Title: Dating,Cohabitation and Marriage
1Dating,Cohabitation and Marriage
2Toward 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
3Think of
- 1. Your first date
- 2. Your most recent date
- Brainstorm words that come to mind.
4Are 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 7Parental 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
8Rise 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
9Anglo-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
10Rise 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
11Rise 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
12Rise 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
13Rise 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
14The 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
15The 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
16The 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
17Also 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
19The 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
20Unmarried White Women and Men Age 19-35
Willingness to Marry Someone with the Following
Characteristics
21Gender 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
22The 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
23The 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
24Union 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
25Cohabitation as a Substitute for Marriage
- Substitute for marriage
- For those who do not want commitment
- Men less likely to value commitment
- Postponement of marriage
26Reasons for Cohabitation Cohabitating Women and
Men Under 35 years old
27Cohabitation 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