Chapter 10:
Marriage and Alternative Family
Lifestyles
What to Expect in This Chapter...
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Defining the Family
Functions of the Family
Family Structures
Aspects of Marriage
The Changing Family
Alternative Lifestyles
Defining the Family
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Distinguishing between household and
family
– A household refers to all individuals who share a
common dwelling, regardless of kinship or
economic ties
– A family is defined by anthropologist George
Murdock as a social group having a common
residence, economic ties and reproduction,
consisting of two adults of the opposite sex and
their children
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Sociologists today find this definition
restrictive; there are single parent families,
childless families, etc.
Functions of the Family
Family Structures: Family Form
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Nuclear Family—the most basic
family form comprised of a
married couple and their
children
Extended Family—includes
additional generations beyond
nuclear family, comprising
grandparents, aunts/uncles,
etc. living in the same
household
Family Structures: Marriage
Form
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Monogamous marriages —marriage patterns
that involve one male and one female
Polygamous marriages —marriage patterns that
involve one central individual of one sex and
two or more individuals of the opposite sex.
Polygamous marriages take two forms:
– Polygyny —marriage pattern involving one
central male married to two or more females
– Polyandry—marriage pattern involving one
central female married to two or more males
Family Structures: Lineage
Systems
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Lineage refers to the way in which the
generations trace their identity
There are three ways in which families trace
their lineage worldwide:
– Patrilineal systems—lineage is traced through
the males of the family
– Martilineal systems—lineage is traced
through the females of the family
– Bilateral systems—lineage is traced through
both males and females
Family Structures: Systems of
Authority
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Sociologists distinguish between patriarchal
and matriarchal authority structures
– Patriarchal structures are those in which the
major affairs of the family are dominated and
controlled by men
– Matriarchal structures are those in which family
affairs are dominated by women
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In the United States, power is generally
shared by both men women. This is
sometimes called a bilateral authority
structure
Aspects of Marriage
Defining Marriage
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Marriage is the “...socially recognized,
legitimized, and supported union of
individuals of opposite sexes.”
Marriage differs from other unions or
partnerships in the following ways:
– The marriage ceremony takes place in a public
manner
– Sexual intercourse is explicitly recognized as an
element in the relationship
– It provides the basis for legitimizing offspring
– It is intended to be a stable and enduring
relationship
Romantic Love
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Romantic love is seen as the basis for
marriage in American and many western
societies
Romantic love can be defined in terms of 5
elements;
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Idealization of the loved one
Idea of a “one and only”
Love at first sight
Love winning out overall
Indulgence of personal emotions
In many societies, romantic love is not seen
as a necessary part of marriage
Choice of Partner
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All societies have two types of rules for choosing
marriage partners
– Rules of endogamy—stipulate that an individual must
marry within certain social groups, such as one’s own
social class or race
– Rules of exogamy—stipulate that one must marry outside
of certain social categories, such as one’s own family or
sex.
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It is common for people to marry people similar to
themselves, tendency that is referred to as
homogamy
Marital Residence
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Most societies have strong norms about where a
couple should live, commonly called marital residence
rules
– Patrilocal residence calls for the new couple to live with the
husbands family
– Matrilocal residence calls for the new couple to live with the
wife’s family
– Bilocal residence allows the couple to live with either the
husband’s or the wife’s family
– Neolocal residence, characteristic of the United States,
encourages the couple to establish independent residence
The Changing Family:
Extended to Nuclear Family
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The Industrial Revolution was instrumental in the
shift from the extended family to the nuclear family
– Industrialism demands that workers be geographically
mobile
– Industrialism also requires social mobility which is not
compatible with the more traditional extended family
– Nuclear family emphasizes bilateral inheritance and
descent, encouraging women to become part of the
workforce
The Changing Family:
Changes in the Marriage Rate
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Sociologists examine trends in marriage in three
ways:
– Calculating the total number of marriages
– Examining the marriage rate (number of marriages per
1,000 population)
– Examining the marriage rate of unmarried women aged
18-44
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The latter has been a preferred statistic because it
identifies trends in first time marriages
As the chart on the next page shows, marriage is
less popular among single women
Marriages per 1000 Unmarried
Women Aged 15-44
Marriages per 1000 Women 15-44
180
160
140
120
100
80
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1997
The Changing Family:
Cohabitation
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Cohabitation, or “living
together” out of wedlock, has
increased nearly eightfold
since 1970
More than 40% of women
have been in an unmarried
domestic partnership at some
time in their lives
The Changing Family: Childless
Couples and Changing Household Size
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Since 1984, there have been more couples without children
than those with children
– Some are “pre-parents:” couples who intend to have children
– Others are “empty-nesters:” children have already left
– Still others are childless by choice or fertility problems
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In 1790, the average household size was 5.8 members; in
1998, the average size was 2.6 members. Several factors
account for this:
– Elderly parents not as likely to live with children
– Higher divorce rates
– Later marriages/less children
The Changing Family:
Women in the Labor Force
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WWII marked a turning point in
women entering the labor force
– Nearly 65 million women had
paying jobs in 1999—up more than
200% in 50 years
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Occupational segregation is still
present, but lessening as
revealed in the following table
Percent of Workforce That Is Female,
Selected Occupations, 1983 and 1999
Occupation
1983
1999
Secretaries
99.0
97.6
Registered Nurses
95.8
92.5
Sales
58.7
72.7
Accountants
38.7
58.2
Financial Managers
38.6
53.3
College Faculty
36.3
42.3
Physicians
15.8
26.6
Lawyers
15.3
28.5
Clergy
5.6
12.0
The Changing Family:
Family Violence
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Spouse and child abuse occur in all sectors
of society.
The following categories are most at risk,
however:
– Urban, lower class families
– Families with more than 4 children
– Families that are socially isolated
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Some studies suggest that family violence
may be decreasing
The Changing Family:
Divorce and Remarriage
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Divorce rates have risen considerably since 1970
– A major reason is a shift in divorce laws in most states
allowing for “no fault” divorce
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The divorce rate is now leveling off
High divorce rates do not necessarily signify a
rejection of marriage. Most people who divorce
eventually remarry
– This typically involves the blending together of two
families, called “step- families” or “blended families”
– Sociologists refer to the pattern of divorce and
remarriage as “serial monogamy”
Alternative Lifestyles
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The following trends, which represent a shift
from the traditional nuclear family have been
observed