SOCI 130 FINAL

Intensive motherhood

a cultural pressure on women to devote more time, energy, and money to raising their children

US vs. Windsor (2013)

a woman married her wife in Canada in 1997, protested the federal government in the United States' refusal to recognize their marriage. Case started because Windsor had to pay more than $600,000 in taxes when her wife died Justice stated that discrimination created second-class marriages to impose inequality, humiliated children raised by same-sex couples, makes it difficult for children to understand integrity of own family within the community

What is the distinction between the public family and private family?

in the past, the family was a public institution with the whole community getting involved with courtship and dating. Now, the family is very much a private matter.

What are the problems with Gary Becker's marriage market?

idea is kind of naive and idealistic, when in reality marriage is more than supply-and-demand people making marriage decisions have desires that may be in conflict, such as economic potential and sexual attraction. people often make bad decisions, so we cannot assume their marriage choices are rational. -picking spouses is not a conscious decision.

Why do Latinos have so many children?

immigrants from countries where fertility rates were higher more children encouraged by the Catholic Church low education

Promises I Can Keep: be familiar with the family formation ideals and realities of the mothers in the study

-Although the poor and middle class have similar standards for marriage, the poor are far less likely to reach their dream of marriage and escaping poverty. -Threats to relationships/marriages: infidelity, domestic violence, substance abuse, criminal activity -These women are more likely to bear children before marriage, because childbearing costs are relatively the same for all class levels -Poor avoid marriage because they revere it. Pregnancy tests the man's faith. Want to build mother-child relationship, while father is the complement. -Family formation process: have children, get established economically, then marry. -Very few will get married, but many are optimistic. -Mothers look for partners who are willing to make an income to support the family, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and change their attitudes entirely.

Why do people still get married?

-Government incentives and benefits -Social pressure from the incentives, family, or religion -Imitation and conforming to common behaviors

What are the trends and patterns of marriage?

-Pathways to marriage are quite diverse; increased cohabitation -Couples pair up according to education and earning potential, married couples are much less likely to be poor, unequal recognition of same-sex marriages by the government -Individualism weakens marriage, the law has treated individuals the same, family is not the most important identity for everyone anymore. -Marriage rates have fallen dramatically; people marry at older ages, some never marry, African Americans decline in marriage, marriage concentrated in high education and incomes -Marriage is still an extremely common institution, but people spend less time in it -Falling appreciation for marriage and a rising ideal for marriage -Marriage as a status symbol, instead of a requirement for adulthood moments -Some people have large enough incomes that they don't need to marry, but those with larger incomes are more sought after, leading them to more choices in the marriage market -Demography leads to marriage squeeze and imbalance of eligible partners

What are the trends and patterns of cohabitation?

-become much more common in the past several decades at all levels of education -cohabitation has changed the experience of marriage itself -cohabitation has increased faster in women with lower levels of education and they're less likely to marry

From Every End of this Earth: be able to identify why the individuals and families migrated

-refugees of political turmoil from home countries, educational opportunities, starting businesses, religious oppression, looking for work, children, THE AMERICAN DREAM! -most do not want to leave home countries, and most cannot actually migrate

Three contrasting perspectives of divorce

1. Delay divorce for children's sake; save them from financial lost, shame, disruption 2. Want divorce for children's sake; keep them from living under bickering and irresponsibility 3. Children themselves; parents breakup makes them question their morals

Era of Divorce Tolerance

1850s-1970 slowly, but surely, easier to obtain, especially for women legislators become more sympathetic towards women because of men's immorality recognition that marriage was no longer economic but about love and companionship fault-based divorce

Era of Unrestricted Divorce/Divorce Revolution

1970-now California the first state to eliminate fault-based divorce laws characterized by irreconcilable marriages; "We just don't get along" the problem: it assumes that man and woman are in the same economic status; the feminization of poverty divorce evolved into an individual right, away from stigma

"#16: The Case for Divorce" Reading

50% divorce rate has leveled off with little change 1970s: divorce laws to allow for unilateral (no fault) divorce. Rates of wife's suicide, domestic decline, and spousal homicide have declined. Number of children in divorce decline because of declining birth rate Research on Children of divorce: most children do well; divorce has a neutral impact. children who remain in high-conflict families are at greater risk. The consequences of a harsh marriage exceed consequences of a divorce. Saw first two years of crisis, then use of personal resources and networks to cope. Resilience of individuals, especially at a younger age, period of crisis, most people bounce back, sleep effect

Promises I can Keep: describe the significance of race in poor, inner-city mothers.

African Americans are less likely to cohabitate and marry, but are more likely to divorce. Their partners are more likely to be susceptible to criminality, incarceration, drug abuse. Puerto Ricans suffer more domestic violence and addiction. Whites suffer more domestic violence. Across all three racial groups, majority of children were neither a result of planning or contraception failure. Fall between planned and accidental.

The Survey: be familiar with the demographic profile of the UNC sample

Age: most are 21 (at 25.41%), least is 26 or older (.93%), 31% were seniors, everyone else about 22% Gender: 47.49% female, 51.28% male Race: 64% white, 17% black, 12% asian, 3% multiracial, 5% other Ethnicity: 75% none, 8% latino, 16% other Political preferences: 40% democratic, republican 22%, independent 17%, unaffiliated 16% Political leanings changed since college: 46% not at all, 14% to the right, 48% to the left Religion: 70% christian, about 7% non religious Work: 41% don't work, 44% part time Most parents were married at time of birth, and about 75% are still married on both sides Education was pretty much even between the two Most had 1 sibling 18% first generation students 82% percent of moms worked outside the home (70% full time) Around 95% of fathers worked full time 50% both parents as primary caregiver, 42% just mom 78% said both parents should share household, 21% said just men should be head of household Do women have equal opportunities in workforce? 71% disagree, 18% agree Men are steroyped: 80% agree, 7% disagree; women are streoped: 94% agree, 1% disagree

What is the changing meaning of childhood?

Children's usefulness as laborers have decreased. Early 1900s: children roamed streets, no structured play, uproar after accidents reflected clash between new and old versions of childhood. Today: children have lost economic value and have gained emotional value. More children are educated and survive to adulthood. Priceless childhood is very expensive. Intensive motherhood, changing fatherhood, more insecurity for parents

Be able to compare and contrast cohabitation from marriage.

Cohabitation is now an expected stage in relationships. Before Marriage: most common form of cohabitation. A proving ground for the relationship. Among the poor and working-class, cohabitating reflects a plan to marry once they have more money. Instead Marriage: ideologically opposed to marriage, but relatively rare. Non traditional couples may face obstacles from their families or condemnation based on race/ethnicity, age, social class differences. Cohabitation may be a compromise After Marriage: for people who have divorced or become widowed, cohabitation provides a path to new family life that have less risks. Rather than maximizing financial benefits of marrying, older people may be more interested in protecting assets by not marrying

Promises I Can Keep: describe the significance of contraception. Is it cultural or structural?

Contrary to popular belief, contraception is readily available and widely known as a resource in impoverished communities. However, many of the women stopped using it for various reasons. Condoms signal infidelity and a lack of trust. It's too hard to keep up with. Pill has effects on hormones and body. Many are not opposed to the idea of being pregnant, but it is also not planned. It is definitely a cultural tradition, because there is a negative stigma attached to contraception. Contraception is not essential to success later in their life.

Define the differences between courtship and dating.

Courtship: the relationships moving towards marriage were contingent on decisions viewed in the public matter. Both parents and the local community played a significant role in deciding which young people should be matched together. It disregards the private and personal considerations of the couple. People met spouses in close proximity. Dating: dating usually takes place in the market arena, which involves lots of personal spending and commercial consumption, which enhances the public nature of the couple's commitment. Especially after WWII, cars became visual markers of economic and social status. People now have all sorts of ways to meet, more emphasis on private life and on the individual.

legal custody

Deals with a parent's right to make major decisions about the children's health, education, and welfare. raising the child for them to have a contribution to society

Be able to define and illustrate what is meant by the deinstitutionalization of marriage.

Deinstitutionalization is the weakening of social norms that define people's behaviors. More individual negotiation and conflict, opportunities for new rules to emerge. The deinstitutionalization of marriage is no longer a master event, because marriage was once a gateway to sex, adulthood, work and parenting. Now doing all of these things are uncoupled from marriage. Not as necessary to marry anymore, but the value of marriage is much more symbolic and idealized. Understanding that not everyone can achieve it.

The Survey: be familiar with our survey design and generalizability.

Each person asked 5 other people to conduct the survey; ask diverse people Must be done in person, meet with at least 1 person from each grade Diverse sample Cannot generalize it to all of the country (we are surveying educated young people, that is a very limited number of people)

Promises I Can Keep: Describe the influence of fathers in low-income women's lives.

Fathers are involved with their children as little or as much as they want to be. However, being involved means being able to support the family economically. There is often a conflict between men and women because women don't think men are trying their best. Women don't want their husbands or boyfriends to sell drugs to get quick money.

Trends in fertility

Fertility declining; on average, 2 births per woman. 41% of births were to unmarried women. 1/3 of unmarried parents are actually cohabitation at time of birth. With fewer parents married now than in the past, many children are involved with more than two parents. The number of women reaching age 45 without having any children has doubled since the 1990s.

Significance of economic/social class when it comes to parenting

For middle-class families, there is competition and insecurity. Children have a lot less play time, hurried lifestyle, increased attention to academic and enrichment activities. Increased risks of anxiety and depression. Investment in each one has grown because they have fewer children. Growing perception of economic insecurity, together with the increasing necessity of advanced education for success. Involved father ideal Insecurity fueled by explosion of consumer culture For lower-class families, natural growth is emphasized.

Define Gary Becker's concept of the marriage market.

Gary Becker was an economist who conceived the spouse-matching process as a marketplace, in which people offer something of value for sale while they shop for what they like. If these conditions exist, then we can think of marriage as a market process: marriage must be voluntary, meaning people only marry if and when they think it will improve their lives. There must be a competition for spouses. This is seen when: -rich men marry women who are poorer, yet beautiful. -men choose wives based on their potential as mothers, while women chose husband for potential earnings. -members of lower-status groups marry members of higher-status groups when the latter have less money or education than themselves

Promises I Can Keep: What are the policy suggestions to solve these issues in the inner-cities? What has worked and what hasn't worked? Why?

George Bush: wanted to reinstitute marriage in society. Offered relationship-skills training to help couples deal with their problems more effectively. These haven't worked because the root problems come from infidelity, abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, criminal activity and incarceration. Different from communication issues. Liberals: advocated for job training and increasing employment among unskilled men. This has also not increased more marriages, because male employment is one factor out of many issues. Solution? At-risk women should be educated and exposed to a different setting. Living-wage employment should be implemented for men and women. We must tackle all the issues, not just employment. Difficult because of long engrained cultural values.

Modern Romance: how has finding a partner changed from the past to now?

In the past, you would find a decent partner within your city, school, or community. Now, it is all about finding your soulmate, and many people believe this is possible with the more choices to find people.

From least to greatest, list the most popular forms of adoption.

International, private services born in the US, foster care system. International is more complicated and less common because the goal is toe sure that efforts are made in adoptive families in a child's home country before placing the child in international adoption.

Be familiar with trends and issues in gay and lesbian couples and parenting

Less than 1% of children live in same-sex household, increased in recent past because of laws When issues arose in the 90s, most same-sex parents were older and divorce,d with children from previous marriage or relationship. Now: couples increasingly pursue adoption, foster care, or assisted reproduction

Describe the main findings of "Who Needs Marriage? A Changing Institution"

Marriage is not purely practical anymore. The richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to marry. Conversely, if you're married, you're more likely to be well off. Americans still venerate marriage; highest rates of marriage and remarriage. Marriage is the capstone for both well-educated and poor, but for different reasons Divorce has somewhat plateaued, and even in some groups, declined. Unclear whether burdens of poverty make relationships less permanent or people's impermanent relationships are worsening their poverty. Solution: increase importance of a cohabitating relationship?

Modern Romance: distinguish the difference between the maximizers and satisficers.

Maximizers have the mentality that they need the best. This can lead to disappointment because they have high expectations, as too many choices can lead to stress when trying to settle. Satisficers tend to settle and don't seek out for better.

Promises I Can Keep: describe the term opportunity cost and what it means for poor, inner-city members.

Members of poor communities have very limited options in terms of economic and social mobility. Therefore, many of the women get pregnant early because they feel like there is nothing to lose but everything to gain. Children provide emotional and personal fulfillment that they can't find anywhere else. They have no life chances, and children give women a reason to break away from bad influences. Marriage is riskier.

How does divorce affect men?

Men are more likely to lose their kids. Unhappiness and negative stigma. Remarrying removes status as a divorced person Child support payments

Modern Romance: how have phones changed the dating scene?

More online dating, make cheating easy and breaking up by text more common than ever.

Be familiar with legal developments and issues around same-sex marriages

Originally, members of the gay and lesbian community were not interested in marriage rights. Later wanted it because of the practicalities of inheritance, pensions and taxes, and the priceless value of social acceptability. Many states banned same-sex marriage, which had not been explicitly illegal before. Federal government--including agencies such as Social Security and the IRS--would not recognize these marriages. 2013 Supreme Court case overturned that statute. For some people, the debate over same-sex marriage rights represents a sign that marriage is losing its traditional meaning. On the other hand, it has symbolized tolerance and acceptance of individualism.

Modern Romance: define the difference between passionate love and companionate love.

Passionate love: comes early than fades, lights up brain's pleasure center Companionate love: grows over time, brain regions with long term bonding Most relationships don't reach the companionate love stage: the cycle is passionate love/excitement, which fades and turns to worry if it's the right person, then breaking up

Promises I Can Keep: Describe low-income mothers' parenting styles.

Poor mothers realize they can never expect their children to fulfill the middle class standard. There is a huge emphasis on natural growth. Poor mothers feel the most success when they are able to feed, clothe, bathe and keep the child safe. They are supportive of their children and are more open to talking about provocative topics, because they are constantly surrounded by bad influences.

Trends in childlessness

Raising children is a major expense, an investment that is expected to pay off not so much economically as emotionally and symbolically Abortion: medical reasons, time and resource constraints. Lower income single women and Black women more likely to have abortions. Roe v. Wade. Number of those living without children expanded rapidly, steady rise in the proportion of adults aged 25-49 without children. People who are less religious more often avoid having children. Education=opportunity cost. The price one pays for choosing the less lucrative of available options

Modern Romance: explain the significance of sexting.

Sexting has allowed people to share intimacy, build sexual attraction, maintain a long distance relationship, and be honest about sex preferences.

Significance of race and ethnicity when it comes to parenting.

Single parenthood much more common among American Indian, Black, Puerto Rican families (1/2 of children). Highest total fertility rates among Latinas, African Americans, then Whites, Asians and American Indians

Be familiar with general arguments of the film, 112 Weddings.

The filmmaker used to be a freelance wedding videographer, decided to track them down and see how the couple/family was doing. He found that most couples were naive and marriages became complicated especially by children, jobs, money, depression/mental health issues. One couple said that they don't believe in soulmates and there are many soulmates in one's lifetime, doesn't believe her husband is the only one out there for her but that's okay. Depicted the reality of marriages. Some succeeded but many failed to last.

Modern Romance: How have interactions changed?

The initial ask has evolved into phones, texting, and online communication. This leads to people having 2 selves: their real self and their phone self

The New Package Deal: what is the thesis and father's perspective?

Thesis: why do so many fathers fail to be the fathers they aspire to be? Many fathers initially show the desire to raise a child and get married. but, harsh standards for marriage cause relationship problems. Father's perspective: not only want to be assessed for economic assets, but on fatherhood experience. Offering love, communication, spending quality time. Divorce is tricky; limited visitation rights on mother's term.

Promises I Can Keep: When do low-income women believe they should marry and have kids?

They believe that a couple should wait at least 4-5 years before marrying, relatively around 30-35 years old. Their boyfriends must grow and develop before becoming their ideal husband. The ideal time to have children is late teens to mid-twenties.

Modern Romance: discuss the dating and marriage styles of the different countries Aziz went to.

Tokyo: seems like a sex nation, but there is actually a shortage of men. The men are "herbivores" and are shy, passive, show no interest in sex. This can be explained by the decline of the Japanese economy and fear of women Argentina: has a ton of sex but men are very aggressive and tend to be abusive. France: more honest and see cheating as inevitable and natural.

Socialization

allowing individuals to internalize elements of social structure into their own personality

blended family

any family that includes stepparents, step siblings or half-siblings

Era of Restricted Marriage

before 1850 characterized by a period where it as difficult to get a divorce. patronizing, only occurred when women committed adultery. based on landowning, wealthy man to ensure property. probably a lot more separation than a formal divorce; undocumented

social bonds

building stable, strong and emotional bonds with parents

What are the challenges for blended families?

children are experiencing blended families at higher rates than in the past. Growing up with parents who are more individually oriented than those in first marriages. Integrating different parenting strategies and preserving own style. Intergenerational support is awkward.

Describe the main findings of "Adoption Equality is not a sure thing" reading

children raised by same-sex parents fare just as well as children of different-sex parents however, ensuring same-sex parents does not mean they have equal access to adoption same-sex couples play disproportionate role in nation's adoption and foster care; three times more likely to raise adopted or fostered children adoption is expensive. same-sex couples have relatively high household incomes because they must go to expensive private adoption agencies.

refined divorce rate

compares two cohorts of people. tells us how common divorce is among married couples specifically. Data can be broken down into education, race/ethnicity, number f years married, and number of times married 19 divorces for every 1,000 people.

Promises I Can Keep: be familiar with the methodology

conducted in inner-city Philly, poverty rate of 22.9%. 4/10 of Hispanics were poor; 2/3 of them Puerto Ricans chose neighborhoods with concentrations and mix of ethnic groups. Found eight neighborhoods with diverse race and ethnicity. Philly once a city with booming industries, but the businesses and rich people left leaving the poor and working class people. Researchers interacted with nurses, teachers, employers, and organizations to get referrals and connect them to impoverished women. No more than 5 referrals per source. Stratified results by race and made sure to get moms of all ages. Poverty rate higher than 20%.

separation

couples who never get a legal divorce; formal or informal separation of married spouses into different households

Trends in adoption

declined after the 1960s despite its openness. The stigma associated with unmarried motherhood has declined, so unmarried young women are more willing and able to parent their own children. Growing availability of birth control and legality of abortion

immigrant bargain

depending on the kids to make the money

trends of the divorce rate

divorce rate is higher for multiple marriages and within the first ten years divorce rate has leveled off: less marriages overall, higher education, increased cohabitation

The Emotional Divorce

emotionally difficult for all parties involved

marital dissolution

end of marriage through permanent separation or divorce

The Legal Divorce

ending the legal aspect; payments, assets, property, children can be intangible goods such as investment in spouse's higher education maintenance payment over time can be a complicated issue

concerted cultivation

enrolling children in numerous activities to develop life skills; implements a sense of entitlement

Uniform Interstate Family Support Act

ensures and regulates family through child support payment

From Every End of this Earth: be familiar with the characteristics of the families and how they differ from American families

experience job discrimination range from all economic classes more single mothers retain traditional values that clash with American values children are expected to sacrifice as much as their parents did very quick downward mobility American dream means something vastly different

How does divorce affect women?

feminization of poverty; women twice as likely to go below the poverty line child support after divorce does not close the income gap downward mobility for all women, regardless of economic status

1996 Welfare Act

force women to work in order to receive welfare, require paternity tests, employers submit list of employees to see where mother/father is, deny driver's licenses if child support is not paid

divorce-marriage ratio

frequency of divorces to new marriages; doesn't compare people that are from the same marriages. This is what people commonly think of as the divorce rate. 1 divorce for every 1.8 marriages that year in the country.

Describe the changing role of fathers

from the period of separate spheres until the 1960s, the male provider ideal was the dominant American conception of what a father should be. changed to the involved father ideal: defining the father as an emotional, nurturing companion who bonds with this children as well as providing for them

fault based-divorce

had to prove to the court and family judge that the spouse was cruel in order to have a divorce an adversarial process

From Every End of this Earth: be familiar with the effects of migration of family in the home communities

hard to adjust to American life; generational differences and traditional views challenged families back home depend on remittances and weakens the family immigrant families are not individualistic; parents are much more involved in the selection of partners identity issues: don't know what culture they're part of burdens of what they've seen in the past and experienced

Obergefell case (2015)

landmark US Supreme Court case (5-4) in which the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process, Equal Protection, and 14th amendment Requires ALL states to issue marriage licenses and recognize same-sex marriages Represents deepening local recognition of family diversity

divorce

legal dissolution of marriage according to the laws of the state

annulment of marriage

legal or religious determination that the marriage was never valid by the Church. Historically, it was distinguished from divorce so that people could take on new spouses

Describe the main findings of "The Triumph of Family Diversity" Reading

liberals celebrate the Supreme Court decision because of increasing tolerance of families in diverse forms and that they deserve equal rights, not because it strengthens the institution of marriage. Opposition argues that diversity equals decline in traditional marriage. However, liberalization of alternatives doesn't alter Americans' preference for marriage. Summary: Liberals can now join conservatives in endorsing benefits of marriage with inclusion and equality

Endogamy

marriage and reproduction within a distinct group. Race and ethnicity: African Americans are less likely to out-marry compared to Asians or Latinos. Other groups may marry exogamously, but they rarely marry African Americans. Education: Growing tendency to match spouses according to education level. Marriage is declining among the poor. Reflects the modern ideal of companionship of equals, compatible tastes, pursuing individual goals. Religion: before the mid-twentieth century, religious intermarriage was more of a concern than interracial marriage. Since then, we have seen a decline of the traditional authorities and the Church and an increase in individual choice and self-determination

remarriage trends

men are more likely to remarry than women remarriage as an incomplete institution: obligation, rights, and responsibilities are ambiguous; redefining relationships blended family and awkward language

"Transnational Parenthood"

mothers work and live in the United States while children stay in countries of origin. Labor demand and scarce opportunities in home countries drive this relationship. This type of parenting contradicts United States, while, middle class models of motherhood. Mothering is not gendered, it's raicalized. Different from estrangement, child abandonment, or disowning. Emphasis on sacrifice: low pay, humiliation, not enough to eat, invisibility

predisruption effect

negative effects after the divorce

crude divorce rate

number of divorces divided by the population in a certain year, including EVERYONE (children, elderly, etc). Indicates how common divorce is in the WHOLE COUNTRY. 3.9 divorces for every 1,000 people.

social networks

parents facilitate with web of friends, neighbors, mentors, relatives, teachers, and peers

postdisruption effect

parents who end up divorcing are different from parents who don't end up divorcing; fundamental issues

"Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black and White Families" Reading

researchers tried to determine if race, not economic class, had an effect on the way people parent found that middle-class white and black parent the same; race is not a huge factor. both emphasize concerted cultivation. black working-class and poor emphasize natural growth

From Every End of this Earth: what are the personality characteristics of those who migrate?

resilient and determined. Immigration is a selective process.

"Momma and Poppa" Documentary

single gay man with two adopted kids people pay more for White or Asian kids; with relaxed laws, White gay men adopt Black children very long process: background/psychological/home checks, lots of questions about drug and alcohol use catalog shopping is an oppressive process specific obstacle was when foster mother was religious and didn't want two fathers to raise the child. social stigma that women are better at taking care of children than men; is it natural are they modeling straight people or are they just being good parents? racial issues:is it best for parents and kids to be the same race?

What are the functions of parenting?

socialization, social bonds, social networks supportive, monitoring and bonding

Describe the main findings of "Family Addendum" Reading

some states started changing same-sex laws as of 2004 before 2014 Supreme Court decision. US vs. Windsor and Obergefell case.

How does divorce affect children?

stress of divorce creates ripples. Short run: may negatively affect school performance and happiness. Long run: threatens mental health and undermine relationship with parents. However, some studies show that children of divorce is extremely resilient.

physical custody

the actual act of raising the child; mother accrues the child

Promises I Can Keep: Describe the male-marriageable pool hypothesis and the problems associated with it.

the declining pool of marriageable men in inner-cities explains the retreat from marriage. It is the best explanation, but this assumes that employment alone makes a man marriageable, which is not the only factor.

Trends in infertility

the failure of a couple to have a successful pregnancy. Usually for people who are older and poorer in health

Promises I Can Keep: Describe the welfare-state hypothesis and the problems associated with it.

the growing generosity of welfare has caused the retreat from marriage. This is incorrect because in the mid 1970s, all states except CA adjusted welfare for inflation and welfare check's value fell by 30% in the 1990s.

Promises I Can Keep: Describe the women's economic independence theory and the problems associated with it.

the increasing economic independence of women causes the retreat from marriage. This is incorrect because women who earn higher marriages are more likely to marry.

boundary ambiguity

the situation in which family members do not know or do not agree on who is in the family and what role they play

Marriage market

the social space in which people search for potential marriage partners. Not limited to a local area anymore because of online dating. The marriage market is stratified by the construction of personal preferences and the drawings of boundaries between groups. Endogamy. Socialization; where people bring their life stories and personalities are brought into the marriage market. The marriage market has boundaries such as race, education and religion that are resilient and created by cultural and traditional practices. Structural barriers leading to racial segregation

The Economic Divorce

women are more likely to be in poverty. men may be unwilling or not able to pay support.