Chapter 12 - Union Dissolution and Repartnering

Which of the following are plausible reasons why cohabiting stepparents may be problematic for children?

1. Because a wide variation exists in the level of commitment and involvement among cohabiting stepparents. 2. Because many cohabiting partnerships are short-term.

Union Repartnering

The formation of new unions either by remarriage or a new cohabiting union.

Union Dissolution

The legal ending of a marital union or the informal ending of a cohabiting union.

Physical Custody (of children after a dissolution)

The right of a divorced spouse to have one's children live with one.

Legal Custody (of children after a dissolution)

The right to make important decisions about the children and the obligation to have legal responsibility for them.

How the children in cohabiting stepfamilies are different from children n married stepfamilies?

Their well-being tends to be lower than that of children in married stepfamilies.

How has the changing nature of intimate unions affected the women of today?

They have greater leverage against the worst excesses of male dominance.

What should women do to protect themselves in the current system of unilateral divorce?

They should maintain a connection to the labor market throughout their child-rearing years.

In the context of the changing nature of intimate unions, identify a difference observed in the situation of today's women as opposed to that of women in the 1950s.

Today's women cannot safely withdraw from the labor market and let their earning power atrophy.

cohabiting stepfamily

a stepfamily in which the partners are cohabiting without marrying

Created kinship ties

change over the course of one's life.

Due to the growing place of individualism and personal fulfillment in marriage, divorce becomes a more acceptable option for people who feel...

personally unfulfilled.

Effects of divorce on them if women choose to end their marraige?

Men - They are likely to lose custody of their children. Women - They are likely to face a steep drop in their standard of living.

Identify an accurate statement about the private family in the 21st century.

Men and women are economically independent of each other.

Men Vs. Women's Expectations in marriage

But even in the income-pooling model, the expectation is that men will contribute financially. While it may now be desirable for a wife to work steadily outside of the home, it remains mandatory that the husband work steadily. If he does not provide a steady income, the chances that his marriage will end in divorce increase, many studies show (Burstein, 2007).

Stepfamily

A family in which two adults are married or cohabiting and at least one has a child from a previous marriage or relationship.

Cultural change

A greater emphasis on personal fulfillment made dissolution a more acceptable option for people who felt unfulfilled by their unions.

Men's employment opportunities

As young men's economic opportunities decreased since the early 1970s, their reduced earning potential may have caused stress in marriages and a turn toward cohabiting rather than marrying.

According to national figures, identify an accurate statement about stepfamilies in the U.S.

At least one-fourth of stepfamilies involve cohabiting couples.

Joint Legal Custody

Both parents retain an equal right to make important decisions concerning the children (as opposed to sole legal custody, in which one spouse can make the decisions without consulting the other).

stepfamily

1. Two adults are married or cohabiting, and 2. At least one adult has a child from a previous marriage or relationship

Crisis Period

A period during the first year or two after parents separate when both the custodial parent and the children experience difficulties in dealing with the situation.

Gene-Environment Interaction

A situation in which a change in the environment has a greater effect on people with a genetic sensitivity to that change.

Cohabiting Stepfamily

A stepfamily in which the partners are cohabiting without marrying.

Married Stepfamily

A stepfamily in which the partners are married.

Race and Ethnicity

African Americans have higher rates of union dissolution than most other groups. Low income and unemployment, a lesser emphasis on marriage in African American kinship, and discrimination in job and housing markets may contribute

Joint Physical Custody

An arrangement whereby the children of divorced parents spend substantial time in the household of each parent.

The divorce of parents and children's problems could be the result of a genetic tendency toward...

Antisocial Behavior or depression

Independence effect

Employment could raise the likelihood of a breakup by providing an opportunity for the woman to support herself independently of her partner. This opportunity would make dissolution a more attractive option for women who were unhappy with their marriages or cohabiting unions (Schoen et al., 2002).

When children are involved, however, a clean break is not possible.

Even though the ties between the parents are severed, the breakup does not sever the ties between each parent and the children. In many cases, the mother keeps custody of the children, forming a single-parent family that may endure for years. The father's relationship—typically reduced to regular visits, or less—is problematic. Indeed, many fathers fade from their children's lives. Nevertheless, a growing number of fathers are obtaining custody of their children, either by themselves or jointly with their wives.

Identify an accurate statement about the broader definition of stepfamilies given by Cherlin

It does not require that the biological parent in a stepfamily was previously married to the biological father of her children.

Assigned kinship ties

Make kinship easy to track

Income effect

On the other hand, employment could lower the likelihood of dissolution because the increase in the family's income could relieve financial pressures and thereby reduce tensions in the relationship. The income effect is becoming more important today within marriages among the middle class.

Age at entry into union

People who begin their unions at young ages have a higher rate of dissolution. They may not choose partners as well as those who marry later.

Spouse's Similarity

People who form unions with people who are similar to them in characteristics such as religion have a lower rate of dissolution. Such couples may be more compatible in their values and interests.

Parental divorce

People whose parents divorced are more likely to end their own marriages in divorce. They may model their behavior on their parents' marriages, or they may have a genetic tendency toward having problems in intimate relationships.

Which of the following measures are likely to reduce the negative effects of divorce, remarriage, and stepfamily life on children?

Promote conflict-resolution strategies for divorcing parents. Encourage support groups and services in schools.

Women's employment opportunities

Women's growing employment opportunities led to a rise in the number of wives working outside the home. Under the specialization model of marriage, employment raised the risk of divorce, but under the income-pooling model, employment seems to lower it.

A reason why couples who cohabit before marriage have higher divorce rates is the _____

selectivity of the people who are willing to cohabit.

In the 1970s, most states enacted unilateral divorce laws, commonly known as "no-fault" divorce,

under which one spouse could obtain a divorce even if the other spouse objected. From this perspective, divorce is an acceptable option for people who feel personally unfulfilled; indeed not divorcing in the face of personal dissatisfaction comes to need justification. The growing emphasis on personal fulfillment almost certainly contributed to the sharp rise in divorce in the 1960s and 1970s and to the growth of cohabitation starting in that era and continuing to the present day.