MarrMarriageiage
Family Sociology
MarriageMarriageWith all the possibilities and popularity
of cohabitation, why do people get married?
Requires a long-term public commitmentFulfills social norms, such as expectation
of parents, friends, relativesMarried couples get legal rights and
privileges reserved for spouses
MarriageMarriage
With all the possibilities and popularity of cohabitation, why do people get married?
Allows for emotional investment with reduced risk of abandonment
Increases the probability that children raised by two parents
Marriage is a social institution that confers legality on a relationship
MarriageMarriageWith all the possibilities and popularity of cohabitation,
why do people get married?Traditionally marriage has been an integral part of a
sequence of the life course and a key event in the life course.
Marriage used to be connected to such things such as:◦ Leaving parental home ◦ Position in the labor market◦ A regular sex life ◦ Parenthood
Marriage has fewer effects on these things, so it becomes more acceptable not to marry/ marry/ or divorce
MarriageMarriage
Age of marriage has increased considerably
This related to several other changes:1) Rise in cohabitation.2) Technological advances in contraceptives 3) Increases in educational attainment, esp. for
women4) Increased female labor force participation
Generation Y is postponing Generation Y is postponing MarriageMarriageA new study by the Pew Research
Center is discussed in an article in the Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0213/Modern-romance-Gen-Y-is-late-to-the-wedding-but-wants-marriage
Note that Andrew Cherlin, whose research we have read, is quoted and how journalism blends anecdotal stories with real research.
Changing Marital Changing Marital ExpectationsExpectations
According to Julian Sanchez in your According to Julian Sanchez in your book:book:Stephanie Coontz argues that one
women, one man idea of marriage is a new one.
She argues LOVE partnered with marriage was an 18th century invention
See assignment on marriage: what were some of the other types of marriages in ancient times?
Marriage MarketMarriage MarketSociologists often study marriage in terms
of the marriage market◦Thinking is similar to the employment market
There are 3 components to this “marriage market”
Supply – who is availablePreferences – preferred characteristicsResources – individual characteristics that are
attractive to others
Marriage MarketMarriage Market
The concept of the marriage market is that unmarried individuals search for spouses with an acceptable set of desired characteristics
What are some of these desired characteristics?1. Propinquity (Proximity)2. Religion3. Education4. Class5. Race
Marriage MarketMarriage MarketProximity – where ones lives.Proximity is important as you actually have to
come into contact with someone to meet them and start dating – A study in 1958 showed that people most like to marry lived within 2-3 miles of each other.
Proximity still makes sense because neighborhoods are usually stratified by class, ethnicity, and race.
The importance of proximity is weakening, especially with advances in communication like the internet, but still has some effect (according to more recent studies).
Recent Polls on how/where people Recent Polls on how/where people met their spousesmet their spouses The Harris Interactive/eHarmony study was conducted
through a nationwide online survey using a representative sample of 7,135 Americans aged 20-54 who were married between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007.
4.8% of all new marriages in the United States, resulted from eHarmony
Another new dataset is called: How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST) survey
18 percent of the surveyed married or committed couples met at work, just 14 percent met in school or college
Source: http://download.eharmony.com/pdf/Harris-09-Executive-Summary.pdf
How Couples MeetHow Couples Meet
Source:Meeting Online: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary Rosenfeld, 2010. PAA presentation.
Marriage MarketMarriage MarketEducation: women are becoming more
educated so the old pattern of men marrying a wife with less education is no longer the norm.
But similar education is preferred, particularly because more education often means more earning potential, and this is now preferred by both men & women
Educational attainment may also reflect social class.
Education and MarriageEducation and Marriage In a reversal of long
term marital patterns:college-educated
young adults are MORE likely than young adults without a college degree to have married by age 30
Today college-educated are as likely to marry as the non-college educated
The college-marriage gap has closed
Marriage MarketMarriage MarketClass: most people marry within their social
class (measured by their occupation or their parents’ occupation).
Many people seek to marry up – this is called hypergamy
Hypergamy is defined as: marrying up in social status.
Women more likely to marry up, men down.
Marriage MarketMarriage MarketRace: most marry within their racial group In the past -- laws against inter-racial marriage
(miscegenation) Still on the books in some southern states until
the Supreme Court overturned them in 1967Sociologists expect that inter-racial marriage
will become more common
SummarySummaryCohabitation seems to be another
family form – but it has not replaced marriage
According to Cherlin – marriage today is a paradox, that as people enter marriage, they are more likely to judge it by a single standard – personal fulfillment - which is difficult when you are an individual in a couple.
People are more likely to marry those who are similar to them in religion, race, class, educational attainment, and attractiveness
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