The Meaning of Marriage and the Family

1
Chapter 1

• The Meaning of Marriage and the Family

2
Chapter Outline

• Personal Experience and Wishful Thinking
• What Is Family? What Is Marriage?
• Functions of Marriages and Families
• Extended Families and Kinship
• Cultural Constructions of Family Life
• Contemporary Patterns of Marriage and Family Life

3
Marriage

• A legal union between a man and a woman in which
• They are united sexually.
• Cooperate economically.
• May give birth to, adopt, or rear children.
• Assumed to be permanent, although it may be
  dissolved by separation or divorce.

4
Marriage and Culture

• Marriage differs among cultures and has changed
  historically in our own society.
• Who may marry whom and at what age varies from
  one society to another.

5
Marriage and Culture

• In Western cultures, the preferred form of
  marriage is monogamy, in which there are only two
  spouses, the husband and wife.
• Polygyny, the practice of having more than one
  wife, is commonplace throughout many cultures in
  the world.

6
Legal marriage

• Provides a number of rights and protections to
  spouses that couples who live together lack.
• The current legal definitions of marriage are in
  the midst of change in both the United States and
  many other countries.

7
Family

• Most definitions of family include individuals
  who are related by descent, marriage, remarriage,
  or adoption.
• Family may be defined as one or more adults
  related by blood, marriage, or affiliation who
  cooperate economically, who may share a common
  dwelling, and who may rear children.

8
Family Ethnic Differences

• Among Latinos,godparent are considered family
  members.
• Among some Japanese Americans, the ie is the
  traditional family.
• Among many Native- American tribes, the clan is
  regarded as the fundamental family unit.

9
Four Functions of the Family

1. Provision of intimacy.
2. Formation of a cooperative economic unit.
3. Reproduction and socialization.
4. Assignment of social roles and status.

10
Types of Families

• Family of orientation
• Family in which we grow up.
• Family of cohabitation
• Family which we form by marrying or living
  together.

11
Advantages to Living in Families

1. Continuity of emotional attachments.
2. Close proximity.
3. Familiarity with family members.
4. Economic benefits.

12
Extended Family

• Consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins,
  and in-laws.
• May be formed through marriage or birth.

13
Kinship System

• The social organization of the family.
• In a nuclear family, kinship system consists of
  parents and children.
• May include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and
  cousins.

14
Kinship System

• Kin can be affiliated, as when a nonrelated
  person is considered as kin.
• A relative may fulfill a different kin role, such
  as a grandmothers taking the role of a childs
  mother.

15
Changes in Patterns of Marriage and Family Life

• Increase in cohabitation
• In addition to almost 5 million heterosexual
  couples, there are 600,000 same-sex couples
  living together outside of marriage.
• Role of Marriage
• The womens movement, family policy, and changing
  values, have altered the role of marriage in
  peoples lives.

16
Changes in Patterns of Marriage and Family Life

• Divorce
• Slightly less than half of all those who
  currently marry will divorce within seven years.
• Normalization of Divorce
• Divorce has become so widespread that many
  scholars view it as one variation of the normal
  life course of American marriages.

17
Changes in Patterns of Marriage and Family Life

• Remarriages, Stepfamilies and Single-Parent
  Families
• The majority of young Americans will have some
  experience with these either as children or
  adults.
• Remarriage
• Half of all recent marriages are remarriages.
• Definition of the family has moved beyond the
  nuclear family to include the extended family.

18
How Families Have Changed, 1970-2000
Marriage Marriage Divorce Divorce
Number Rate Number Rate
1970 2,159,000 10.6 708,000 3.5
1980 2,390,000 10.6 1,189,000 5.2
1990 2,443,000 9.8 1,182,000 4.7
2000 2,329,000 8.5 1,135,000 4.2
19
How Families Have Changed, 1970-2000
Unmarried Couples Unmarried Couples with Children
1970 523,000 196,000
1980 1,589,000 431,000
1990 2,856,000 891,000
2000 4,486,000 1,563,000
20
How Families Have Changed, 1970-2000
Children Living with Two Parents Children Living with One Parent
1970 59,681,000 8,426,000
1980 47,543,000 12,349,000
1990 46,820,000 15,842,000
2000 49,688,000 19,227,000