FSHD 257 1st edition Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I. “The Sandwich Generation”II. Examine the trends of caregiving and its different aspects III. Explore different tips and tools of caregiving Outline of Current Lecture IV. Explore the past, present, and future of American marriages and families V. Compare the different Era’s in which families developed VI. Identify the 10 aspects of American families todayVII. 6 qualities of strong familiesCurrent LectureThe Past, Present, and Future of American Marriages and FamiliesMarriages and Families- American marriages and families are dynamic and must be understood as the products of wider cultural, demographic, and technological developments. American Families over Time - The Colonial Era (1607-1776)- Marriage and Family of the 19th Century- Marriage and Family of the 20th Century- Contemporary FamiliesThe Colonial Era (1607-1776)- Colonial Familieso Marriages were arranged o Wife and children were economically dependent on husbando The wife was not an equal, but a helpmateo Children between 7-12 years of age were often “bound out: as apprentices or domestic servants 19th Century - Industrialization transformed families from self-sufficient farm families to wage-earning, urban families - This shift brought love to the foreground as the basis of marriage - For women-housewife and mother were the two most important roles 20th CenturyThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- The Rise of Companionate Marriages o In the 20th century, companionate marriage became ideal. Marriages were expected to be romantic Wives were expected to be sexually activeo Men and women shared household decision making and tasks 20th Century - Family roles and relationships were profoundly affected- Survival depended upon a combination of women’s earnings, children’s earnings, assistance from kin, and public assistance.- Between 1941 and 1945, the numbers of employed women increased by more than 6 million, to a high of 19 million.Families in the 1950’s- Marriage and birthrates were unusually high.- Divorce rates were uncharacteristically low.- The economy enabled many to afford to buy houses with only one wage-earning spouse.- Wife and Mother primary women roles- Often referred to as the “traditional” family or “nuclear family”Nuclear Family- Nuclear family=husband, wife, children - Until about fifty years ago, social attitudes, religious beliefs, and law converged into a fairly common expectation about what form the American family should take: breadwinner husband, homemaker wife, and children living together in an independent household—the nuclear family model. Changes since the 1950’s- Legal and social definitions of marriage and family have become more flexible American Families Today1. Marriage is important to Americans-but not to the extent that it was fifty years ago. 2. Fewer people are married today3. Young people are postponing marriage 4. Cohabitation has become a fairly acceptable form as well as a transitional lifestyle choice5. Fertility has declined6. Particularly among college-educated women, parenthood is often postponed 7. Compared to 4 percent in 1950, the nonmarital birthrate is high with 40 percent of all US births today being unmarried mothers 8. Same sex couple households increased by 80 percent between 2000 and 20109. Today, approximately 35-45% of all new marriages are likely to end in divorce o The divorce rate increased since the 1950’s peaked in the mid 70’s, and then leveled off in the late 1980’s 10. The remarriage rate has declined in recent decades but remains significant Postmodern Family- The term postmodern family came into use in order to acknowledge the fact that families today exhibit a multiplicity of forms and that new or altered family forms continue to emerge and develop.Postmodern: There is No Typical Family- Today, only 20% of families fit the 1950s nuclear family ideal of married couple and children.- Dual-career families are common, and there are reversed-role families (stay-at-home dad)- Many different family forms: single-parent families, stepfamilies, cohabiting heterosexual couples, gay and lesbian families, and three-generation families.What makes strong families? - Regardless of family structure, ses, culture, etc., the Family Strengths Framework has identified 6common qualities of strong families.Healthy families have high levels of the following:- Trust, commitment, and respect for one another o These factors underlie everything elseo They facilitate healthy interaction and other behaviors, attitudes and beliefs about the family and other relationships.Affirmation and support for each other - Family members are supportive of each other in the face of stress- Family members encourage each other in both stressful and non-stressful timesA clear sense of membership in the family- Family members know who is in and who is out of the family- Family members feel valued in that family membershipSharing of responsibilities (and flexibility in carrying out tasks) - Family members extend their responsibility beyond their own—they watch out for each other and help each other out.- If someone in the family needs help, others step in.Sharing Information - A balance of interaction - Information is shared when needed and, when privacy (not secrecy) is desired, its respected Effective Communication • Effective communication of both thoughts and feelings. • This includes listening, one of the toughest things to do.• This is crucial for maintaining relationships.Family rituals (especially critical are rituals of connection) - Families maintain connection through ritual - Family membership declared through ritual (i.e., who is in and who is out of the family)An overall positive outlook - Since you find what you’re looking for, if you look for positives, you ‘ll find them; if you look for negatives, you’ll find them, too.- Positive outlook increases likelihood of positive behavior being reinforced.Playfulness with one another (i.e., family leisure, recreation) - The family that plays together stays together - Gives you opportunities to “let communication happen” (e.g., son and dad at batting cage, talking about school) A sense of humor (affirming, not hurtful) - Humor, in and of itself, isn’t enough. It has to be affirming/gentle- Humor helps