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Dating,Cohabitation and Marriage

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Union = stable, intimate relationship between two people who ... Children living as singles before marriage. Growth of individualism. Increase in divorce rate ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Dating,Cohabitation and Marriage


1
Dating,Cohabitation and Marriage
  • Chapter Eight

2
Toward Forming a Union
  • Union stable, intimate relationship between two
    people who live in the same household but may or
    may not be married
  • Cohabitation the sharing of a household by
    unmarried persons who have a sexual relationship

3
Think of
  • 1. Your first date
  • 2. Your most recent date
  • Brainstorm words that come to mind.

4
Are any of these on your list?
  • Parents Choice?
  • Chaperone?
  • Public space?
  • Privacy?
  • Marriage?
  • Love?
  • Who Pays?
  • Getting Dressed Up?
  • Sexual Activity?

5
(No Transcript)
6
  • Left off 6-23-03

7
Parental Influence
  • Not as strong as it once was in U.S.
  • Developing nations still strong influence
  • Influence declined mid to late 1700s
  • Commercial capitalism provided jobs outside
    family farm
  • Without property, parents had less influence
    (Children make independent living)
  • Marriage age of sons declined, daughters married
    out of birth order

8
Rise in Courtship
  • Courtship publicly visible process with rules and
    restrictions
  • Carefully established social norms governed
    process
  • Public meeting places, group setting
  • Night visiting, family present
  • No privacy until engagement
  • By 1800s, role of love (sympathy, understanding,
    not passion) increased

9
Anglo-American Courtship(Among Those with
Property)
  • Courtship met its demise after 1900
  • Migration from rural areas to cities
  • Industrial capitalism
  • Higher standards of living
  • Less need for teens to work, spending
  • Longer adolescence
  • Child labor laws, HS, need for edu.
  • Protected time
  • General mobility increased
  • Range of choices increased

10
Rise and Fall of Dating I
  • New system of courtship based on dating
  • Young people began leaving home and going out on
    dates
  • Placed courtship on an economic basis men
    always paid
  • Shifted balance of power from women to men

11
Rise and Fall of Dating II
  • Shifted balance of power from parents to
    teenagers and young adults
  • Responsibility of stopping sexual activity
    shifted to women
  • Social sanctions imposed by peers
  • Dating became closely connected to marriage

12
Rise and Fall of Dating
  • Heyday of dating, 1945-1965
  • High School and College dating
  • By 1960 2/3 of boys and 3/4 of girls had begun
    dating by 9th grade
  • All had dated by 12th grade
  • Adults alarmed by youth going steady

13
Rise and Fall of Dating
  • 1970s and 1980s pattern began to change
  • Dating system less connected to marriage
  • Average age of marriage increased
  • Cohabitation became common
  • Sharp rise in premarital intercourse
  • Socialized in larger, mixed sex groups
  • Became less formal

14
The Trend Toward Independent Living
  • Dating and Courtship model assumed
  • Children would live at home until marriage
  • Children would help support family with earnings
    until they left home

15
The Trend Toward Independent Living
  • Increase in independent living aided by
  • Children living as singles before marriage
  • Growth of individualism
  • Increase in divorce rate
  • Age at first marriage has risen

16
The Marriage Market Metaphor
  • Three Components
  • Supply men and women seeking spouse
  • Like labor market, seeking job
  • Preferences what I want preferred
    characteristics of spouse (i.e. education, looks,
    disposition)
  • These vary
  • Resources what I have characteristics a
  • person has which are attractive to
  • others

17
Also Important to Marriage Market
  • Sex ratio number of males vs. number of females
  • Propinquity those who are close/within your
    field of vision

18
  • Video Excerpts
  • The Way We Were
  • HBO Sit Com

19
The Changing Marriage Bargain
  • Survey of willingness to marry different types
  • Five characteristics
  • Women more willing to marry older partner
  • Men more willing to marry younger partner
  • Women more willing to marry not good-looking
    partner
  • Neither women or men willing to marry partner who
    couldnt hold job
  • Men more willing to marry partner who earned
    less

20
Unmarried White Women and Men Age 19-35
Willingness to Marry Someone with the Following
Characteristics
21
Gender Differences in Romantic Love
  • Gender differences
  • Women use romantic love and practical criteria to
    choose spouse
  • Reproductive strategy - valuing support and
    commitment in men
  • Men use romantic love and physical attractiveness
  • Reproductive strategy - valuing evidence of age
    and attractiveness bearing children

22
The Changing Marriage Bargain
  • Bargain now includes the preference that both
    spouses will contribute to the family income
  • Reflection of
  • Greater acceptance of womens work outside the
    home
  • Mens stagnating wages
  • Rising marriage age

23
The Changing Marriage Bargain
  • 1950s bargain homemaker and breadwinner
  • 1960s specialization model economic
    approach/international trade
  • Beckers model (as seen in policy paper)
  • Women more efficient at housework and raising
    children Men better at earning money
  • Model predicts women search for good providers,
    men search for good homemakers
  • Assumed skills were inherent, identical
    preferences of wife and husband
  • Model no longer fits well

24
Union Formation Summing Up
  • None of the conditions of the 1950s remain today
    (among 1st marriages)
  • Common to marry later, spend more time searching
    for mate
  • Cohabitation acceptable
  • Childbearing outside of marriage, much less
    stigmatized
  • Both men and women are required to be good
    earners
  • Men should take more responsibility at home

25
Cohabitation as a Substitute for Marriage
  • Substitute for marriage
  • For those who do not want commitment
  • Men less likely to value commitment
  • Postponement of marriage

26
Reasons for Cohabitation Cohabitating Women and
Men Under 35 years old
27
Cohabitation Summing Up
  • Diverse phenomenon
  • Most relationships do not last long
  • About 1/2 end in marriage
  • For whites it is a step to marriage or breaking
    up
  • For African Americans and Hispanics more a
    substitute for marriage

28
  • Extra material if interested
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