FAD 2230 Final Exam 04 23 2014 Power and Violence in Marriages Families Types of Power Coercive power ability to punish parent Reward power ability to give things parent Expert power expertise over someone Informational power convinces someone blackmail Referent power survival based on not having power Legitimate power power given to you police officer Martial Power First studied in the 1950 s Blood and Wolfe interviewed wives only Resource hypothesis the spouse with more resource has more power in marriage What resources do spouses bring Most families 72 had relatively egalitarian decision making structure 25 husbands made decisions 3 wives made decisions Criticisms of Study What domains men and women have power over Women Husbands where they live jobs finances food shopping cleaning having the power to make trivial decisions is not the same as having the power to make important ones Resources Gender Men tend to have more resources o Money o Education o Status o Physical strength o Alternative to marriage Women tend to be most equal with men at the beginning of marriage First pregnancy and birth diminishes women s resources o Female may take time off and lose income o Dependent on males to be father and earner o Have less energy to resist dominance of husband Future of Martial Power Working women are happier in their marriages o More financial freedom o Psychological benefits Mutually economically dependent couples o Couples in which each partner earns 40 to 50 of the couples income Women s resources may increase in value caring emotional support warmth nurturing Equality between men and women may occur on overall society Four Couple Types Heterosexual married heterosexual cohabitating lesbian and gay Married and cohabitating heterosexuals least egalitarian Gay and lesbian share domestic duties more including child rearing Gays more competitive lesbians more relationally focused Power and intimacy Intimacy is the greatest when power is equal No power equal power in relationship Seek to negotiate and compromise not to win Power Politics How do spouses exert power in a marriage Leaving threatening Withholding distancing Pouting sulking Infidelity Accumulation of power politics leads to loneliness and distance in marriage Alternatives to Power Politics Partners may take charge of separate domains May decrease intimacy Reinforces separateness Subordinate spouse disengages from power struggles More powerful partner relinquishes some power to save or enhance the marriage Family Violence all forms of abuse have at their center the exploitation of a power difference child abuse elder abuse husband abuse dating violence domestic violence living within the same home sexual coercion Three phase Cycle of Violence Tension resulting from some minor altercation builds over a period of time Violent person becomes contrite treating his her spouse or partner lovingly Situation escalates exploding into another violence episode verbal violence exists Types of Violence Intimate partner violence violence committed by spouses ex spouses or current former boyfriends girlfriends including same sex partners Patriarchal terrorism controlling the partner through fear and intimidation Common couple violence mutual violence with a specific argument younger couples usually grow out of this Why do Abusers Do It Feelings of powerlessness Lack of resources Insecurity Any other explanations o Alcohol substance use o Learned pattern of behavior o Mental health personality disorders Why do victims put up with it Love economic dependence and hopes Fear Cultural norms Gendered socialization Childhood experiences Low self esteem Children and Violence Child Abuse physical sexual emotional Child Neglect legal responsibility Sibling Violence equally damaging Chapter 12 The Process of Divorce 04 23 2014 Today s High US Divorce Rate On average 40 to 50 of marrieds can expect to have their marriages dissolve over the life course The divorce rate is about 50 for first marriages The divorce rate is about 65 for second marriages Why are couples divorcing Various factors can bind marriages and families including o Economic interdependence o Legal social and moral constraints o Spouse s relationship The binding strength of some of these factors has lessened Economic Factors Wives in the labor forces o Independence effect o Income effect High expectations of marriage The changed nature of marriage itself Decreased social legal and moral constraints Intergenerational transmission of divorce Other Factors Associated with Divorce Remarried mates are more likely to divorce Cohabitation before marriage increases the likelihood of divorce Premarital pregnancy may increase the risk of divorce in a subsequent marriage Remaining child free is associated with higher likelihood of divorce Race and ethnicity are differentially associated with the chances of divorcing Americans have come full circle on divorce Today people are likely to say either make getting a divorce harder or keep it the same fewer want divorce made easier Should Divorce Be More Difficult to Obtain Would I be happier Previously unhappy married couples who did not divorce and who turned their marriage fell into three broad types o The martial endurance ethic out last your problems o The martial work ethic work through your problems o The personal happiness ethic focus on yourself Are People Happier After a Divorce Compared to marrieds divorced people o Have lowered levels of life satisfaction o More negative general mood o Poorer physical health o More depressed o Somewhat more inclined to suicide individuals Getting the Divorce 1 Emotional Divorce withdraw positive contact Those in unhappy marriages tend to be more depressed than divorced 2 Legal Divorce exactly what is sounds like 3 Community Divorce people separate community friends 4 Psychic Divorce understanding you re no longer a couple 5 Economic Divorce financial aspects of divorce Economic Consequences of Divorce for Men and Women Women are the losers o Men and women s unequal wages o equitable division of property in divorce but so are men who earn less than 80 of the family s income o more women are working o child support Reasons for Negative Impact of Divorce on Children Life stress Perspective Parental loss Perspective Parental Adjustment Perspective Economic Hardship Perspective Inter parental Conflict Perspective What are the Effects of Divorce on Children Long term effects o Age and Sex of Child Which is
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