Unit 14: RELATIONSHIPS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Cohabitation

The act of a couple sharing a residence while they are not married.

Monogamy

The act of being married to only one person at a time.

Polygamy

The state of being committed or married to more than one person at a time.

Bigamy

The act of entering into marriage while still married to another person.

Marriage

A legally recognized contract between two or more people in a sexual relationship who have an expectation of permanence about their relationship.

Family

Socially recognized groups of individuals who may be joined by blood, marriage, or adoption and who form an emotional connection and an economic unit of society.

Family of Orientation

The family into which one is born.

Family of Procreation

A family that is formed through marriage.

Bilateral Descent

The tracing of kinship through both parents' ancestral lines.

Kinship

A person's traceable ancestry (by blood, marriage, and/or adoption).

Unilateral Descent

The tracing of kinship through one parent only.

Patrilineal Descent

A type of unilateral descent that follows the father's line only.

Matrilineal Descent

A type of unilateral descent that follows the mother's side only.

Ambilineal

A type of unilateral descent that follows either the father's or the mother's side exclusively.

Patrilocal Residence

A system in which it is customary for a wife to live with (or near) the husband's family.

Matrilocal Residence

A system in which it is customary for a husband to live with the wife's family.

Family Life Cycle

A set of predictable steps and patterns families experience over time.

Family Life Course

A sociological model of family that sees the progression of events as fluid rather than as occurring in strict stages.

Nuclear Family

Involves two parents and children living in the same household.

Extended Family

Defines a household that includes at least one parent and child as well as other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Single-parent Family

Usually involves one parent living all the time or some of the time with children.

Blended Family

A family where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship, and there is typically a step-parent arrangement.

Foster Care

Involves children living with a guardian who is neither their biological nor adoptive parent.

Parentified siblings

Older siblings who take on challenging roles and are often unprepared for them, leading to potential mental health difficulties later in life.

Same-sex couple households

In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 594,000 same-sex couple households in the United States, a 50 percent increase from 2000.

Percentage of same-sex households

Same-sex couple households make up 1.5% of households in the U.S.

Legalization of same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage was legalized throughout the United States in 2015.

First countries to legalize same-sex marriage

The first countries to legalize same-sex marriage were the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), and Canada (2005).

First U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage

In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Functionalism

A theoretical perspective that views families as an important social institution that stabilizes society and assigns status roles within a marriage or family.

Universal functions of the family

Four universal residual functions of the family: sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic (Lee 1985).

Conflict Theory

A theoretical perspective that highlights the role of power in family life and views the family as an arena for power struggles.

Divorce rate in 1960

In 1960, divorce was generally uncommon, affecting only 9.1 out of every 1,000 married persons.

Peak divorce rate

The divorce rate peaked in 1980 at 22.6.

Current divorce rates

Over the last quarter century, divorce rates have dropped steadily and are now similar to those in 1970 (Wang 2020).

Regional divorce rates in the South

Divorce rates are likely higher in the South due to higher marriage rates and younger-than-average marriage ages.

Regional divorce rates in the Northeast

In the Northeast, the marriage rate is lower, first marriages tend to be delayed, and the divorce rate is lower (Reynolds 2020).

Second marriages

About 15 percent of all married couples involve one partner who is in their second marriage while the other partner is in their first marriage.

Couples in second marriages

About 9 percent of married couples are both in their second marriage (U.S. Census Bureau 2015).

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

IPV may include physical violence, sexual violence, threats and intimidation, and emotional abuse.

Forms of IPV

IPV includes physical violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, stalking, and cyberaggression.

Unreported IPV

Estimates indicate that about half of nonfatal IPV goes unreported.

Reasons IPV is unreported (Females)

Considered a Private Matter 22%, Fear of Retaliation 12%, To Protect the Abuser 14%, Belief That Police Won't Do Anything 8%.

Reasons IPV is unreported (Males)

Considered a Private Matter 39%, Fear of Retaliation 5%, To Protect the Abuser 16%, Belief That Police Won't Do Anything 8%.

Forms of child abuse

Child abuse may come in several forms: neglect (78.3%), physical abuse (10.8%), sexual abuse (7.6%), psychological maltreatment (7.6%), medical neglect (2.4%).

Perpetrators of child abuse

81.2 percent of perpetrators are parents; 6.2 percent are other relatives.

Risk factors for child abuse

Risk factors include age of parent, alcohol/drug use, having endured abuse, and financial stress.

Demographics of child abuse

Child abuse does occur across all age and economic demographics.