Marriage and Family in Global Perspective
12.1 Define marriage and family, and summarize their common cultural themes. What is a family, and what themes are universal? Family is difficult to define because there are exceptions to every element that you might consider essential. Consequently, family is defined broadly—as people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Universally, marriage and family are mechanisms for governing mate selection, reckoning descent, and establishing inheritance and authority. Marriage and Family in Theoretical Perspective 12.2 Contrast the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspectives on marriage and family. What is a functionalist perspective on marriage and family? Functionalists examine the functions and dysfunctions of family life. Examples include the incest taboo and how weakened family functions increase divorce. What is a conflict perspective on marriage and family? Conflict theorists focus on inequality in marriage, especially unequal and changing power between husbands and wives. What is a symbolic interactionist perspective on marriage and family? Symbolic interactionists examine the contrasting experiences and perspectives of men and women in marriage. They stress that only by grasping the perspectives of wives and husbands can we understand their behavior. The Family Life Cycle 12.3 Summarize research on love and courtship, marriage, childbirth, child rearing, and family transitions. What are the major elements of the family life cycle? The major elements are love and courtship, marriage, childbirth, child rearing, and the family in later life. Most mate selection follows patterns of age, social class, and race–ethnicity. Childrearing patterns vary by social class. Diversity in U.S. Families 12.4 Summarize research on families: African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, one-parent, couples without children, blended, and gay and lesbian. How significant is race–ethnicity in family life? The primary distinction is social class, not race–ethnicity. Families of the same social class are likely to be similar, regardless of their race–ethnicity. What other diversity do we see in U.S. families? Also discussed are one-parent, childless, blended, and gay and lesbian families. Each has its unique characteristics, but social class is important in determining their primary characteristics. Poverty is especially significant for one-parent families, most of which are headed by women. Trends in U.S. Families 12.5 Discuss changes in the timetable of family life, cohabitation, and elder care. What major changes characterize U.S. families? Three major changes are postponement of first marriage, an increase in cohabitation, and having the first child at a later age. With more people living longer, many middle-aged couples find themselves sandwiched between rearing their children and taking care of their aging parents. Divorce and Remarriage 12.6 Summarize problems in measuring divorce, research findings on children and grandchildren of divorce, fathers’ contact after divorce, ex-spouses, and remarriage. What is the current divorce rate? Depending on what numbers you choose to compare, you can produce rates between 2 percent and 50 percent. How do children and their parents adjust to divorce? Divorce is difficult for children whose adjustment problems often continue into adulthood. Consequences of divorce are passed on to grandchildren. Fathers who have frequent contact with their children after a divorce are likely to maintain it. 414 Two Sides of Family Life 12.7 Summarize the dark and bright sides of family life. What are the two sides of family life? The dark side is abuse—spouse battering, child abuse, marital rape, and incest, all a misuse of family power. The bright side is that most people find marriage and family to be rewarding. The Future of Marriage and Family 12.8 Explain the likely future of marriage and family. What is the likely future of marriage and family? We can expect cohabitation, births to unmarried women, and age at first marriage to increase. The growing numbers of women in the workforce are likely to continue to shift the balance of marital power. Key Terms
Thinking Critically about Chapter 12 Functionalists stress that the family is universal because it provides basic functions for individuals and society. What functions does your family provide? Hint: In addition to the section “The Functionalist Perspective,” also consider the section “Common Cultural Themes.” Explain why social class is more important than race–ethnicity in determining a family’s characteristics. Apply this chapter’s contents to your own experience with marriage and family. What social factors affect your family life? In what ways is your family life different from that of your grandparents when they were your age?
12.6.8: Remarriage:
“I Do” Again and Again How common is remarriage?
Look at Figure 12.14.
As you can see, three of five couples getting married today are saying “I do” for the first time. Two of five have said “I do” at least once before, sometimes several times.
Figure 12.14 The Marital History of U.S. Brides and Grooms
How do remarriages work out? If there is no blended family—no children being brought into the new marriage—the divorce rate is about the same as that of first marriages. But bringing children into a marriage adds stress, and these couples are more likely to divorce (MacDonald and DeMaris 1995). One problem is that these families lack clear norms: They have to work out how they are related to one another and what their relationships require. Names indicate how awkward their relationships are: What do step-mother, step-father, step-brother, step-sister, and so on mean? These terms represent ill-defined relationships (Cherlin 1989). Perhaps the “real” family happens when step-mother becomes Mom and step-father becomes Dad.
