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Household Changes from 1990 to 2000
- Less married couples
- More 2+ people non-family living together
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Cohabitation Rate
- Increasing
- Majority of marriages preceded by cohabitation
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Postponement of Marriage
- Increasing
- More males postpone than females
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Single People Living Alone
- Increasing
- Now make up more than 25% of US households
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Average Household Size in US
Declining
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Multiple-Generation Households
- Increasing
- More common among immigrants, unwed moms, & those in areas w/ housing shortages
- 9% of all children live in a household w/ a grandparent (23% of those have no parent present)
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Average Number of Children per Female
- 1917: A little more than 3
- 1935: A little more than 2
- 1957: Almost 4
- 1995: 2
(decreased, increased a lot, decreased a lot)
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Births to Unwed Mothers
- Increasing
- Many to unwed cohabitating mothers
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Divorce Rates
- High, but stable
- Increased greatly in late 70s, but decreased and are now stable
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Remarriages
- Declining
- 3/4 of divorced women remarry w/in 10 years
- Remarriage rates of men are higher
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Aging Population
More and more of the US population is over age 65
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Traditionalists
- Emphasize importance of marriage in childrearing
- Divorce, childrearing outside of marriage = detrimental to children
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Modernists
- Individulas' rights to define & live family life as they want to are most important
- Disagree that diverse/nontraditional family forms are harmful to kids & that much harm comes from lack of support
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Fed. Gov. Definition of Family
Two or more persons (one of whom is a householder) that are related by birth, marriage, or adoption & reside together
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Andrew Billingsley's Definition of Family
Two or more persons sharing a household that are related by blood, marriage, formal adoption, or by appropriation (created kin)
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Andrew Cherlin's Public Family
- How well do family members take care of dependents?
- One adult, or two adults who are related by marriage, partnership, or shared parenthood, who is/are taking care of dependents, and the dependents themselves
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Andrew Cherlin's Private Family
- How well are families providing the emotional satisfaction people value?
- Two or more individuals who maintain an intimate relationship that they expect will last indefinitely- or in the case of a parent & child, until the child reaches adulthood & who (usually) live in the same household & pool their incomes & household labor
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Jan Trost's Definition of Family
- Family Realm v. Non-Family Realm
- System of "dyadic units"
- Completely individualized & subjective
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Why is it Important to Define Family?
- Entitlement & benefits
- Defining boundaries of obligation, allegiance, or emotional attachment
- Reflects your understanding of family
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