1 50 of all marriages end in divorce 2 Question Agreeing that marriage has not worked out for most people they know by education Marriage and Divorce Single Parent Least educated 53 a b Moderately educated 43 c Highly educated 17 3 Marriage Gap People with higher education are getting married and forming a gap 4 Marriage as emerging divide a Marital quality is declining for the less educated but not for the highly educated b Divorce rates are up for less and moderately educated c The moderately educated middle more likely than highly educated Americans to have children d The children of highly educated parents are now more likely than in recent past to living with a Family lives of moderately educated beginning to look like those of least outside of marriage both parents 5 Marriage Gap i Financial stress ii Partner conflict iii Single parenting iv Troubled children 6 Barriers to Ideal Nuclear Family little bit of everything a Marriage models as reason for divorce b Institutional model i Respect duty sacrifice ii Gendered division of labor iii Focus on family iv Stable traditional c Soul Mate Model Personal growth emotional intimacy and shared consumption Intense emotional relationship i ii iii Ability of individuals to experience relationship not a family iv Many lack requisite emotional and economic resources to go or stay married v Disposal and romantic d Never really was there i Life expectancies 1 Average marriage in colonial times was 40 years 2 Half of all children living in the south in 1800s had one parent ii Family formations often different 1 Servants nannies maids iii Divorce in different contexts iv 1950s Nostalgia or historical aberration marriage fell 2 Teenage birth rates 2x modern 1 Lower divorce higher fertility wide gaps between education and job prospects age of Fewer jobs for least moderately educated in particular traditionally masculine occupations i ii Unemployed men are viewed in their eyes and partners are viewed as inferior husbands 3 Spouse abuse legal 4 Child abuse legal 5 Interracial marriage illegal e Economy 7 Risk factors for Divorce a Low income for couple i Economic instability b Early age of marriage Poorer job i Lack of similarity homogamy c d Parental divorce e Cohabitation i Higher levels of education doesn t have a relationship with divorce ii Low levels of education has a risk factor in divorce 8 Your Risk a How to decrease your risk of divorce If you earn over 50 000 annually 30 If you have graduated college 25 i ii iii Have a baby seven months into marriage 24 iv Marry over age 25 24 v Your parents are still together 14 vi Religious affiliation 14 9 Perspectives of Family a Functionalist Family provides social order and economic stability i ii Family is solution to many societal problems iii Socialization caring for elderly and sick emotional needs iv Dysfunctional families threaten well being of individuals and society v To solve family problems we need to strengthen family ties and eliminate divorce cohabitation which threaten institution of the family Family as a major source of inequality and conflict b Conflict i ii Family reproduces inequality that exists in larger society 1 Reinforces patriarchy and female subordination iii To fix family problems we need to enact tougher laws for those who threaten others in domestic situations c Symbolic internationalist iv Divorce is not the cause of the problem response to social problems economy i Focus on how family members play their diverse roles 1 Problems occur because a Men and women experience and see marriage differently b Unrealistic expectations about love and marriage 2 Problems in marriage will be reduced if people become aware of the different realities they have and work towards making more positive home life Marriage Promotion Urban Problems 1 How do the core values we hold influence social problems 2 Marriage Promotion TANF a Marriage is the foundation of a successful society b Marriage is an essential institution of a successful society promotes children Sounds like functionalism Marriage is the key institution i 3 TANF Goals marriage e Criticism a Provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their homes b To end the dependency of needy parents on government benefits job preparation work and c To prevent and reduce incidence of out of wedlock pregnancies d To encourage the formation of two parent households i Create programs about teaching how to balance a checkbook finding the right partner treating people right in school The purpose of welfare is to reduce poverty Individuals and families should be treated fairly regardless of their marital status i ii iii Policies designed to help children should support all the types of families in which children really live 4 Marriage Promotion Limitations a Marriages are stressed by low income and income instability b Marriage doesn t end poverty c Married parents look different for a variety of reasons not just that they are unmarried a Reorganization of human society from being predominantly rural and agricultural to being Urbanization 1 What is Urbanization urban and nonagricultural b Vast majority of Americans live in cities 2 Social Problems associated with urbanization a Segregation b Gentrification Urban renewal c Housing shortages d Overcrowding e Unsanitary conditions f Pollution g Health issues h Fiscal concerns i Crime 3 What is Urban a Urban means nonagricultural b Rural means any place that is not urban c Urban is a function of Population size how many people live there i ii Space land size iii Ratio of population to space density iv Economic and social organization 1 Order of lives and perceptions and behaviors d Consequences of Overcrowding i Safety ii Security iii Health Implication 4 Census definition a Densely settled core of census tracts i Tracts geographic features to enclose neighborhoods b To qualify as an urban area i At least 2500 people ii At least 1000 people per square mile c The Census Bureau identifies two types of urban areas i Urbanized areas of 50000 or more people ii Urban cluster of at least 2500 and less than 50000 people d Rural encompasses all population housing not included in urban e Migration patterns in the US People are leaving the mid west i ii North and south increasing in population 5 Suburbanization People moving in because a lot of building taking place i ii Houses keep going up but have to keep up with public services as well 1 Streets schools electricity iii