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Chapter 1:
Introduction to Marriage and
Family

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What defines a family?
What are the historical and current trends in marriages &
families?
Defining Marriage & Family
• “a social unit where the father is concerned with parking
space, the children with outer space, & the mother with
closet space” Evan Esar (1899-1995)

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•What is Marriage?
•Marriage – a legally recognized union between a man & a
woman
Types of Marriage
Monogamous – one person is married to another of opposite sex
Polygamous – one person is married to multiple husbands or
wives
Arranged – the families of the bride & groom negotiate an
arrangement before the two parties enter into a relationship

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• What is Family?
• Family – a group of two people or more related by
birth, marriage, or adoption & residing together
• Household – all people who occupy a housing unit
regardless of relationship
• Affiliated Kin – nonrelated individuals who are
accepted as part of a family
• Living Apart Together – people define themselves as
couples but live separate

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History of the American Family
• U.S. Colonial Period to 1899
• Culturally, Ethnically & Religiously Diverse
• Primarily nuclear
• Fathers as heads
• Marital roles divided by gender
• U.S. 1900 to Pre-WWII
• Traditional gender roles altered
• Government intervention
• Smaller Family Units

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• History of the American Family Continued
• U.S. Modern Era (WWII to present)
– Teen pregnancy higher than today
– High divorce rate
– Formation of women’s liberation movement
– Dual-Income families
• Current Trends in Families
• Of 66.9 million opposite-sex couples living together in
2008, 60.1 million were married

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Current Trends in Families Continued
• Percentage of women aged 40-44 who were childless
increased from 10% in 1976 to 18% in 2008
• In 2009, US had an estimated 5.3 million “stay-at-home”
parents
• In 2010, about 10% of all children lived in a household
that included a grandparent; 54% living with a
grandparent had no parent present
• American families are overworked

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• Factors Affecting Current Trends
• Demographic Factors
– Increased life expectancy
– Proportion of never-married women & men
increased
– Increased rates of cohabitation
• Lifestyle Factors
– Transition toward gender equality & empowerment
of women
– Legalization of same-sex marriages

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• Current Trends in Families Continued
• Factors Affecting Current Trends
– Cherlin Study
○ Single parents continue to give birth
○ Dissolution of cohabiting unions
○ Divorce
○ Repartnering
○ Remarriage
○ Same patterns existed for transnational
families

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• Is Marriage in Transition or Decline?
• Functions of the Family
• Economic Security
• Social Prestige & Status
– Family of Origin – the family in which an individual
is raised

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• Current Trends in Families Continued
• Functions of the Family Continued
– Education & Socialization
○ Socialization – the shaping of an individual’s
behavior to conform to social or cultural norms
– Protection
– Religious Tradition
– Recreation
– Affection

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Diversity in Families
• Family Diversity – the variation in family structures,
experiences, & circumstances between families
• Diversity in Race & Ethnicity
• Race – a group of people who are classified according
to their phenotype
• Phenotype – the anatomical & physical characteristics
that distinguish one race from another
• Ethnic Group – a group of people characterized by
cultural factors

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• Diversity in Race & Ethnicity Continued
• African American Families
– Greater percentage never married
– High divorce & unmarried birth rates
– Greater percentage of women-headed households
• Hispanic Families
– Diversity in ethnic heritage & socioeconomic status
– Diversity among tribes

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• Diversity in Race & Ethnicity Continued
• Asian American Families
– High marriage & low divorce rates
– Fewer children
– Family-Oriented
• American Indian Families
– Extended Families revolving around clan
– Inter-racial & Inter-ethnic marriages

Think Marriages & Families
How Do Different Theorists View the Family?
• Theories of the Family
• Structural-Functional Theory
– Talcott Parsons
– Main function is to procreate & socialize children
– Family, as system, needs to maintain its basic
structure
• Conflict Theory
– Karl Marx
– Those who control the resources have the power
– Conflict within families is necessary

• Theories of the Family Continued
• Feminist Theory
– Second Wave of Feminism
– Women’s experiences central to understanding the
family
– Gender is socially constructed
– Emphasis on social change & challenging status
quo
– No neutral observation of humans

• Symbolic Interaction Theory
– Examination at micro level
– Develop sense of self through interactions
– Looking-glass self – interpretations of other people’s
opinions become a dominant aspect of identity
– Self – the concept of identity that develops through
interactions with others
– Society – process of socialization in which we interpret
meanings of symbols learn about our roles
– Role – the part we are expected to play in society,
learned through interactions with others

• Theories of the Family
Continued
• Ecological Theory

• Social Exchange Theory
– Human relationships based on rewards & costs
– Rewards – the pleasures or satisfactions we enjoy
from participating in a relationship
– Costs – the negative outcomes, energy invested,
or rewards foregone as a result of choosing one
behavior over another
– Comparison Level of Alternatives – the evaluation
by individuals of their relationships in light of
available alternatives

• Family Systems Theory
– Systems have boundaries
○ - Boundaries – emotional barriers that define &
separate a system
– Systems have internal rules of transformation
○ - Rules of Transformation – the means by which a
system governs inputs to outputs
– Systems have subsystems
○ - Subsystem – part of a system that can be analyzed
separately
– Systems have variety
○ - Variety – the extent to which a system is able to
adapt to changes

• Family Life Course/Development Theory
– Family development proceeds through stages
○ Stage explanation problematic
Family Career – some say we need to move away from this approach
• Biosocial Theory
– Interaction of genes & environment
○ Nepotism – favoritism shown to one’s kin
○ Reciprocity – the exchange of favors
○ Coercion – being forced to act against one’s interests

Discover Marriages & Families in Action
What is the Meaning of Family?
• Perspectives of the Family
• Societal Perspective
– Narrow or Broad legal definition of family
constitution
• Small-Group Perspective
– Classification of particular groups as families
• Individual Perspective
– Inclusion or Exclusion of “family members” based
on individual’s perspective

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