Sociology: Families and Marriage Relationship Activity
This exercise helps to illustrate the issue of mate selection for forming a family. But you don’t
know who you will fall in love with. What if it is someone unexpected? Given that this person
will be your mate, how do you see your plans for the future?
They must suppose that within five years they will fall in love with this person and then think
about the following questions:
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Think about your expectations of what your family will be like.
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What will your family think?
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What are the plans that you have for the future?
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Where will you live?
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How will those plans be affected by this selection?
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How will you raise children? Daycare? Stay at home? How many incomes can you afford to lose?
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How will you work out visitation with children from prior relationships?
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What about Thanksgiving? Christmas? Hanukkah?
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Where will you live? What about kids? Finances? Jobs?
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What is the likelihood that you would actually consider marrying this person?
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How will you include/ deal with previous families, children, spouses?
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How will you deal with life’s surprise issues? (You must pull an issue from the box)
1 Woman. Never married. Career oriented and works long hours. Approaching 40 and wants to have
children of her own.
1 Woman. Married previously and has sole custody of 2 children, one boy age 9 and another boy age 5 who
is special needs and requires a great deal of medical attention. Previous spouse refuses to pay child support.
1 Woman. Never married. Former model…appearance is very important, (manicures, facials, expensive
clothes and dinners out). Never had to deal with any negative life issues.
2 Man. Married once before. One daughter age 7. Also has son from prior relationship at a young age. Boy
age 15 and not happy about being part of a blended family. No job skills due to choice of raising children
from a young age.
1 Woman. Never married high school sweetheart. Small town. Known each other since 9th grade and never
dated anyone else. Dropped out of college and lived with you while you finished and graduated. Your
company moves to NYC and requires you to work many hours and socialize with wealthy prestigious people
in order to move up the ladder.
2 Man. A middle-class, white man who travels 3 weeks each month for his job and has 3 kids from a
previous marriage of whom he has custody. Currently, he has a live-in nanny but really would rather have a
full-time parent in the home for his kids
2 Man. A working class, Latino man from Costa Rica who wishes to live near his family in his home country
1 Woman.An upwardly-mobile woman who wishes never to have kids or at least not to care for them
herself. (If you want kids, you will have to be the sole parent.)
1 Woman. A female, Baptist minister whose first job assignment is in central Kansas.
2 Man. Baptist minister whose first job assignment is in Alaska.
1 Woman. An Indian woman (US resident) whose parents are planning to arrange a marriage for her
with someone other than you.
2 Man. An African-American male professor who has tenure at Harvard. Comes from a long line of high
achieving African American family members. There have never been any interracial relationships in his
family.
2 Man. Previously married man, married three times before and has children from all marriages. 3 girls
ages 13, 15, and 17, and 4 boys ages 8, 10 and 18. He has to pay support to these children and also come up
with college tuition for them as well.
1 Woman. Nanny from Switzerland. 19 years old. No family in this country and believes in Wiccan
Paganism. Loves children.
1 Woman, age 25, divorced twice. One child from previous marriage. You are expecting your own child in
4 months from your last relationship.
2 Man. Former girlfriend is pregnant with his child. He is going back to school at night to be a computer
engineer but currently works at Starbucks.
1 Woman. Dated your brother for years before you met up again while traveling in Europe. You are both
hopelessly in love with each other.
2 Man. Strict Catholic who believes birth control is a sin.
1 Woman. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that
causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly the lungs and pancreas. When mucus
clogs the lungs, it can make breathing very difficult. The thick mucus also causes bacteria (or germs) to get stuck in the
airways, which causes inflammation (or swelling) and infections that lead to lung damage. Your children could have a 25%
chance of inheriting both defective copies and having cystic fibrosis, a 50% chance of inheriting one defective copy and
being a carrier, and a 25% chance of not having CF or carrying the gene. In 2009, the median predicted age of
survival was in the mid-30s but recent medical improvements can lead to a longer life.
2 Man. Divorced and has 1 son from previous relationship age 6. He is a two time cancer survivor and must
be tested every year for recurrence.
1 Woman. Divorced. 1 daughter from a previous relationship age 4. She is a two time cancer survivor.
2. Man. Never married. Mid 30’s. Vegetarian, loves the Opera, a little O.C.D. neat freak. Thinks children are
messy.
2. Man. Recovering drug addict. Has been clean for a year. In a program to get his G.E.D.. Very handy and
works construction. Kind.
1. Woman. Very religious and goes to church every day. Wants to raise children in similar way.
2. Man. Once in jail for 4 years for an assault he said he was innocent of. Has a hard time finding
employment due to convicted felon status. Had very had childhood and was abandoned by parents. Raised in
the foster care system. Very family oriented and wants to be a father – including to the child you already
have from a previous marriage.
Issues:
You lose your job.
You’re expecting.
You lose your job.
You’re expecting.
You lose your job.
You’re expecting.
Your child is diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Your child is diagnosed with learning disabilities
Your child is diagnosed with learning disabilities
Your child is diagnosed with learning disabilities
Your child is diagnosed with learning disabilities
Your step children hate you.
Your step children hate you
Your step children don’t want to live with their other parent anymore
Your step children don’t want to live with their other parent anymore
Your step children don’t want to live with their other parent anymore
Your step children don’t want to live with their other parent anymore
You are 6 months behind on rent
You are 6 months behind on rent
You are 6 months behind on rent
Your parents need nursing care
Your parents need nursing care
Their parents need nursing care
Their parents need nursing care
You think they are cheating on you
You think they are cheating on you
You think they are cheating on you
You fall in love with your neighbor
You fall in love with your neighbor
Your stepchild steals your credit card and charges 50,000 dollars.
Your stepchild steals your credit card and charges 50,000 dollars
Your stepchild steals your credit card and charges 50,000 dollars
Your stepchild steals your credit card and charges 50,000 dollars
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