SOC 260 final

marriage

marriage

a legally recognized union between 2 people

monogamy

only legal form of marriage in US, 2 people interested in each other

polygamy

preferred marital arrangement worldwide- 2 or more people that are interested in each other

polygyny

2 or more wives

polyandry

2 or more husbands

serial monogamy

moving between relationships quickly, spends very little time single

census family

a group of 2 or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing together in a household

household

one or more people—everyone living in a housing unit makes up a household

inclusive family

2 or more people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or choice, includes affiliative or fictive kin

family of origin

family we grow up in

family of procreation

family formed through marriage/childbirth

family of cohabitation

family formed through cohabiting with others

extended family

grandparents, cousins, in laws, aunts, uncles, etc

kinship system

can be affiliated, a nonrelated person would be considered ___

objectivity

suspend our own beliefs about a subject until we understand what’s being said

egocentric

everyone is the same as us and must think the same as us

ethnocentric

our ethnicity is superior to others

media influence

tendency to sensationalize, highlights extreme cases, simplifies, appeals to most noticeable viewpoint

confirmation bias

looking for evidence that fits our views

hypotheses

proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

independent variable

stand alone, unaffected by other thingsvalues depends

dependent variable

varied thing

intervening variables

a hypothetical used to explain causal links between other things

theory

general concepts/principles to explain phenomena, provide a framework to understand research

scientific method

• Step 1: Ask a Question or Find a Research Topic.

• Step 2: Review the Literature/Research Existing Sources.

• Step 3: Formulate a Hypothesis.

• Step 4: Design and Conduct a Study.

• Step 5: Draw Conclusions.

• Step 6: Report Results.

family ecology theory

micro, meso, exo, macro, chronosystems

symbolic interaction

• smiles, gestures, colors, language, how do relationships differ in different groups

• criticism- underestimates role of large institutions and economic structures in interactions

social exchange theory

• “accounting” in relationships

• assumes motivation=self interest

• maximize benefits/minimize cost

• reciprocity and balance are crucial

• assets/liabilities as a mate, deciding on divorce

• criticism- doesn’t address resource distribution

family development theory

• focus of family changes over time

• dating, engagement, marriage, children, work/schooling, launching, retirement, death/grief

• criticism- not applicable to contemporary families

structural functionalism

• societies are stable/orderly systems

• relationships are a result of agreement by members of society

• social institutions work together to help society survive

  • ex: functions of the family- produce and stabilize members of society, fill roles that ensure stability- expressive role and instrumental role

• criticism- number of families that actually filled these roles was greater in the 1950s

• women may work and be responsible for the expressive role as well (second shift)

conflict theory

• focus on inequality in the family esp around power and control

• personal conflict- bad management can cause extensive damage

• sources of power- legitimacy, money, physical coercion, love

• criticism- underestimates cooperation, stability in families

family systems theory

• families are systems- change by one person affects others

• boundaries, rules, roles

• difficult to change- equilibrium

• criticism- focused on treatment of families in a clinical setting

family life vs industrialization

child labor, mechanized production, urbanization, gender polarization, fertility decline, crowding, alcoholism, crime, orphan trains

family in 1900-1920

• men go to WWI

• child labor laws

• flappers in office

• mandatory education laws

• divorce rate rises

• pessimism about the future

companionate family

family in 1930s

• great depression

• unemployment jump

• family income way down

• more traditional roles- divorce decreases

family in 1940s

• WWII

• victory gardens, rationing

• half of women in factory work

• childcare assistance

• marriage and divorce rise

• after war, women move out of work

family in 1950s

• good post war economy

• traditional roles and younger marriage

• divorce rates decline

• fertility increases

• gov subsidizes education and white housing

• poverty rate for 2 earner black families was 50%

• teen birth rate increased

• rate of babies given up for adoption- up 80%

• 1/3 marriages end in divorce

• middle class stay at home mom drug/alcohol use

companionate family

• middle class emergence

  • being in love

  • sharing household decisions

  • wives not required to be sexually restrained

  • children given more freedom, democratic families

gender

social constructions of masculinity, femininity, and everything in between

sex

biological trait of having male or female gametes (or something in between)

hegemonic masculinity

a practice that legitimizes men's dominant position in society and justifies the subordination of the common male population and women

emphasized femininity

refers to patterns of behavior that are organized as an adaptation to men's power, emphasizing compliance, nurturance, and empathy as womanly virtues

second shift

women return home from work and then have to work even more on housework, childcare, etc

Erikson’s theory of intimacy vs isolation

occurs in early adulthood, major conflict is forming intimate,loving relationships with others

6 types of love

• eros: romantic/passionate love

• ludus: playful or game playing love

• storge: love between companions

• mania: obsessive love

• agape: altruistic love

• pragma: practical love

Sternberg's theory of love

• 3 elements of love:

  • intimacy- emotional component

  • passion- motivational piece- arousal and attraction

  • commitment- cognitive dimension

attachment theory of love

secure- relatively easy to get close, not worried about abandonment, not worried about losing self

anxious- reluncant to get close, abandonment issues, but want to get very close, afraid to let them out of sight

avoidant- uncomfortable with intimacy, difficult to trust and hard to depend on others

social media and tech

makes perception of relationships much different, online vs f2f honesty, 30% of adults have used dating apps

jealousy

occurs bc of involvement with 3rd person, insecure attachment styles are more likely to notice, fear of loss +insecurity

breakups

usually initiated by one side, bring improvements to subsequent relationships, similar across the board

verbal communication

less of the message, one channel, more conscious, expresses basic content of the message

nonverbal communication

many channels, more of the message, less conscious, but also imprecise and can have mixed messages

channels of nonverbal comm

• eye contact/facial expression

• touch

• proximity

• object language

• posture

• paralanguage

attribution theory

explanation for someone’s behavior- internal disposition vs external situation

fundamental attribution error

• when a mistake is made by…

  • others- it’s the way they are (disposition)

  • us- its the circumstance (situational)

Gottman’s 5 horsemen of the apocalypse

• criticism

• contempt

• defensiveness

• stonewalling

• belligerence/aggression

how to improve communication

repair, soft startups- be kind not right, accept influence, positive sentiment overrides emotional climate

50%

percent of married Americans

endogamy

marriage inside your groups as a way to improve marital success

exogamy

marrying outside of certain groups, especially family

homogamy

marrying within the same groups- age, race, religion, social class, etc.

marriage squeeze

gender imbalance reflected in the ratio of available unmarried men vs women- members of one gender tend to get squeezed out

marriage gradient

tendency for women to marry above their status

widows vs widowers

women who have lost their spouse vs men who have lost their spouse

Cuber and Haroff’s types of enduring marriages

rocky+turbulent- unhappy and lasting

sweet and undramatic- satisfying and enduring

passionate- vulnerable to divorce

1960- 13%

2021- 29%

% of households with singles

cohabitation

living together in an intimate relationship without marriage

50%

% of remarriages that involve cohabitation

postdivorce cohabitation vs pre-marital cohabitation

post is more common than pre now

62%

% of unmarried births to cohabiting couples

civil unions

grant same protections as marriage to cohabiting couples

domestic partnerships

grant some protections of marriage to cohabiting couples

common law marriage

a legally recognized marriage between two people who have not purchased a marriage license or had their marriage solemnized by a ceremony

replacement fertility rate

2.1 children per woman

fertility rate

births per 1000 women 15-44, currently 1.784 births per woman

20-34 years old

age group with highest fertility rate

childless couples

unable to conceive

childfree couples

not wanting to conceive

20%

% of women with infertility

infertility in women

• obesity or underweight

• extreme weight loss/gain

• maternal age (over 30)

• smoking

• excessive alcohol use

• excessive physical or emotional stress that results in amenorrhea

  • chlamydia, endo, PCOS

infertility in men

• age (over 40)

• obesity

• excessive drug/alcohol use

• testosterone

• high testes temp

• smoking

• exposure to radiation

$233,610

how much it costs to raise a child

authoritarian parenting

requires absolute obedience

permissive/indulgent parenting

lenient, show more responsive and less demanding behavior

authoritative parenting

rely on positive reinforcement and infrequent use of punishment

uninvolved parenting

parents are not responsive or demanding

Family Leave and Medical Act

• covers those working for

  • private sector employers w at least 50 employees

  • public agencies

  • schools

• conditions of employment

  • must have been employed minimum of 12 months before leave

  • must work at least 24 hrs a week

• what is covered?

  • job is held up to 12 months

  • insurance is continued but no pay

• conditions of family leave

  • care for newborn

  • care for receiving foster/newly adopted child

  • care for seriously ill child, parent, or spouse

  • serious medical condition of employee

  • Military Caregiver leave- 26 weeks to care for seriously ill or injured child, spouse, or parents of active military personnel

work spillover

work demands and climate have effect on family, more common in women

family spillover

emotional climate at home impacts work

role conflict

positions we occupy contain competing, contradictory, or simultaneous role expectations

role strain

occurs when the demands attached to a particular status are contradictory or incompatible

role overload

occurs when our roles require more than we can give and we’re drowning in responsibility

dual earner families

2 incomes to maintain a decent standard of living

dual career families

focus on achievement and gender equality

peer marriages

focus on fairness rather than gender tradition when deciding career needs, childcare, and household division of labor

stay at home dads

usually disability, unemployment, retirement, school

17-39%

rates of intimate partner violence

prevalence of intimate partner violence

impossible to know actual rate due to underreporting

situational violence

usually erupts during argument and doesn’t result in severe injury, most common

intimate terrorism

one partner tries to dominate and control the other