Transcript Ch. 11 The Changing Family

The Changing Family
Michael Itagaki
Sociology 102, Social Problems
The Sociological Perspective

Effects of industrialization on the family:


Father leaves home for work
Shift in status of children: liability,
education  declining birthrate
Figure 11.1 (p. 354)
U.S. Birthrate, 1890-2050
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States various editions and 2001: Table 4.
The Sociological Perspective

Effects of industrialization on the family:





Rural  Urban living
Shift in family functions
More egalitarian approach to family roles
Intergenerational ties
Women entering the work force
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Divorce

Increase in numbers of divorces
Figure 11.2 (p. 356)
How Many Millions of Americans Are Divorced?
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 1989: Table 50; 2003: Table 61.
Figure 11.3 (p. 357)
American Marriage, American Divorce
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States, various years, and 1998: Table 92; "Births,
Marriages… " 2004.
The Divorce Rate

The refined divorce rate = number of divorces
each year divided by number of existing
marriages in that year.
The divorce rate has doubled since 1940, going
from 8.8 to about 16 divorces for every 1,000
marriages
 The divorce rate has gone up over the last sixty
years, but has declined a little since its high point
around 1980.

The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Divorce



Increase in numbers of divorces
Number of divorces leveling off
Children of divorce
Figure 11.5 (p. 258)
Where Do U.S. Children Live?
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2001: Table 70.
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Divorce



Increase in numbers of divorces
Number of divorces leveling off
Children of divorce
Permanence of marriage changes
 Anxiety, depression, reduced standard of
living

The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Births to single women

Rates climbing
Figure 11.7 (p. 360)
Of All Births, What Percentage are to Single Women?
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 1992: Table 87; 1998: Table 100, 2003: Table 84.
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Births to single women


Rates climbing
One-parent families
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Births to single women
Rates in U.S. not as high as some
 U.S. highest rates of juvenile delinquency
and violent crimes
 Culture of violence/fear

Figure 11.9 (p. 362)
The Increase in Births to Single Women in the Most Industrialized Nations
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract 2001: Table 1331.
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Births to single women



Rates climbing
One-parent families
Single-parent families


Kids at risk for school dropout, crime
Absence of father contributes
The Scope of the Problem

Indicators

Family violence


A violent institution
Investigate further next class session
Symbolic Interaction

Increase in divorce

Changing ideas of marital satisfaction



Changing marital roles



Overloaded institution
Ideals of love
Women in the work force
Egalitarian roles
Changing view of divorce

Legal changes/cultural acceptance
Conflict Theory

Patriarchy

Traditional roles represent inequality
Conflict Theory

Patriarchy


Traditional roles represent inequality
“The second shift”
Functionalism

Seven functions (p. 366)
 Economic
production
 Socialization of children
 Care of the aged/sick
 Recreation
 Sexual control of family members
 Reproduction
Of All Births, What Percentage are to
Single Women?
The Increase in Births
to Single Women in the
Most Industrialized
Nations
Research Findings

Cohabitation & First marriage

Changes in age at first marriage
Figure 12.6 - The Median Age at Which Americans Marry for the First Time. Page 327
Research Findings

Cohabitation


Changes in age at first marriage
Cohabitation
 10
times more common than 30 years ago
Figure 11.10 (p. 370)
Cohabitation in the United
States
Source: By the author, based on Statistical
Abstract of the United States 1985: Table 54;
2003: Table 69.
Research Findings

Cohabitation


Changes in age at first marriage
Cohabitation
 10
times more common than 30 years ago
• About 40% will be in a cohabiting family

Commitment disparity
• Couples that cohabit before marriage are more
likely to divorce than those that don’t.
Figure 11.12 (p. 381)
The Percentage of Americans Who Have Never Married
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2003: Table 63.
Research Findings

Cohabitation



Changes in age at first marriage
Cohabitation
Increasing number of Single Americans
Research Findings

Family Violence

Social Heredity of violence
Figure 11.11
(p. 374)
How is Marital
Violence Related
to the Family
Violence That
Teenagers
Experience?
Source: From Murray A. Straus,
Richard J. Gelles, and Suzanne
K. Steinmetz, Behind Closed
Doors: Violence in the American
Family (Garden City, NY:
Doubleday, 1980), p. 112.
Copyright © 1980 by Murray A.
Straus and Richard J. Gelles.
Reprinted with permission.
Table 11.2 (p. 381)
How U.S. Families Are Changing
Class Activity


What is Feminine?
What is Masculine?
Class Activity

How do these perceptions affect our
attitudes about domestic violence?
 Nearly
one-third of American women (31%)
report being physically or sexually abused by a
husband or boyfriend at some point in their
lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth
Fund survey.
Class Activity

How do these perceptions affect our
attitudes about domestic violence?
 Women
of all races are about equally
vulnerable to violence by an intimate. (Bureau
of Justice, 1995)
 Women are seven to 14 times more likely than
men to report suffering severe physical assaults
from an intimate partner. (National Institute of
Justice and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1998)
Class Activity

How do these perceptions affect our
attitudes about domestic violence?
 Approximately
one in five female high school
students reports being physically and/or
sexually abused by a dating partner. (Silverman,
Raj, Mucci, Hathaway, 2001)
 Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report
knowing someone their age who has been hit
or beaten by a boyfriend. (Kaiser Permanente,
1995)