Sociology of Families

About the Author......Page 12
Preface......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Chapter 1: Introduction......Page 16
Family Change, Family Continuity......Page 17
Family Diversity and Inequality......Page 19
Sociological Perspective on Families......Page 21
Applying the Sociological Perspective: The Standard North American Family and the Ideology of Separate Spheres......Page 24
Understanding Contemporary Families......Page 29
A Demographic Snapshot of the U.S. Population......Page 30
Looking Ahead......Page 36
Main Ideas......Page 37
Defining Family: Four Approaches......Page 38
1. Family as Structure......Page 39
2. Family as Household......Page 41
3. Family Roles......Page 43
Defining Family: A Summary......Page 45
How Americans Define Family......Page 46
Extended Families......Page 51
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in Defining Families......Page 56
Main Ideas......Page 57
Chapter 3: Sociological Methods and Theories in the Study of Families......Page 58
Scientific Method......Page 59
Micro and Macro Approaches to Studying Families......Page 61
Research Methods......Page 62
Structural-Functionalism......Page 66
Conflict Theory......Page 68
Symbolic Interactionism......Page 70
Feminist Theories......Page 74
Social Exchange Theory......Page 75
Life Course Theory......Page 77
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in Family Methods and Theories......Page 78
Main Ideas......Page 79
Chapter 4: Young Adults and the Transition to Adulthood......Page 80
Defining the Transition to Adulthood......Page 81
Transition to Adulthood in Historical Context......Page 83
Transition to Adulthood in the Early 21st Century......Page 86
Economic Uncertainty and Higher Education......Page 87
Changing Relationships With Parents......Page 90
Young Adult Sexuality and Romantic Partnerships......Page 93
Dating in Historical Context......Page 94
Decline of Dating and the Rise of Hookup Culture......Page 99
Sexual Debut......Page 100
Hooking Up......Page 103
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in the Transition to Adulthood......Page 107
Main Ideas......Page 108
Chapter 5: Marriage and Cohabitation......Page 109
Marriage and Divorce in Historical Context......Page 110
Institutional Marriage......Page 111
Companionate Marriage......Page 112
Individualized Marriage......Page 114
Contemporary Coupling......Page 115
Cohabitation......Page 116
Nonmarital Fertility......Page 120
Same-Sex Marriage......Page 123
Marriage Markets......Page 126
Marriage, Cohabitation, and Education......Page 127
Marriage, Cohabitation, and Race-Ethnicity......Page 130
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in Marriage and Cohabitation......Page 134
Main Ideas......Page 135
Chapter 6: Divorce and Relationship Dissolution......Page 136
Rising—and Declining—Divorce......Page 138
Demography of Divorce......Page 139
The Process of Uncoupling......Page 145
Legal Divorce......Page 146
Parental Divorce......Page 149
Financial Divorce......Page 151
Emotional and Social Divorce......Page 152
Relationship Dissolution and Children......Page 154
Relationship Dissolution Among Unmarried Parents......Page 158
Supporting Children When Parents Break Up......Page 159
Economic Support......Page 160
Effective Parenting......Page 162
Remarriage and Blended Families......Page 163
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in Divorce and Relationship Dissolution......Page 166
Main Ideas......Page 167
Chapter 7: Parents and Children......Page 168
Childhood: Economically Useful to Emotionally Priceless......Page 169
Fatherhood: Moral Overseer to Breadwinner......Page 173
Motherhood: Productivity to Domesticity......Page 174
Demographic Patterns in Fertility......Page 176
Time With Children......Page 180
Parenting as a Gendered Practice......Page 182
Parenting Ideologies and Social Class......Page 186
Immigrant and Transnational Parenting......Page 188
Gay and Lesbian Parenting......Page 191
Opting Out of Parenthood......Page 195
Main Ideas......Page 197
Chapter 8: Family Work......Page 199
Ideology of Separate Spheres......Page 200
Defining Care Work......Page 201
Women’s Employment Before 1950......Page 204
Women’s and Men’s Employment Since 1950......Page 208
Housework......Page 209
Macro-Level Perspectives on Housework......Page 214
Childcare......Page 215
Work–Family Conflict and Social Policy......Page 219
Change, Continuity, and Diversity in Family Work......Page 224
Main Ideas......Page 225
Chapter 9: Family Lives of Older Adults......Page 227
Defining Old Age......Page 228
Demographic Context......Page 229
Romantic Relationships Among Older Adults......Page 234
Grandparenting......Page 237
Grandparents as Caregivers......Page 239
Intergenerational Solidarity and Ambivalence......Page 244
Parents Helping Adult Children......Page 247
Adult Children Helping Parents......Page 248
Ambivalence, Individualism, and Intergenerational Support......Page 249
Family Complexity and Aging Families......Page 251
Main Ideas......Page 252
Defining Family......Page 254
Family Change......Page 256
Family Continuity......Page 258
Family Diversity, Inequality, and Social Policy......Page 260
Housing Policy and Family Inequality......Page 261
State Welfare Policy and Family Inequality......Page 265
Future of American Families......Page 269
Economic Inequality and the Growing Class Divide in Families......Page 270
Immigration, Race-Ethnicity, and Family Ties......Page 271
Unfinished Revolution in Gender and Sexuality......Page 274
Main Ideas......Page 277
Glossary......Page 278
References......Page 287
Index......Page 334