Marriage & the Family Chapter 1 Defining FamilyMaking ChoicesA Family of IndividualsMarriages and Families: Four Themes * Defining FamilyLaw and SciencePeople related by blood, marriage or adoption.U.S. Census BureauTwo or more persons who share a household and who are related by blood, marriage or adoption. * Which of These Is a Family?A husband and wife and their offspring.A single woman and her three children.A 52-year-old woman and her adoptive mother.A man, his daughter, and the daughter’s son.An 84-year-old widow and her dog, Fido.A man and all of his ancestors back to Adam and Eve. * Which of These Is a Family?Two lesbians and their children from a previous marriage of one woman and a previous relationship of the other woman with a male friend.Two children, their divorced parents, the current spouses of their divorced parents, and the children from previous marriages of their stepparents. * Which of These Is a Family?Two adult male cousins living together.A 77-year-old man and his best friend.A childless husband and wife who live 1,000 miles apart. A divorced man, his girlfriend, and her child.Both sets of parents of a deceased married couple. Six adults and their 12 young children, all living together in a communal fashion. * American Households, 2000 * Facts: U.S. Families TodayFewer people are currently married.People are postponing marriage.Cohabitation has emerged as a lifestyle intermediate between marriage and singlehood. Some cohabitants maintain gay and lesbian domestic partnerships. * Facts: U.S. Families TodayThe number of people living alone is substantial.Many adult children live with their parents.A much higher proportion of older men than older women are married. * Facts: U.S. Families TodayParenthood is increasingly postponed and fertility has declined.More births are to unmarried mothers than in the past.There are now fewer children and more elderly.Divorce rates have stabilized, but remain high. * Facts: U.S. Families TodayRemarriage rates have declined, but remain high.Most children live in two parent households.Over the last five years the proportion of children living in singleparent families has stabilized. * Facts: U.S. Families TodayThere is considerable variation in children’s living arrangements.Children are more likely to live with a grandparent today than in the recent past.Most parents are working parents.Children are more likely than the general population or the elderly to be living in poverty. * New Definition of FamilyAny sexually expressive or parent–child or other kin relationship in which people related by ancestry, marriage, or adoption: Form an economic unit and care for any young. Consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group. Commit to maintaining that group over time. * Marriages and Families: .

1. Marriage & the Family
Chapter 1
Defining FamilyMaking ChoicesA Family of
IndividualsMarriages and Families: Four Themes
*
Defining FamilyLaw and SciencePeople related by blood,
marriage or adoption.U.S. Census BureauTwo or more persons
who share a household and who are related by blood, marriage
or adoption.
*
Which of These Is a Family?A husband and wife and their
offspring.A single woman and her three children.A 52-year-old
woman and her adoptive mother.A man, his daughter, and the
daughter’s son.An 84-year-old widow and her dog, Fido.A man
and all of his ancestors back to Adam and Eve.

2. *
Which of These Is a Family?Two lesbians and their children
from a previous marriage of one woman and a previous
relationship of the other woman with a male friend.Two
children, their divorced parents, the current spouses of their
divorced parents, and the children from previous marriages of
their stepparents.
*
Which of These Is a Family?Two adult male cousins living
together.A 77-year-old man and his best friend.A childless
husband and wife who live 1,000 miles apart. A divorced man,
his girlfriend, and her child.Both sets of parents of a deceased
married couple. Six adults and their 12 young children, all
living together in a communal fashion.
*
American Households, 2000

3. *
Facts: U.S. Families TodayFewer people are currently
married.People are postponing marriage.Cohabitation has
emerged as a lifestyle intermediate between marriage and
singlehood.
Some cohabitants maintain gay and lesbian
domestic partnerships.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayThe number of people living alone is
substantial.Many adult children live with their parents.A much
higher proportion of older men than older women are married.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayParenthood is increasingly postponed
and fertility has declined.More births are to unmarried mothers
than in the past.There are now fewer children and more
elderly.Divorce rates have stabilized, but remain high.

4. *
Facts: U.S. Families TodayRemarriage rates have declined, but
remain high.Most children live in two parent households.Over
the last five years the proportion of children living in
singleparent families has stabilized.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayThere is considerable variation in
children’s living arrangements.Children are more likely to live
with a grandparent today than in the recent past.Most parents
are working parents.Children are more likely than the general
population or the elderly to be living in poverty.
*
New Definition of FamilyAny sexually expressive or parent–
child or other kin relationship in which people related by
ancestry, marriage, or adoption:
Form an economic unit and care for any young.
Consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.
Commit to maintaining that group over time.

5. *
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
Personal decisions must be made throughout the life course.
Decision making is a trade-off; once we choose an option, we
discard alternatives.
No one can have everything.
The best way to make choices is knowledgeably.
*
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
People are influenced by the society around them.
Cultural beliefs and values influence our attitudes and
decisions.
Societal or structural conditions can limit or expand our
options.
*

6. Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
We live in a changing society, characterized by increased
ethnic, economic, and family diversity; by increased tension
between familistic and individualistic values; by decreased
marital and family permanence; and by increased political and
policy attention to the needs of children. This situation can
make personal decision making more difficult and more
important.
*
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
Personal decision making feeds into society and changes it. We
affect our social environment every time we make a choice.
Making family decisions can mean choosing to become
politically involved in order to effect family-related social
change. Making family choices according to our values gives
our family lives greater integrity.
*

7. Marriage & the Family
Chapter 1
Defining FamilyMaking ChoicesA Family of
IndividualsMarriages and Families: Four Themes
*
Defining FamilyLaw and SciencePeople related by blood,
marriage or adoption.U.S. Census BureauTwo or more persons
who share a household and who are related by blood, marriage
or adoption.
*
Which of These Is a Family?A husband and wife and their
offspring.A single woman and her three children.A 52-year-old
woman and her adoptive mother.A man, his daughter, and the
daughter’s son.An 84-year-old widow and her dog, Fido.A man
and all of his ancestors back to Adam and Eve.

8. *
Which of These Is a Family?Two lesbians and their children
from a previous marriage of one woman and a previous
relationship of the other woman with a male friend.Two
children, their divorced parents, the current spouses of their
divorced parents, and the children from previous marriages of
their stepparents.
*
Which of These Is a Family?Two adult male cousins living
together.A 77-year-old man and his best friend.A childless
husband and wife who live 1,000 miles apart. A divorced man,
his girlfriend, and her child.Both sets of parents of a deceased
married couple. Six adults and their 12 young children, all
living together in a communal fashion.
*
American Households, 2000

9. *
Facts: U.S. Families TodayFewer people are currently
married.People are postponing marriage.Cohabitation has
emerged as a lifestyle intermediate between marriage and
singlehood.
Some cohabitants maintain gay and lesbian
domestic partnerships.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayThe number of people living alone is
substantial.Many adult children live with their parents.A much
higher proportion of older men than older women are married.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayParenthood is increasingly postponed
and fertility has declined.More births are to unmarried mothers
than in the past.There are now fewer children and more
elderly.Divorce rates have stabilized, but remain high.

10. *
Facts: U.S. Families TodayRemarriage rates have declined, but
remain high.Most children live in two parent households.Over
the last five years the proportion of children living in
singleparent families has stabilized.
*
Facts: U.S. Families TodayThere is considerable variation in
children’s living arrangements.Children are more likely to live
with a grandparent today than in the recent past.Most parents
are working parents.Children are more likely than the general
population or the elderly to be living in poverty.
*
New Definition of FamilyAny sexually expressive or parent–
child or other kin relationship in which people related by
ancestry, marriage, or adoption:
Form an economic unit and care for any young.
Consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.
Commit to maintaining that group over time.

11. *
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
Personal decisions must be made throughout the life course.
Decision making is a trade-off; once we choose an option, we
discard alternatives.
No one can have everything.
The best way to make choices is knowledgeably.
*
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
People are influenced by the society around them.
Cultural beliefs and values influence our attitudes and
decisions.
Societal or structural conditions can limit or expand our
options.
*

12. Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
We live in a changing society, characterized by increased
ethnic, economic, and family diversity; by increased tension
between familistic and individualistic values; by decreased
marital and family permanence; and by increased political and
policy attention to the needs of children. This situation can
make personal decision making more difficult and more
important.
*
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
Personal decision making feeds into society and changes it. We
affect our social environment every time we make a choice.
Making family decisions can mean choosing to become
politically involved in order to effect family-related social
change. Making family choices according to our values gives
our family lives greater integrity.
*

13. CHAPTER 1: FAMILY COMMITMENTS: Making Choices in a
Changing Society
DEFINING FAMILY
What is a family:
· Traditionally, both law and social science have specified that
the family consists of people related by blood, marriage, or
adoption.
· Common household, economic interdependency, and sexual
and reproductive relations
· U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as two or more people
who share a household, reside together, and are related by
blood, marriage, or adoption.
· Burgess and Locke: “primary group”. Any group in which
there is a close, face-to-face relationship. For them, family
interaction occurred primarily in the context of traditional
(heterosexual, married-couple, gender-differentiated) social
roles, rather than in emphasizing spontaneity, individuality, and
intimacy.
·
OTHER DEFINITIONSThe collective body of persons
who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a
household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the
case may be, lodgers or boarders.
· Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe,
clan, or race; kindred; house; as, the human family; the family
of Abraham; the father of a family.
Definitions of the family on the Web
· a social unit living together; "he moved his family to
Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until
the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many

14. people made up his home"
· primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have
a good job before starting a family"
· people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has
lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"
· class: a collection of things sharing a common attribute; "there
are two classes of detergents"
· an association of people who share common beliefs or
activities; "the message was addressed not just to employees but
to every member of the company family"; "the church welcomed
new members into its fellowship"
· (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera;
"sharks belong to the fish family"
· kin: a person having kinship with another or others; "he's kin";
"he's family"
· syndicate: a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of
organized criminal activities
New Definitions of the Family
· Family is defined in terms of benefits by employers
· Domestic partners
· Extended families
NOTE: Review the Issues for Thought Box on page 4 “Pets as
Family”
The Freedom and Pressures of Choosing
· People need to understand themselves in the context of the
larger society.
· Choices depend on alternatives that exist in their social
environment and on cultural values and attitudes toward those
alternatives
· Staying single longer is a more comfortable choice today than
30 or 40 years ago
· Social factors can influence personal choices by expanding
people’s options. Example reproductive technology.

15. · Social factors can also limit people’s options. For example,
higher education is more important than marriage influencing a
delay in marriage.
Making Choices
· Choosing by default: choices made when people are not aware
of alternative choices.
· Choosing knowledgeably: recognizing as many options or
alternatives as possible. Also recognizing the social pressures
that may influence personal choices, cultural norms, and
socially prescribed beliefs, values, and standards.
Note: Review Figure 1.2:
The cycle of knowledgeable decision making. This
diagram illustrates the process of making a knowledgeable
decision by showing the connection between the environment
and the individual. Part of the process requires becoming aware
of your values and choosing to act consistently with them. By
clarifying one’s values, one is able to cut through the
ambivalence and make a decision.
A Family of Individuals
·
Family Values: togetherness, loyalty, and stability
focus on the family as a whole.
·
Familism: placing family wellbeing over individual
interests and preferences
·
Boundaries: can be physical and/or psychological
between themselves and the rest of the world. The boundaries
reflect the families’ personal space. The family makes the

16. decision on who can or cannot enter.
·
The archival family function is another way families
create a place to belong. The function is to create, store,
preserve and pass on particular objects, events, or rituals that
members consider relevant to their personal identity as a
family. Examples are photos, artifacts from infancy, and
symbols of recognition and/or achievement.
·
Family Decline: refers to a perspective that self-
indulgence of the baby-boom generation has resulted in less
commitment to family and the values associated with
family. The perspective believes the focus is on the individual
as opposed to the family as one.
·
Family Change: refers to an alternative perspective to
family decline. The perspective is that the family has changed
but the family remains important. Families were broken up due
to illness, death, divorce, remarriages, etc. The family has
remained important; it is the composition of the family that has
changed. An example is single parents.