Marriage And Family Essay, Research Paper
. Types of marriage-
- common-law- not legally married, living together for a certain number of years.
- legal marriage- married by priest or judge, recognized by government in all states
-Polygamy
- polygyny- one husband has two or more wives
- polyandry- wife has two or more husbands (up to five).
. In 1990, 28% of US births were to unmarried women. By 1995, this figure had increased to 32%.
Gender
. Gender vs. Sex
- gender is the social and psychological characteristics associated with being male or female.
- sex is the biological distinction between being male or female.
. Gender roles are learned through interaction with the environment, not through biology.
. The Cognitive-developmental theory of gender role development reflects a blend of biological and social learning views. Biological readiness, in terms of cognitive development, of the child influences how the child responds to gender cues in the environment.
Love
. Sternberg s triangle of love-
- intimacy- disclosing personal feelings
- passion- sexual longing and need
- commitment- decision to maintain love relationship with partner
. Lee s love styles-
- ludus views love as a game
- pragma is logical and rational
- eros is erotic, consumed by passion and romance
- mania love feels intense emotion and sexual passion but is out of cont
- storage is calm, soothing, nonsexual love devoid of all passion
- agape is selfless and giving, expecting nothing in return.
. 67% of 620 never-married college students reported that they would divorce if they fell out of love with their spouse.
Dating and Mate Selection
. 41% of adults in US age 25-29 reported that they had over 5 partners since age 18, in contrast to 26% between the ages of 18 and 24 who reported that they had had over 5 partners.
. Cohabitating Couples-
- Here and now- partners who have an emotional/sexual relationship and want to live together because they enjoy each other.
- Testers- emotionally/sexually involved partners who want to assess whether staying together and getting married is right for them.
- Engaged- partners who are committed to getting married.
- Money savers- partners who live together primarily out of economic necessity.
- Pension partners- live together because marriage would result in loss for one or both partners of benefits from a previous marriage.
-Cohabitants forever- couples who view living together as a permanent alterative to marriage.
. Most frequent reasons for college students ending a relationship-
-cheating (18%)
- met someone new (15%)
- partner met someone new (13%)
- went back to previous lover (6%)
- partner went back to previous lover (5%)
Someone else was the biggest reason people broke off relationships, next was dishonesty.