Ch.11 Relationships and Families

Homogamy

Choosing partners who are similar in social characteristics (education, race, religion, class).

Assortive mating

Non-random matching of similar people in relationships.

Main idea of mate selection

People usually choose partners similar to themselves.

Reasons for homogamy

Group pressure, shared values, economic benefits.

Mere exposure effect

We are more likely to like people we see often.

Marriage market

Idea that people choose partners based on value (income, attractiveness, status).

Third-party influence

Family and friends influence who we date or marry.

Romantic love

Intense emotional attachment seen as basis of modern relationships.

Pure relationship

Relationship based on individual needs, not tradition or obligation.

Main factors in mate selection

Social, cultural, economic, and biological factors.

Biological factors in attraction

Preference for traits linked to fertility or strength.

Social factors in attraction

Race, class, religion, education, proximity.

Dating

Practice of getting to know someone romantically.

Importance of dating

Builds identity, social skills, and relationships.

Challenges for LGBTQ youth

Pressure, discrimination, and identity development.

Hookup culture

Casual sexual interactions without commitment.

Reality of hookups

Range from kissing to sex; not always purely physical.

Friends with benefits

Repeated casual relationships with someone known.

Online dating

Using apps/websites to meet partners.

Why people use online dating

Convenience, control, larger pool, efficiency.

Effect of online dating

Does not drastically change who people choose (still homogamy).

Choice overload

Too many options make decisions harder.

Gender scripts (dating)

Women more passive, men initiate more often.

Benefits of online dating for women

More control and safety.

Risks of online dating

Focus on appearance, low self-esteem, superficial choices.

Family

Social institution based on kinship, marriage, or adoption.

Kinship

Social ties based on blood, marriage, or social relationships.

Types of kinship

Blood, affinity, and social ties.

Nuclear family

Parents and children living together.

Criticism of nuclear family

Does not represent all family types.

Indigenous families

More diverse, community-based, and flexible structures.

Census family

Definition based on household living arrangements.

Changing family trends

Diversity, smaller households, more single living.

Household trend

Fewer people per household.

One-person households

Rising due to independence, divorce, aging.

Multigenerational households

Three or more generations living together.

Why multigenerational households grow

Culture, immigration, cost of living.

Children in Canada

Diverse family structures.

Stepfamily

Family with stepparents or stepchildren.

Lone-parent family

One parent raising children.

Cause of lone-parent families today

Separation and divorce.

Fertility rate

Average number of children per woman.

Replacement rate

2.1 children per woman needed to maintain population.

Trend in Canada fertility

Below replacement level.

Reason for fewer children

Education, careers, cost of living.

Adults living at home

Increasing due to financial and social factors.

Marriage trend

Declining rates and later age of marriage.

Common-law relationship

Unmarried couple living together.

Trend in cohabitation

Increasing significantly.

Same-sex couples

Increasing and more accepted.

Divorce rate

About 40% of marriages end in divorce (approximate).

Reasons for divorce

Individualism, unmet expectations, economic stress.

No-fault divorce

Divorce without proving wrongdoing.

Seven-year itch

Belief that relationships decline over time.

Reality of relationship decline

Often starts earlier (around 3 years).

Factors increasing divorce risk

Marrying young, low income, low education, prior divorce.

Cohabitation effect

Linked to higher divorce unless strong commitment exists.

Impact of divorce on children

Short-term stress but many adjust over time.

Infidelity

Cheating in a committed relationship.

Infidelity rate

Estimated 10–25% reported (likely higher).

Reasons for infidelity

Opportunity, emotional needs, sexual dissatisfaction.

Structural reasons for infidelity

Economic power differences in relationships.

Polyamory

Multiple consensual relationships.

Functionalist view of family

Family maintains stability and social order.

Functions of family

Socialization, reproduction, economic support, emotional support.

Conflict perspective family

Family reflects inequality and power struggles.

Engels’ view on family

Linked family structure to economic systems.

Feminist perspective family

Focuses on gender inequality and unpaid labour.

Unpaid work (family)

Domestic labour often done by women without recognition.

Private vs public sphere critique

Family is not separate from society; shaped by power structures.