Chapter 1
Marriage and Family: An
Introduction
Marriage
• Marriage is still
popular in the United
States.
• 96% of U.S. adults
age 75 and older
have been married at
least once.
Marriage
• Marriage: a legal relationship that binds a couple
together for reproduction, physical care, and
socialization of the children
– In the U.S., marriage is essentially a legal contract between the
couple and the state
• Elements of marriage
–
–
–
–
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Legal contract
Emotional relationship
Sexual monogamy
Legal responsibility for children
Announcement/ceremony
Family Types
• Civil union: pair-bonded relationship given legal
significance in terms of rights and privileges
• Domestic partnership:
cohabiting individuals
given official
recognition by a city or
corporation
Marriage
Types of Marriage
• Polygamy: more than two spouses
• Polygyny: one husband and two or more wives
• Polyandry: one wife and two or more
husbands
• Polyamory: multiple emotional and sexual
partners
• Pantagamy: group marriage
Family
U.S. Census Bureau: A family is
a group of two or more people
related by blood, marriage, or
adoption.
Sociology: A family is a kinship
system of all relatives living
together or recognized as a
social unit.
Family Types
• Traditional family: two-parent nuclear family
with the husband as breadwinner and wife as
homemaker
• Modern family: dual-earner family
• Postmodern family: departs from the
traditional and modern family forms
• How do you explain recent changes in family
change and development?
Changes
Marriage-resilience perspective
• Marriage is not in decline.
• The changes have had few negative
consequences for adults, children, or wider
society.
Theoretical Frameworks
Structure-Function Framework
• Views the family as a social institution with
values, norms, and activities meant to provide
stability for the larger society
• Families
– Replenish society with socialized members
– Promote emotional stability
– Provide economic support
What affects our choices in regards
to marriage, family and
relationships?
Choices
Choices are also influenced by culture: the
meaning and ways of living that characterize a
people in a society
• Beliefs: definitions and explanations about
what is true
• Values: standards regarding good and bad,
right and wrong, desirable and undesirable
• Media?