1. Choices in Relationships
Introduction to Marriage and Family

2. Chapter 1
An Introduction

3. Chapter Outline Choices in Relationships—The View of This Text
Marriage
Family
Differences between Marriage and Family
Changes in Marriage and the Family
Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing Marriage and the Family
Evaluating Research in Marriage and the Family

4. True or False?
Based on the new trend toward single hood, it is estimated that less than 60% of adults will eventually marry.

5. Answer: False
Over 95% of U.S. adult women and men aged 65 and older have married at least once.

6. Choices in Relationships
Not To Decide Is To Decide
Not making a decision is a decision by default.
Some Choices Require Corrections
Once a choice is having consistent negative consequences, it is important to make new choices, and move forward.

7. Choices in Relationships
Choices Involve Trade-offs
Every relationship choice you make will have a downside and an upside.
Choices Include Selecting a Positive or Negative View
In spite of an unfortunate event in your life, you can choose to see the bright side.

8. Choices in Relationships
Choices Produce Ambivalence
Choosing among options and trade-offs often creates conflicting feelings as to what course of action to take.
Most Choices Are Revocable; Some Are Not
Most choices can be changed.

9. Choices in Relationships
Choices are Influenced by the Family Life Cycle
Before marriage, individualism characterizes most thinking and decisions.
Choices Are Facilitated with Decision-Making Skills
Steps in decision making include evaluating the issues involved, identifying courses of action, weighing the consequences and being attentive to your motivations.

10. Institutions The largest elements of society are social institutions.
These include:
Family
Economy
Education
Religion

11. Social Groups
Two or more people who have a common identity, interact, and form a social relationship.
Social groups may be categorized as primary or secondary.
Primary groups are characterized by interaction that is intimate and informal.
Secondary groups are characterized by interaction that is impersonal and formal.

12. Statuses The status we occupy largely define our social identity.
The statuses in a family may consist of mother, father, child, sibling, stepparent, and so on.

13. Roles
Every status is associated with many roles, or sets of rights, obligations, and expectations associated with a status.
Social statuses identify who we are; roles identify what we are expected to do.
Roles guide our behavior and allow us to predict the behavior of others.

14. Question
The social structure of a society consists of institutions, social groups, statuses and
choices.
roles.
social skills.
beliefs.

15. Answer: B
The social structure of a society consists of institutions, social groups, statuses and roles.

16. Culture Two central elements of culture are beliefs and values.
Beliefs refer to definitions and explanations about what is true.
Values are standards regarding what is good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

17. Elements of Marriage Legal Contract Emotional Relationship
Sexual Monogamy
Legal Responsibility for Children
Announcement /Ceremony

18. Choosing a Spouse
Pg. 2
Your choice of a spouse is one of the most important choices you will ever make.

19. Benefits of Marriage Health
Spouses have fewer hospital admissions, see a physician more regularly, are sick less often.
Longevity
Spouses live longer.
Happiness
Spouses report being happier.
Sexual satisfaction
Spouses report being more satisfied with their sex lives.

20. Benefits of Marriage Money Spouses have more economic resources
Lower expenses
Two can live more cheaply together than separately.
Drug use
Spouses have lower rates of drug use and abuse.
Connectedness
Spouses are connected to more individuals.

21. Benefits of Marriage Children
Rates of high school dropouts, teen pregnancies, and poverty are lower.
History
Spouses develop a shared history across time.
Crime
Spouses are less likely to be involved in crime.
Loneliness
Spouses are less likely to report loneliness.

22. Types of Marriage
Polygyny
Polyandry
Polyamory
Pantogamy

23. Polygyny
Pg. 13
The HBO program Big Love gave visibility to the issues involved with multiple wives/plural marriage among some polygynous Mormon families.

24. Types of Families Family of Origin Family of Procreation
Nuclear Family
Binuclear Family
Extended Family

25. Family
This man views the family dog as a member of the family.
Pg. 16

26. Question The family into which you were born is called the
family of procreation.
family of origin.
binuclear family.
birthright family.

27. Answer: B
The family into which you were born is called the family of origin.

28. Differences Between Marriage and Family
Involves two people.
Individuals usually choose each other.
Ends when spouse dies or is divorced.
Sex between spouses is expected and approved.
Procreation expected.
Family
Usually involves more than two people.
Members are born or adopted into the family.
Continues beyond the life of the individual.
Sex between near kin is neither expected nor approved.
Consequence of procreation.

29. The Industrial Revolution and Family Change
Dual-income family
Urbanization
Transportation
The demise of familism and the rise of individualism

30. Changes in the Last Half Century
Divorce as marriage endpoint
Changes in gender roles
Delay in age at marriage
Acceptance of singlehood
Cohabitation
Childfree marriages
Living amid a context of terrorism

31. Families Amid a Context of Terrorism
Pg. 21
As citizens, we are constantly reminded that we live in a context of terrorism.

32. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Structural-Functional
Views the family as an institution with values, norms, and activities meant to provide stability for the larger society.
Conflict
Recognizes that family members have different goals and values that result in conflict.

33. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Family life Course Development
Emphasizes the process of how families change over time.
Feminist
Women and men will experience life differently because there are different expectations for the respective genders.

34. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Symbolic Interaction
The process of interpersonal interaction.
Systems Framework
The basic premise is that each member of the family is part of a system and the family as a unit develops norms of interacting, which may be explicit or implied.

35. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Human ecology
The study of ecosystems, or the interaction of families with their environment.
Biosocial Framework
Emphasizes the interaction of one’s biological/genetic inheritance with one’s social environment to explain and predict human behavior.

36. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Stratification
Refers to the ranking of people into strata according to their socioeconomic status or social class, usually indexed according to income, occupation, and educational attainment.

37. Question
The framework which points out that interactions between spouses, parents and children are understood as each individual seeking the most "benefit" at the least "cost" is the
family development framework.
social exchange framework.
symbolic interaction framework.
family systems framework.

38. Answer: B
The framework which points out that interactions between spouses, parents and children are understood as each individual seeking the most "benefit" at the least "cost" is the social exchange framework.

39. Question
Which framework provides a valuable approach to understanding the family and its members' development of rules of interaction?
family systems framework
symbolic interactionist framework
social exchange framework
operative framework

40. Answer: A
The family systems framework provides a valuable approach to understanding the family and its members' development of rules of interaction.

41. Households by Social Class
Upper Upper Class
Lower Upper Class
% of Population 1% 2%
Income
$500K+
$200K+
Education
Prestigious schools
Example
Kennedys
Bill Gates, Donald Trump

42. Households by Social Class
Upper-middle Class
Lower-middle Class
% of Population
23%
27%
Income
$75K - $200K
$40K-$75K
Education
Post graduate degrees
College degrees
Example
Your physician
High School English teacher

43. Households by Social Class
Working Class
Working poor
% of Population
25%
15%
Income
$20-40K
Below poverty line of $14,680 for family of 3
Education
High school diploma
Some high school
Example
Employee at fast food restaurant
Janitor

44. Households by Social Class
Under class
% of Population
10%
Income -
Education
Unemployed/ Unemployable
Example
Bag lady

45. Research on Marriage and Family: Samples
Some of the research on marriage and the family is based on random samples.
In a random sample, each individual in the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

46. Research on Marriage and Family
Any study that concludes that an abortion (or any independent variable) is associated with negative outcomes (or any dependent variable) must include two groups:
Women who have had an abortion
Women who have not had an abortion.

47. Research on Marriage and Family: Age and Cohort Effects
In some research designs, different cohorts or age groups are tested at one point in time.
One problem is the difficulty of discerning whether differences between the subjects studied are due to the research variable of interest, cohort differences, or a variable associated with the passage of time.

48. Potential Inadequacies of Research Studies
Weakness
Consequences
Example
Sample not random
Cannot generalize findings
Opinions of college students differ from other adults.
No control group
Inaccurate conclusions
Study on effect of divorce needs control group of married people.

49. Potential Inadequacies of Research Studies
Weakness
Consequences
Example
Age differences of respondents
Inaccurate conclusions
Effect may be due to passage of time or to cohort differences
Unclear terminology
Can’t measure what is not clearly defined
What is living together, marital happiness, sexual fulfillment, good communication, quality time?

50. Potential Inadequacies of Research Studies
Weakness
Consequences
Example
Researcher bias
Slanted conclusions
Male research making assumptions about women based on male responses.
Time lag
Outdated conclusions
Often-quoted Kinsey sex research is over fifty years old.
Distortion
Invalid conclusions
Research subjects recall facts or events inaccurately.