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- 1. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Chapter 13: Single-Parent Families, Remarriage, & Stepfamilies
- 2. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic What Are The Characteristics of Single-Parent Families, Remarried Families, & Step-Families, & What Challenges Do They Face? Modern Families
- 3. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved.
- 4. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Types of Single-Parent Families • The number of single-parent households created by births to unmarried women is increasing faster than those formed through divorce • Families Headed By Mothers • Children fare better if the situation was created due to death • More likely to live in hazardous environments • Supportive mothering helps reduce the likelihood of teenage delinquency • More likely to be living in poverty • Shows like MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and the movie Juno • An increasing number of women in their 30s and 40s are choosing unmarried parenting because they may be worried about declining fertility
- 5. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic • Families Headed By Fathers • Earn less than married fathers • Fathers are more likely to take custody of boys • Challenges for Single-Parent Families • Children are twice as likely to drop out of school, risk higher levels of unemployment & twice as likely to become teenage parents • Divorced parents have a decrease in income & undergo drastic lifestyle changes
- 6. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic • Binuclear Families • Post-divorce family structure comprised of two nuclear families, one headed by the ex-wife & the other by the ex-husband • Dating & Cohabitating After Divorce • Courtship the second time around has few clear-cut rules • Complications arise from strained finances, children & ex-spouses
- 7. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic • Dating & Cohabitating After Divorce Continued • Dating – A year after a parent’s divorce, children have typically met two new dating partners – The strongest contributor to a divorced adult’s well-being is the formation of a satisfying romantic relationship – Rates of mothers finding a new partner are generally lower & slower than fathers – Younger adults (20-35) are more optimistic about finding another long-term partner
- 8. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Dating & Cohabitating After Divorce Continued • Cohabitation • Half of all remarriages began with cohabitation • More common after a divorce than before a first marriage • More likely after a divorce than remarriage • Instability in remarried relationships is around 65% greater for cohabiters than for non-cohabiters • White women are more likely than Black women to cohabitate after a divorce
- 9. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic
- 10. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Remarriage Continued • Nearly 85% of divorced Americans remarry within the first three years • Age & Sex • Probability of remarrying is higher for men then women • Women older than 25 when divorced are less likely to remarry • Race & Ethnicity • White women are most likely to remarry • Asian Americans are least likely to remarry
- 11. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Remarriage Continued • Social Class • Wealth drastically increases the chances of men remarrying • Women with lower incomes are more likely to remarry • Highly educated males are more likely to remarry • Highly educated females are less likely to remarry • Children • Generally, the presence of children reduces remarriage
- 12. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Remarriage Continued • Remarriages Versus First-Time Marriages • New partners have to get to know each other during times of great stress for divorced individuals • Previous marital experience brings an element of caution • Remarriages may have children already in place • Partners may be at difference life cycle stages
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- 14. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved.
- 15. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Stepfamilies • A family with a married couple who care for at least one child who is not biological offspring of both adults • Types of Stepfamilies • Mother-stepfather Family – a household that comprises the mother’s biological children & father’s stepchildren • Father-stepmother Family – a household that comprises the father’s biological children & mother’s stepchildren • Joint Stepfamily – a household that comprises at least one biological child of both parents as well as at least one biological child of only one parent (with the other parent as stepparent) • Complex Stepfamily – one in which both partners have children from previous marriages
- 16. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Stepfamilies Continued • Structural Differences • All members of a stepfamily have experienced important losses • Family members all have histories • Parent-child bonds predate the relationship between new partners • Children in stepfamilies are often members of two households • The role of a stepparent is ill defined
- 17. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Stepfamilies Continued • Challenges of Building a Stepfamily • Children in stepfamilies face similar risks as children raised by single parents • Financial strain based on monies owed ex-spouse • Difficulties determining disciplinary boundaries • Children feel a loss of power & control • Unlike with nuclear families, stepfamilies do not have an established social model to deal with these complex issues
- 18. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Characteristics of Successful Stepfamilies 1. Allow losses to be mourned 2. Have realistic expectations 3. Adult couples have a strong relationship 4. Establish family traditions 5. Develop step-relationships 6. Cooperate with absent parent
- 19. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved.
- 20. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Get the Topic Stepfamilies Continued • Re-Divorce in Stepfamilies • High level • Reasons: – Intrapersonal Factors that predispose individuals to leave relationships early – Cultural Factors like inadequate support – Interpersonal Factors such as stress caused by family conflict
- 21. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Think Marriages & Families How Do Different Theorists View Single-Parent Families, Remarried Families, & Stepfamilies? Functionalism • Ideal family form is the nuclear family • Original family members will often triangulate • Triangulation – a situation in which two family members unite against a third family member causing a loyalty conflict • It takes 4-7 years for stepfamilies to negotiate these blurred role boundaries
- 22. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Think Marriages & Families Conflict Theory • Individuals within families compete for resources • Children in single-parent families have to compete for the attention of one parent Symbolic Interactionism • Socially construct appropriate & inappropriate behavior • Socially construct meanings based on experience
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- 24. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved.
- 25. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved.
- 26. Copyright 2013 PearsonAll Rights Reserved. Discover Marriages & Families in Action What Organizations Can Assist Stepfamilies & Blended Families? • The Stepfamily Foundation – offers professional counseling for stepfamily members via telephone & in person • The National Stepfamily Resource Center (NSRC) – serves as a clearinghouse of information for stepfamilies • The Second Wives Club – offers a variety of resources specifically targeted at stepmoms & second wives • Sharekids.com – online co-parenting system