Econ Module 5

Marriage as an opportunity

"For thousands of years, marriage itself was itself a way of accumulating resources" said Coontz "Whether by expanding the family labor force, as in some ranked horticultural societies where 'big men' collected wives and used their labor and their children's labor to establish networks of dependence, or in class societies where marriage was a way of making military alliances, consolidating claims to aristocratic rank, raising capital, and forging advantageous alliances"

civil partnerships/marriage

"it accords to people in same-sex relationships the same sort of rights and responsibilities that are available to married couples" -law guaranteeing Marriage Equality was passed by the Supreme Court on June, 26, 2015

Loving v Virginia

(1967) supreme court ruling that race-based restrictions on marriages violated the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution

Marriage is not just for making babies

-Catholic and Anglican doctrine have historically elevated procreation as one of the primary reasons of marriage -as couples started using birth control to limit pregnancies it began the process of decoupling procreation from marriage, at some level

Zagorsky Principle THREE

-Finally, there is the division of labor. Married couples share the responsibility of looking after their home, meaning that less time is lost compared with those who live alone. Household chores and other daily administrative duties can be allocated based on each partner's strengths and schedule, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. -What's more, the spouse with the less demanding job, for example, can do more in terms of housework and errands, leaving the bigger earner to focus more on their career. In turn, this can help the latter excel in the workplace, get promoted, and bring home a bigger paycheck

Going without financial health insurance

-Financial risks--major surgery costs (brain tumor) -Health risks--no treatment for illnesses (diabetes) -Risk to your loved ones-- costs to family or disease spread (ebola) -Risk to your local community--what if you can't pay your hospital bill... the hospital suffers -risks to society--measures epidemic

Zagorsky Principle TWO

-The second principle is that the sharing ethos of marriage is especially beneficial in terms of both daily and longer-term expenses. -For example, there is little difference in the cost of home insurance or heating for a dwelling used by one person or by two, so the cost is considerably lower when split. -The same economies of scale apply to numerous purchases: married couples can share cars, household appliances and furniture, rather than each buying the same things independently

More on marriage licenses

-Western governments around this time began to charge themselves with the responsibility of making marriages valid -thereafter, marriage licenses were used to authenticate all the benefits of marriage, including the entitlements of bereaved spouses -became even more important when social welfare programs were established during the following century (a single mother had to prove she was unmarried) -this consolidated rights to benefits, which is of particular significance in the US, where family healthcare plans could only be accessed by married couples -7/3/20196WHAT'S IN THAT PIECE OF PAPER????•Western governments around this time began to charge themselves with the responsibility of making marriages valid. •Thereafter, marriage licenses were used to authenticate all the benefits of marriage, including the entitlements of bereaved spouses.•Marriage licenses became even more important when social welfare programs were established during the following century. •A single mother had to prove she was unmarried. •This consolidated rights to benefits, which is of particular significance in the US, where family healthcare plans could only be accessed by married couples. -"Over the past few decades, there have been successful efforts to disconnect certain rights from possession of a marriage license, but a legal marriage still confers much more security in terms of access to benefits," said Coontz. -"Unmarried partners or singles do not get many of the legal and economic benefits that remain linked to a marriage license.

1980-2012

-Wilcox and Lerman found that among married parent families, the median family income rose 30%, while for unmarried parents, family incomes rose only 14% over the same period -their work also suggested that this retreat from marriage is correlated with lower labor force participation rates for men

prior to supreme court ruling

-both California and Maine gave same sex couples the right to marry, then this right was taken away by voter initiatives -meaning the courts approved---but same sex couples' colleagues, neighbors, coworkers, siblings, relatives, strangers... regular old folks voted away same sex couples rights

empty nest

-can be difficult adjustment -Lillian Rubin argues that most women feel relieved at being able to spend more time on themselves*** -couples report a renewed sense of companionship (freedom from responsibilities, increased leisure, higher income, fewer financial obligations)

Civil Unions or Domestic Partnerships

-creates the illusion of the same legal status as heterosexual unions; however the provisions are NOT THE SAME. They don't go as far with the respect to Social Security, Pension funds, Right of Survivorship, End of Life Decision making... and a whole host of other "rights" that are conferred upon heterosexual couples the minute they get married

Marriage decline

-despite the economic benefits, however, marriage rates are on the decline on both sides of the Atlantic -that said, it is worth noting that this decline is linked to age: as more and more couples leave it later in life to wed, the rate of marriage falls

divorce rate

-despite the numbers falling, the divorce industry is still booming -in the US, this surge can, to some extent, be attributed to the introduction of the 'no fault' divorce in 1970, which enables couples to split without proven wrongdoing -today, more than 800,000 divorces take place in the US each year, according to the National Centre for Health Statistics, making for an industry that is worth a mammoth $50 billion a year

The Prenup

-for high net worth individuals, having a pre-nup in place offers confidence that their hard earned wealth, inherited assets and children's birthrights will be secure -however, not all prenups go as planned due to stumbling blocks such as one party signing without legal representation, incorrect paperwork, and the inclusion of preposterous provisions, including difficult to believe clauses against weight gain

MacKenzie Bezos

-fourth richest woman after her divorce -was married to Amazon founder -walked away from the marriage with more than $36 billion

marriage and education of children

-growing up with both parents is associated with a 15 percentage lower probability of dropping out of high school -if your married parents went to college your probability is likely even lower

Divorce

-in 1960, Parliament passed an act allowing John Manners, Lord Roos to divorce his wife, Lady Anne Pierpon -this created a precedent for parliamentary divorces on the grounds of the wife's adultery -the gates for divorce opened with the Divorce Reform Act of 1969. Instead of pointing the finger, couples could cite martial breakdown as the reason for the split

How do we measure love and respect? Research says

-in 2005, the most comprehensive study on the economics of marriage was published. Written by Jay Zagorsky, the report, Marriage and Divorce's Impact on Wealth, closely followed the net worth of individuals throughout their 20s, 30s, and early 40s, and found that wealth of married respondents increased by around 14% for each year they were wed "Compared to being single, married people almost doubled their wealth, increasing it over 93%"-Zagorsky

the economic benefits of free birth control

-increases the chances of a woman pursuing higher education -helps women stay in the workforce and earn higher wages -reduced poverty -improves opportunities for planned children -saves taxpayer dollars

Economic Benefits of Earned Income Tac Credit

-is a tax credit that boosts the income of low income working households -while this doesn't encourage marriage; the program does encourage market production--this leading to higher incomes, less poverty, stronger economic growth

Should the government meddle in marriage?

-it is important to remember that often single motherhood is not a choice. Isabel Sawhill points out, more than 70% of single mothers under the age of 30 claim that their pregnancy was unplanned or mistimed -particularly true for low income women -instead of targeting marriage rates, policy could focus on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies to unmarried, low income mothers

Open market policies

-likely have higher deductibles -likely have higher out of pocket costs -likely have more limited coverage -likely might have restrictions that prevent the person from getting coverage (pre existing conditions)

Private Employer's Role

-many firms provide benefits to married couples such s allowing the working employee to cover his/her spouse on the employee's health insurance and life insurance -many of these firms DO NOT/DID NOT make the same provision for same sex partners -this this deprivation constitutes an economic deprivation for same sex couples (each person would have to provide his/her own insurance, and health insurance is very very expensive)

Marriage equal opportunity or not?

-people who choose not to get married or more likely to be in better position to accumulate wealth in the first place -getting married is itself a marker of financial stability. Couples wait and save until they are financially secure before taking this step, particularly if the intention is to have children one day

family ties and the economy

-researchers have found that with stronger family ties, the labor force participation of women is lower and there is more home production rather than reliance on the market -women are less likely to go to college and are therefore less educated -these effects would, on average, reduce economic output and growth, since home production is not included in statistical calculations of GDP

Indirect Benefits of Marriage

-specialization of labor within the household... two legally committed individuals are more likely to have more efficient households; in that, partners pool resources, assets and time-- houseworks is more evenly dispersed -economies of scale... married couples usually don't need two washers and dryers or two refrigerators or two stoves...etc. They share in the costs of these purchases -partners care for one another as they and the relationship ages -they share in child rearing

1,138 benefits of being married

-the Federal Government's General Accounting Office identified 1,138 federal statutory provisions that benefit families where the common factor determining whether or not one qualified for this provisions was whether or not one was married -meaning, these perks were identified... however, they were only available to folks who were/are legally married -in particular these provisions deal with taxes, employee benefits, marriage dissolution and so on

Purchasing insurance on the open market

-the average national monthly health insurance cost for one person on a benchmark plan is $477 -in Georgia, today the average monthly cost is $438

Not married households

-the difference with single peers is stark. It can be increasingly difficult for a single person to cover all their household chores and expenses alone, while also having a full time job that grows more demanding over time -this becomes even more problematic for single parents who must also raise children by themselves, leaving little room for savings and, in may cases, career progression

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan

-the facebook founder and pediatrician is valued at $74.6 billion, so it's no wonder they signed a prenup -in it, Zuckerberg agreed to take Chan out on a date once a week and promised her 100 minutes of alone time a week outside the office or the home

The Unites Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued

-the fact that there is so little genetic diversity among humans has been known for a while -issued a statement that all humans belong to the same species, and that "race" is not a biological reality, but a myth "Races are an artifact of the human mind's need to put things into boxes"

Three Main Principles for Zagorsky Principle ONE

-the first relates to savings--married couples save more, as thinking and living as a unit, so to speak, is more conducive to long term financial planning -"Married people are more likely to buy homes or make other investments together compared to people who are cohabiting" -in essence, knowing the relationship is for life inspires a greater readiness to invest and plan for the future

Are you saying yes to the dress?

-weddings can be huge expensive, implying pre existing wealth and available financial support from families, supporting the notion that modern marriage is, to some extent, an institution is well off -average cost today of a wedding is more than $30,000

Widowhood

-women are more likely than men to face the problem of adjusting to this -women tend to live longer than men, but also tend to marry men who are older

Social class influences how couples adjust to children

-working class more likely to have kids 9 months after marriage and have major interpersonal and financial problems -middle class are more prepared because of more resources, postponement o children and more time to adjust to one another

Direct Benefits of Marriage (1)

1. Health Insurance Benefits -a 2008 poll found 73% of Americans favored extending health insurance benefits to gay and lesbian domestic partners -Reason being: the main source of health insurance in the US is through one's employer -However, at the time this benefit was still scarcely provided by employers

Direct benefits of marriage (2)

2. Federal Tax consequences The federal tax code disadvantages same sex couples with respect to income taxes, estate taxes, and gift taxes Same sex couples will likely pay more in each of those areas than a heterosexual couple will pay because their marriage was not recognized by the tax code

Direct benefits of marriage (3)

3. Federal tax consequences SOCIAL SECURITY: surviving spouses of covered workers receive benefits... unless you were a same sex couple then no benefits

Direct benefits of marriage (4)

4. citizenship preferences -when binational heterosexual couples (one is American) marry the right for the non American partner to become eligible for conditional permanent residence status is generally conferred -same sex binational couples were not afforded the same expedited process

Why do family structures matter for growth?

Bradford Wilcox and Robert Lerman showed that the decline in traditional two parent married families is associated with rising income inequality, lower median incomes and lower labor force participation rates

Do states with a larger share of such traditional families fare better?

Bradford Wilcox, Joseph Price, and Robert Lerman find that the higher proportion of married parents in a state, the better the economic outcomes

Which is what necessitated marriage equality legalization

June 26, 2015 -the US Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out of state same sex marriage licenses in the case Obergefell v. Hodges

Marriage equality

The United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. In a 5 to 4 ruling, the Court determined that the Constitution guarantees every American the right to marry the person they choose

raising children

Traditionally fell on the mother, but this pattern is changing. For married couples, almost 1 in 4 children is cared for by father---single mothers compensate for child care gap with help from grandparents. -1 in 6 kids are in day care -birth order is significant (first borns tend to be more disciplined and often compete to maintain attention)

Robert Gordon's Research

US economic growth tied to periods of slow and rapid growth to three industrial revolutions: -STEAM AND RAILROADS -ELECTRICITY AND THE COMBUSTION ENGINE -COMPUTERS, THE INTERNET AND CELL PHONES -however, he says this does not explain income inequality, falling labor force participation, lack of universal education and changing demographic structures

William R. Leonard

a biological anthropologist and professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, says that Anthropology and human evolutionary biology prove that all humans are of the same type, species and kind "In reality then, all the variation of traits we see, in some respect, is literally skin deep. What appears to be huge amounts of variation is masking a low level of genetic diversity"

broad definition of family

a group of 2 or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption and live together (or have lived together)

12th century Roman Catholic theologians and writers referred to marriage as

a sacrament, "a sacred ceremony tied to experiencing God's presence" -it was not until Council of Trent in 1563 that marriage was officially deemed one of the seven sacraments

The Anglo-Saxons saw marriage

as a strategic tool to establish diplomatic and trade ties, says Stephanie Coontz "You established peaceful relationships, trading relationships, mutual obligations with others by marrying them"

Marriage vows

as couples recite them today, date back to Thomas Cranmer, the architect of English Protestantism -Cranmer laid out the purpose for marriage and scripted modern wedding vows nearly 500 years ago in his Book of Common Prayer, says the Reverend Duncan Dormor of St John's College at the University of Cambridge

egalitarian

authority equally divided

Gratian Benedictine Monk

brought consent into the fold of formalized marriage in 1140 with his canon law textbook, Decretum Grantiani The Decretum required couples to give their verbal consent and consummate the marriage to forge a marital bond

Single Parent Household

changing demographic structures, such as an increase in the share of single mother families, is associated with higher rates of poverty, particularly for children

household

consists of all people who occupy the same housing unit

common themes among marriage and families

each group established norms to govern who may and may not marry

functionalists

families contribute to the well . being of a society -economic production, socialization of children, care of the sick and aged, recreation, reproduction -incest taboo helps family avoid role confusion and forces people to look outside the family for marriage partners

family of orientation

family in which you grow up

family of procreation

family that is formed when a couple's first child is born

matriarchy

female dominated society

What exactly drives economic growth?

growth is compromised of labor, capital and technological change

nuclear family

husband, wife, and children

symbolic interactionists

interested how husbands view housework -research indicates that the less difference between a husband and wife's income, the more likely they are to share responsibilities -when husbands are laid off from work, their contributions decrease -husbands who earn less than their wives do the least housework "threat to masculinity"

interracial marriage

is a bit of a misnomer; in that, there are really no differences in races. Race is a socially contrived construct

marriage license

is a document issues, either by a church or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry -have been required since 1639 in Massachusetts, with their use gradually expanding to other jurisdictions

Interracial marriage

is a form of marriage outside a specific social group (exogamy) involving spouses who belong to different social-defined races or racialized ethnicities -was outlawed in US but became legal in 1967

marriage

is a group's approved mating arrangement, usually marked by a ritual

civil marriage

is simply one where the marriage ceremony has a government or civil official performing the ceremony -takes place without any religious affiliation and meets the legal requirements of the state or location of the wedding

patriarchy

male dominated society

during 11th century

marriage was about securing an economic of political advantage

Kimberly Jean Davis

married four times herself, is a former county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky who gained international attention in August 2015 when she defied a US federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples

from a policy perspective, is it important to encourage marriages since married parent families clearly have better outcomes?

married parent families tend to have higher incomes than single parent families, which implies that they have access to better schools, better neighborhoods, and better job opportunities

exogamy

marrying outside your group

endogamy

marrying within your group

Higher levels of marriage are strongly correlated with

more state GDP per capita, greater levels of upward economic mobility, lower levels of child poverty, and higher median family incomes

extended family

nuclear family plus other relatives who live together

Wedding services

on the global market is worth an estimated $300 BILLION per year-- and that number is just a fraction of the whole picture

What does marriage present?

over time, much has changed in the institution of marriage: from the 1950, when marriage was about bringing together the traditional roles of men and women to form a union based on practicality and compromise, to today, when it is largely seen as an equal partnership rooted in love and mutual respect

Who could inherit and who could not?

over time, states began to assert authority over who could wed, prohibiting some groups from marrying others and barring illegitimate offspring from inheriting wealth

estate taxes

part of federal tax consequences direct benefits of marriage -upon the death of a spouse transfers of assets from one partner to the survivor are unlimited in heterosexual households for same sex couples the transfer are taxed more heavily

romantic love

provides the context in which the US seek mates and form families 2 components: -emotional:feeling of attraction -Cognitive: the feeling we describe as being "in love" Social channels of love and marriage include age, education, social class, race and religion (people tend to marry others with similar characteristics, interracial marriage is exception)

What to do if no insurance is provided?

purchase insurance on the open market OR go without health insurance

Marriage Licenses in Nevada (las Vegas)

require no blood test or waiting period, and no appointment is necessary. You must obtain your marriage license form the Courthouse at 201 Clark Avenue, Las Vegas. Both parties must appear in person with ID and fee will be $77

Another study thats findings corroborated by the Wilcox et al

shows that in the US, married mothers are less likely to be in the labor force than their counterparts -however, on average, it appears that the gains associated with married parenthood when it comes to men's labor force participation, work hours and income exceed the losses in women's labor force participation, work hours an income

Cohabiting couples

tend to save and invest less, while keeping their finances separate

Arlie Hochschild found

that after an 8 hour work day, many women come home to a "second shift" -wives work an extra month of 24 hour days each year

Happiness

times are rapidly changing, but for many people around the world, marriage remains the ultimate symbol of_____________ (a very lucrative industry)

Marital satisfaction

usually decreases with the birth of a child

Marriage is like home maintenance

when the smoke detector starts beeping you fix it, you don't buy a new house

love

with more social mobility, there was a growing "distaste" among the middle classes for thinking of marriage as "a family arranged event for exchanging a daughter into a family for gain"

conflict

within a family the conflict over housework is really about control over scarce resources--time, energy, leisure -most men resist doing housework, women end up doing almost all, even though men believe it is equal