Family Relations Exam 3 (Final) Study GuideFAD 2230 ------ Nari Jeter ---- Chapters 11-15 ---- FALL 2012 SemesterChapter 11 Power and Violence in Marriages and Familieso Powero Violence is linked to powero Most people are happiest when power is shared in a relationshipo Types of Powero Coercive Power Can be parent-children relationship, so it isn’t always wrong. However, punishing a peer isn’t healthyo Reward Power Ability to reward someone in a relationship, (example: behavioral dollars for prizes in schools)o Expert Power They are an expert in that subject, so they have power, (example: Doctor has expert power over you because they are an expert in the subject)o Informational Power You can have informational power without being an expert, you could have just heard it somewhere, basically you have information that they don’t. (Negative form: Blackmail)o Referent Power Type of power one person has because the person they control is giving it over to them. They could defer the power because you are older or more experienced o Legitimate Power Someone gives it to you. This is legitimate power over somebody. Teachers have legitimate power to teach class. Police officer has power to enforce the law. Different licenses give power over a certain domain.o Power is evident in all types of relationships but when it crosses to the wrong domain then we have conflict.o Misuse of power causes problemso Marital Powero First studied in the 1950’so Blood and Wolfe: Interviewed wives onlyo Resource Hypothesis: The spouse with more recourses has more power in marriageo What resources to spouses bring?o Men’s Resources: money, future, protection, more educated (typically)o Women’s Resources: Children, house cleaning, nurturing, motheringo More valued by society: men’s power and prestige o Women were expected to say their husband had more powero Study Resultso Most families (72%) had “relatively egalitarian” decision making structureo 25%: husbands made decisionso 3% wives made decisionso This did not meet their hypothesiso Women said they had equal power because they think they made a lot of decisions, these decisions weren’t necessarily important (what to cook for dinner)o Women in the 1950’s did not like to admit that they were powerlesso Criticisms of the Studyo The domains men and women had power overo Women: Food, Shopping, Cleaningo Men: Where they live, Jobs, Financeso Having the power to make trivial decisions is not the same as having the power to make important oneso They only asked wives, they would have gotten different answers from men (they would have said they had all the power)o Men would answer this way to live up to their gender role (not because they are chauvinistic)o Resources and Gendero Men tend to have more resources Money Education Status Physical Strength Alternatives to marriage (can be bachelor their whole life, and be older in relationships)o Women tend to be most equal with men at the beginning of the marriage First Pregnancy and birth diminishes women’s resources Female may take time off and lose income Dependent on males to be father and earners Have less energy to resist dominance of the husband Once a woman becomes a parent they depend on the men, they have less alternatives, they want a stable home, and they have less energyo Culture, Resources, and Gendero Resource theory doesn’t explain everythingo Culture gives husbands absolute legitimate powero Interaction of legitimate and resource power Culture in our society expects men as protectors even if the wife makes more money. Our society gives husbands legitimate power over their wiveso Legitimacy and Resourceso If Culture gives Power + Husband has greater resources = Husband is dominanto If Culture gives Power + Husband has less resources = Husband is dominanto If Culture does not give power + Husband has greater resources = Husband is dominanto If Culture does not give power + Husband has less resources = Egalitarian or Wife dominanto Power and Social Classo Most classes perceive that they have egalitarian marriageso Why would middle class marriages be egalitarian? Beginning to require both husbands and wives to work, makes power more equal because they are dependent on each other, divorce has a more negative effect on income for middle classo Why would lower class marriages be egalitarian? Have usually had both husbands and wives to work, makes power equal, they depend on each othero Future of Marital Powero Working women are happier in their marriages More financial freedom Psychosocial benefitso Mutually economically dependent couples Couples in which each partner earns 40 to 50% of the couples income There are more now than evero Women’s resources may be increasing in value: caring, emotional support, warmth and nurturingo Equality between men and women may occur in overall society Because women are outside the home now, their supply is lower, demand is greater Shift in gender roles, women are now more valued In 1950s husbands wouldn’t show appreciation, now they doo Four Couple Typeso Heterosexual married, Heterosexual Cohabiting, Lesbian, and Gayo Married and Cohabiting heterosexuals are least egalitariano Gay and Lesbian share domestic duties more (including child-rearing)o Gays are more competitive; Lesbians are more relationally focused Overall, Gays and Lesbians share more domestic dutieso Types of Marriageo Peer marriage 50/50 to 60/40% sharing of responsibilitieso Near Peer marriage Husband and wife want equal roles, but are influenced by arrival of children, maximizing income, or other factors that prevent a perfect 50/50 splito Traditional marriages Husband dominated, but wife is okay with ito Power and Intimacyo Intimacy is greatest when power is equalo No power = equal power in relationshipo Seek to negotiate and compromise, not to win When you win and your partner loses, ultimately your relationship loseso Power Politicso How do spouses exert power in the relationship? Leaving/Threatening Withholding/Distancing Pouting/Sulking Infidelityo Accumulation of power politics leads to loneliness and distance in marriage It is okay to happen occasionally, but chronically, it leads to loneliness or distanceo Alternatives to Power Politicso 1.Partners take charge of separate domains May increase intimacy Reinforces “separateness”o 2.Subordinate partner
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