Problems of the Family U.S. Families in Historical Perspective • Family arrangements are closely related to historical economic developments. – Industrialization and family arrangements – The breadwinner/homemaker pattern never applied to immigrants and racial minorities. The Family in Historical Perspective • The “crisis of the family” argument – Myth of a stable and harmonious family of the past – Myth of family decline as the cause of social problems The Family of the 1950’s • The Traditional Family and the “natural order” – The Industrial Revolution – Women’s social status takes a step back – Domestic Bliss and Housewife’s blight • Did social problems such as marital instability, child abuse, wife battering, and incest exist during the 1950’s? The Current State of the Family • The family has always undergone changes – Women in the workplace – Modern-day family stress – Bankruptcy • Why do most families go bankrupt The Current State of the Family • Other trends include: – Higher divorce rates than 1950’s: Why? – Increased singlehood (and delaying marriage) and cohabitation: Why? – Increased acceptance of homosexual couples: More gay and lesbian couples raising children – More single women having children – More interracial marriages – More women deciding not to have children Today’s Diverse Family Forms Opposing Viewpoints on the Family • The “Family Decline” Perspective- This view of the family says that divorce, economic decline, and the decline of two-parent intact families have hurt the institution of family. – Belief in a natural order for families • The “Family Change/Resiliency” Perspective- This view sees changes to the family as just that, changes. Families are changing and adapting to new environments. They are extremely resilient. – The crisis of the family argument is not new. It is typical throughout history and typical throughout the world. Children: Our most precious resource? • Cross Cultural Comparison: The U.S invests very little into the welfare of it’s children relative to many industrialized countries – The Human Capital Perspective: Reality vs popular construction – Child Care – Child Poverty Rates • Consequences Capitalism Versus the Family • The competitive free market and families • Capitalism and “family Friendly” policies • What rights and privileges are accorded to people who are married or defined as family by law? • Is marriage and starting one’s own family a goal of most Americans? Same-sex Marriage • The subjective nature of social problems • The roots of prejudice • The culture wars – Legal soon? Why? How? Divorce • One in five marriages ends in divorce within 5 years. • One in three marriages dissolves within 10 years. – How does divorce affect men and women differently? Children of Divorce • 65% of all divorces involve children. • One-third of White and two-thirds of Black children will experience the divorce of their parents by age 16. • The large majority of children of divorce do not experience severe or long-term problems. Violence and Abuse • IPV-Intimate partner violence – Actual or threatened violent crimes committed against individuals by their current or former spouses, cohabiting partners, boyfriends, or girlfriends • What constitutes emotional abuse? • Why doe most discussion of IPV focus on abuse of woman? Child Abuse • Four categories of child maltreatment: 1. 2. 3. 4. Neglect Physical abuse Sexual abuse Emotional Abuse • Incidence of Child Abuse – In 2007, 794,000 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect Causes of Child Abuse • About 30% of people abused as children become abusive parents. • Chronic substance abuse by parents • Poverty is the single best predictor of child abuse and neglect. • Unemployment and lack of social support Factors contributing to IPV and family violence • Individual Factors • Gender inequality and gender socialization • Acceptance of corporal punishment – Is it Ok to spank a child? Paddle? • Inaccessible or unaffordable community services – How do you prevent IPV and family violence? • Cultural Factors – Violence in the family stems from our society’s acceptance of violence as a means of solving conflicts.