chp8

1
Sociology of Families David M. Newman

• Chapter 8 Marriage and Cohabitation

2
Societal Influences On Intimate Relationships

• Exogamy
• Endogamy

3
Marital Restrictions Around the World

• Rules of exogamy applied differently worldwide
• Encourage alliances
• Severe sanctions for breaking rules

4
Religion

• Many still discourage interfaith marriage
• Conversion
• Faith plays a part in attractiveness

5
Race and Ethnicity

• Interracial marriages account for 4 of all U.S.
  marriages
• Interracial more common among college educated
  and those who served in the military

6
Interracial Marriage, 19802006
7
Interracial Relationships Through History

• First U.S. law against interracial marriage
  enacted in 1661
• Legal sanctions persisted into the mid to late
  twentieth century

8
Societal Influences On Intimate Relationships

• Social Class and Education
• Powerful factors in marriage
• Similar activities
• Educational system
• Age
• U.S. marriages tend to be age-endogamous

9
Social Expectations

• The Expectation of Interdependence
• The Expectation of Equity
• Investment
• Principle of least interest
• The Expectation of Commitment
• The Expectation of Permanence

10
Social Expectations

• The Expectation of Sexual Access
• The Expectation of Sexual Exclusivity
• The Expectation of Being a Couple

11
The Private Culture of Coupled Life

• Private culture
• Sense of connection and order

12
Communication Styles

• Continually define and redefine relationships
  through communication
• Five types of marriage
• Conflict-habituated marriages
• Devitalized marriages
• Passive-congenial marriages
• Vital marriages
• Total marriages

13
Gender, Intimacy, and Communication

• Communication in Heterosexual Relationships
• Communication in Homosexual Relationships

14
Power in Couples

• Positions of authority and power
• Conversational privileges
• Traditional gender expectations

15
Marriage and Cohabitation

• Marriage remains an enduring part of family life
• By our 70s, 97 of U.S. citizens have been
  married once
• Much lower rates in other countries

16
Is Marriage an Outdated Institution?
17
Cohabitation Versus Marriage

• Cohabitation makes up about 5 of all U.S.
  households
• 4 stages of cohabitation acceptance
• Cohabitation different from marriage on important
  counts

18
Unique Aspects of Marriage

• The Marriage Contract
• The Wedding Ceremony
• The Institutionalized Nature of Marriage

19
The Marriage Benefit

• Health Benefits
• Better mental health
• Lower stress and depression
• Economic Benefits
• Other cultures openly acknowledge economic
  benefit
• Higher incomes / net worth
• Tax benefits

20
The Marriage Problem

• Marriage not a cure-all for peoples problems
• Spousal expectation too high
• Feminist arguments