Slide 1
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Sociology 640
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Class 16:
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Remarriage and Stepfamilies
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Slide 2
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Trends in remarriage
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
17
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23
23
23
21
22
23
56
54
54
1980
1985
1988
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15
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69
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1970
Both first
One remarried
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Both remarried
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Slide 3
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Trends in Remarriage
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Percent
Proportion of Divorced Persons who Remarry
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
86
80
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83
78
78
78
72
69
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1970
1980
Men
1988
Women
1995
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Slide 4
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Average Duration until Remarriage
2.8
3
2.4
2.5
Years
2
1.6
1.5
1
1.4
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1.7
1.6
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2.4
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0.9
0.5
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0
1970
1980
Men
1988
1995
Women
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Slide 5
Variation in the Likelihood
of Remarriage
Age
Presence of children
Economic status
Note gender differences
Race
(W≈ .5, H≈.3, B≈ .2, w/in 5 years)
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Slide 6
What else do we know about
remarriage and stepfamilies?
•
•
•
•
•
•
More likely to end in (early) divorce
Takes a relatively long time to establish
No difference in marital satisfaction
Higher levels of family stress
Somewhat reduced parent-child interaction
BUT, differences are generally quite small.
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Slide 7
Theoretical perspectives – why
are stepfamilies more “fragile”?
Remarriage as an “Incomplete
Institution”
Importance of self-selection
Experience of divorce
Role of children
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Slide 8
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Definitional/Methodological Issues
 How do we define families?
 The “New extended family”
 Complexity of stepfamilies
 Implicit comparison to nuclear
families remains common
 Problems of “problematizing”
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Slide 9
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Role of Stepparents
•
•
•
•
Surrogate parent?
Friend, mentor, confidant?
Stepfathers vs. stepmothers
Relationship with non-custodial
parent
• Children’s age at remarriage
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Slide 10
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Stepfather contact with children
Parents married at birth of child
Parents not married at birth
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12%
18%
18%
13%
40%
12%
14%
7%
21%
22%
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13% 10%
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12%18%
13%
Not at all
Once/year
14%
21%
Sev. times/year
22%
1-3 times/month
Once/week
Sev. times/week
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Slide 11
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Implications for Children
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• Increasing complexity of family life
– Majority now experience multiple parent
figures
• Little evidence of benefit
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– But is the glass half-full or half-empty?
• Gender differences (boys vs. girls)
• Early nest-leaving
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Slide 12
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Insights into stepfamily formation
• 1/3 of stepfamilies preceded by nonmarital birth
• Need to consider coresidence
• If not, we substantially underestimate
prevalence of stepfamilies
• Approx 2/3 of stepfamilies formed
through cohabitation, not marriage
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Slide 13
More insights into stepfamily
formation
• Approx ½ of remarriages preceded by
cohabitation.
• Approx 40% of cohabiting couples have
children (i.e., can be considered stepfamilies)
• Children’s age strongly related to the process of
stepfamily formation
• Type of stepfamily formed not related to
subsequent stability
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Slide 14
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% Ever in Stepfamily
Change in experience of stepfamily
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
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39
32
30
26
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23
19
19
14
5
0
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Mothers (M)
Mothers (M&C)
1970-74
Children (M)
1980-84
Children (M&C)
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