1. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Family-Related Problems Chapter 3 Family-Related Problems This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease or lending of the program.

2. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Myth or Fact? Divorce is a modern phenomenon and was relatively unheard of in premodern societies. The U.S has more teenage pregnancies than any other industrial nation. Myth Fact

3. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Families Family the social institution based on kinship that functions to replace members of society and to nurture them In the U.S. today cultural norms call for people To practice monogamy To have an egalitarian family Families in the U.S. have transitioned from an extended family to a nuclear family; yet many families form a modified extended family.

4. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Functionalist Perspective Some form of the family exists in all societies because families perform certain basic functions essential to human survival and the maintenance of society including regulation of sexual behavior and reproduction socialization and education status conferral economic activity protection affection and companionship

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6. The Conflict Perspective The family serves the interests of the dominant groups in society. There is no reason to assume that a single family form will benefit everyone. The dominant form can perpetuate social and economic inequality. The most common type of authority structure in families is patriarchy, which refers to a family in which males dominate the regulation of political and economic decision making, whereas women and children are subordinate.

7. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Interactionist Perspective Family form is a matter of social definition. People are socialized to accept their society’s family form as “natural.” Today there is much less widespread consensus regarding family and family-related behavior.

8. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Attitudes Toward Marriage and Family In the U.S. today more people marry than ever before, well over 90% this may reflect the long transition from “arranged marriages” to “participant-run” romances where the selection of a marital partner is based primarily on the individual desires of the prospective mates marriage is viewed quite positively by many people, but alternatives are also becoming more popular

9. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Divorce Rate The refined divorce rate is determined by dividing the number of divorces each year by the total number of existing marriages in that year. The divorce rate has doubled since 1940, going from 8.8 to about 18 divorces for every 1,000 marriages The divorce rate has gone up over the last sixty years, but has declined a little since its high point around 1980.

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11. Societal Conditions Related to the Rising Divorce Rate The family performs fewer functions today. The increasing equality between men and women has created opportunities and tensions. There is less stigma attached to divorce today. Pressures have surfaced to simplify the legal process for obtaining a divorce.

12. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Who Gets Divorced? Couples with an increased likelihood of divorcing have the following characteristics: social differences between the couple low socioeconomic standing young age at marriage whirlwind romances

13. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Divorce and Children When parents divorce what are the consequences for the children? The impact on children depends on their age. Children in divorced homes seem to be more prone to delinquency. A decline in school performance and a higher school dropout rate is a common consequence. It is not the divorce itself that produces the negative consequences; the social and emotional conditions that often surround divorce are also a part of the problem. Research suggests that the impact on children persists into adulthood.

14. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Diverse Family Lifestyles Diverse Family Lifestyles Dual Earner Families Singlehood Cohabitation Single Parenthood

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18. Violence in the Family Intimate Partner Violence Includes violence between spouses, cohabitating partners, boyfriends/girlfriends, and dates Reasons for intimate partner violence Use of violence to settle disputes, especially by males Marital poverty Sexual inequality An inconsistency between a man’s and woman’s achievements Social isolation

19. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Violence in the Family Child Abuse Irrespective of social class considerations, it appears that child abuse is a behavior pattern that is passed on from generation to generation in some families. Abuse of the Elderly Abuse is more likely to occur when the caregiver is dependent on the elderly person under his or her care.

20. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Future Prospects The family performs important functions in society, and some type of family will undoubtedly continue to perform those functions in the future. Despite the rapid rise in divorce in recent decades, the divorce rate will not necessarily continue to rise substantially in the future. One of the most positive steps toward reducing family violence has been bringing the issue into the open. Social policies related to children and the family can be highly controversial and cover such topics as teen pregnancy and child-care.