions that are considered characteristics of modern times existed in the past as well.” (Zinn & Eitzen, 2002, p. 8)