FCS 2400 Social Policy and Marriage: Encouraging some and preventing others

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FCS 2400Social Policy and Marriage Encouraging
some and preventing others?
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Announcement/agenda

• Today
• Social policy and marriageencourage some and
  preventing others?
• Tuesday
• What have been the major changes in the family
• Impact on public family
• Impact on private family
• Summing up
• Thursday
• EXAM 3

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Institution of Marriage

• Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not
  ready for an institution yet.
• Is everyone meant for marriage?
• Is marriage a right or a privilege?

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Current Debates about marriage promotion

• Marriage-promotion program
• Marriage movement vs. diversity defenders
• Video clip

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Marriage Promotion

• Language in PRWORA to promote two parent families
• Early 2000s work began on a bill to extend PRWORA
  by supporting marriage of low income families
• Would include
• Relationship skills
• Conflict management
• Education modules for high schoolers on marriage

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Marriage Promotion

• Debate is not just about
• Is it better for children to be raised with two
  married parents?
• Can single parents do as good a job if they
  receive more support?
• It also is about political and moral issues
• Autonomy of women
• Authority of men
• Imposition of particular moral view of family on
  those who choose other lifestyles

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Marriage Promotion

• Womens lives have changed
• Greater earning power
• Social norms
• sexual activity without unwanted pregnancy
• Greater acceptance of raising a child outside of
  marriage
• Economic fortunes of men have declined
• parenthood childrearing no longer require
  marriage

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Marriage Promotion

• Does our government make the symbolic state that
  marriage is to be preferred over other family
  forms? (marriage movement)
• Or, does it make the symbolic statement that
  individuals should be free to choose the form
  they wish? (diversity movement)

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Special focus on Utah

• www.utahmarriage.org
• Roz mcgeemarriage preparation billkilled
• 1994Leavitt and Governor initiatives on families
  today (GIFT)marriage enrichment
• Gov commission on marriage1998
• 600k in tanf funds spent on
• Marriage week feb7-14/Gold medal marriages
  (couple married longest and exemplary marriages_
• Booklet building a successful marriage
• Website/Video
• Training for family life educators
• Statewide survey on marriage behavior
• Elective high school course
• Extension evaluation of news you can use

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Movie clip
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Same-Sex Marriage

• Issue of whether marriage should be restricted to
  heterosexuals has emerged
• Several decisions in 2003 have brought issue
  public
• U.S Supreme Courtno outlawing of gay and lesbian
  sexual acts
• Canadian provincial courts in British Columbia,
  Ontario, and Quebec ruled that government could
  not ban same-sex marriages

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Same Sex Marriage

• Video clips
• Several years of court battles may decide outcome
• Surveys show a majority of American adults oppose
  same-sex marriage (59)
• Most people view marriage as an arrangement for
  having children
• This view is fading
• Many same-sex couple have adopted children or had
  them donor inseminated
• There may be no compelling reason to uphold laws
  restricting marriage to same-sex couples

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Family Policy in the Early 2000s

• How much assistance should government provide to
• Promote marriage
• Restricting marriage to heterosexuals