The Changing Family

Chapter 10

The Nature of Families

• Definitions• Kinship unit is a group whose members are

related to one another on the basis of blood ties, adoption or marriage

• Nuclear family - basic family unit consisting of a father, mother and children

• Extended family - parents, children, grandparents, and other relatives who live in close proximity to one another

The Nature of Families

• Definitions• Modified extended family – individual nuclear

families with extended family ties and relationships

• All societies tend to be organized around a system of modified extended kinship

• Industrialization has made the family smaller and more geographically and economically mobile

Adequate Family Functioning

• Families go through a number of stages:» Early marriage» Child rearing» Empty nest» Retirement

• Failure to adjust to the stages or to function adequately often stems from external and internal crises that impact the group

Adequate Family Functioning

• External crises are outside determinants that affect the structure and function of the family

• Economic recession and the loss of jobs

• War• Internal crises arise within the family due to the

problems with a family member• Physical • Emotional

Adequate Family Functioning

• Sources of family stress and interpersonal problems may reduce the family to an empty shell

• Empty shell marriages lack a sense of emotional vitality

• Several factors contribute to the continuation of empty shell marriages

» Habit» Economic constraints» Outside pressures to stay together

Effects of Women’s Employment

• Today over 71 percent of American women with children under the age of 18 work

• With children under the age of 6, over sixty-four percent work

• Social forces behind the increases in the number of working women have been

» Women’s movement and increased opportunities

» Need for income to maintain a middle-class lifestyle

Effects of Women’s Employment

• Attitudes about working mothers have not changed as fast as employment trends

• Choice in working outside the home is related to marital happiness

• Working wives often find themselves having to do a “second shift”

» Job for eight hours a day» Housework

Effects of Women’s Employment

• Husbands and men have adjusted by:» Contributing more to household roles» Taking on the house husband role» Becoming autonomous - males

choosing a single life over lasting relationships

Effects of Women’s Employment

• Juggling Work and Family Responsibilities• There has been an increase in the hours that men

and women are putting in at work» It is common to put in 50 hours a

week» Work a number of jobs

• Stress from juggling family and work is related to marital unhappiness

The Black Family

• The decline in in African American husband-and-wife families is in part a function of

» Declining economic opportunities in the central city

» Poverty» Underground economy

The Black Family

• Single-parent households have increased.» In 2006, 35 percent of African

American children were living with both parents in comparison to 66 percent of Hispanic children and 74 percent of White children

• Major force affecting African American families is the loss of jobs in cities

Divorce

• Divorce rate - measure of marriages that end in divorce in society

• Divorce peaked in the 1980s and began to level off• Highest rate of divorce occurs within the first three years

of marriage• Strains of family early on

• Divorce is related to the effects of modernization• Recent analyses of divorce rates reveal a “divorce divide”

- a widening gap between divorce rates among people with high levels of education and those with less education

Divorce

• Explanations of Trends in Divorce Rates• 1. No-fault divorce laws 2. Changing functions of the family 3. More geographic mobility 5. Reduced stigma attached to divorce

Divorce

• The Impact of Divorce• Economic impact

» Divorced mothers are often forced into poverty

• Children often experience divorce as the end of life as they know it

• Children often feel:» Fear, anger, depression, and confusion

Divorce

• The Impact of Divorce• Single-parents often feel the strain of divorce in

three ways• 1. Responsibility overload• 2. Task overload• 3. Emotional overload

Stepfamilies

• Nearly fifty percent of families in the United States are stepfamilies

• Adjusting to new and blended family roles» Authority conflicts between

stepchildren and step parents» Adjusting to stepsiblings» Adjusting to new household rules and

routines

Cohabiting Couples

• Cohabitation is most common among those under age 25 and those over the age of 65

• Rate of cohabitation is increasing by approximately 15 percent per year

• There are more than 3.5 million cohabitating couples in the United States

• Many see cohabitation as a trial marriage• Only 10 percent of cohabitating couples are

together after six years

Postponement of Marriage

• Americans are getting married later in life• Median age for women is 25.8 years• Median age for men is 27.1 years• Many are postponing marriage for:

» Educational goals» Career goals

Postponement of Marriage

• Postponement of marriage has a number of implications for the family:

» Fewer children» Grandparenting at later ages

• Marriage squeeze - the later women wait to marry the fewer eligible mates there are to choose from

Changing Norms of Parenthood

• Births to Unmarried Mothers• Stigma attached to out-of-wedlock births has

declined in society• Fewer children born out of wedlock are being

given up for adoption• Stricter child support laws have emerged to assist

single mothers• Weakening of marital norms is seen as having a

negative effect on the institution of marriage

Teenage Pregnancy

• Teenage fertility and childbearing rates have fallen in the United States

• A persistent issue in the U.S. is if young woman who become pregnant should be allowed to have an abortion

• One study reported that if a teenage girl elects to keep her baby, she is more likely to drop out of school in comparison with those who have an abortion or give their child up for adoption

Gay and Lesbian Families

• Gay and lesbian couples often face a number of obstacles

• One of these issues is the legal status of gay marriages and the rights it accords to married couples

• Obstacles to adopting and rearing children

Homeless Families

• The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that about 750,000 people are homeless on any given night in the United States

• Homeless is related to a number of crises» Divorce» Loss of Job» Health of the breadwinner» Poverty» Family problems and violence

Homeless Families

• Shelter Poverty and Homelessness• When families must pay more than 30 percent of their monthly income for rent or other housing, social scientists refer to them as “shelter poor.”

Family Violence

• Child Abuse• Child abuse has reached epidemic proportions in

society• Over 750,000 children are physically abused each

year• Child abuse has become a more recognized

problem with the help of children’s rights and advocacy groups

Family Violence

• Child Abuse• Child abuse in a family is related to:

» A one-parent family» Low socioeconomic status and low

parental education» Authoritarian parenting» Four or more children in a family and

receipt of some form of public assistance

» The family changes its place of residence frequently

Family Violence

• The higher rate of reported abuse among the poor is related in part to their contact with official agencies identifying abuse that often goes hidden among other social classes

• Child abuse is also related to parents who are extremely demanding and have unrealistic expectations of what a child can do

Family Violence

• Spouse Abuse• Spouse abuse is related to power and control• Spouse abuse is a function of gender inequality

and patriarchy• The cycle of abuse often involves

» Tension» Belittlement» Violence» Remorse » Reconciliation

Social Policy

• Divorce Law• No-fault divorce law• California in 1970 and then the rest of the states• The Ongoing Debate Over Divorce Law• Making divorce more difficult• Louisiana and Covenant Marriage Laws and

family values

Social Policy

• Divorce Law• Alimony - the amount of money paid by one

partner to the other has been tied to fault in the divorce

• Child Support• Most states have instituted tougher collection

policies• Stepped up efforts to collect child support

Social Policy

• Efforts to Reduce Teenage Pregnancies• Sex education and access to birth control• Child Care and Family Support• Policies to assist low-income families with

children» Child care» Health

• Family Leave Act

Social Policy

• Abstinence Only, Abstinence Not• Congress is preparing to cut the funding for so-called abstinence only programs.• Despite the substantial social-scientific evidence, it is unlikely that there will be Federal support for increased access to birth control or sex education directed toward teenagers.

Social Policy

• Child Care and Family Support• The plea continues from social scientists for a coherent public policy to assist low-income families with children.

• Future Prospects• One of the brightest areas of change is the Family Leave Act