CFD 163 - Relationships in Today's Families

1. Chapter 1
Perspectives on
Intimate
Relationships

2. 1-2
Intimacy: Sharing intellectually, physically, and or
emotionally with another person
Couple and family strengths: Essential for developing
and maintaining successful marriage relationships
Diversity: Diverse cultural groups bring a wide range of
values, beliefs, and practices to help make a marriage
work

3. 1-3
Emotional and legal commitment of two people to share
• Emotional and physical intimacy
• Various tasks
• Economic resources
• Values
The Supreme Court explained that the fundamental right to
marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due
Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

4. 1-4
Demographic event
Joining of two families and social networks
Legal contract between the couple and the state
Economic union
Most common living arrangement
Context of most human sexual activity
Reproductive unit
Unit that socializes children
Opportunity for an intimate and sharing relationship

5. 1-5
Two or more people who are committed to each other
and share:
• Intimacy
• Resources
• Decision-making responsibilities
• Values

6. 1-6
A research team at Indiana University identified the
following clusters of American families:
• Exclusionists: Hold onto a more narrow definition of
family
• Moderates: Count same-sex couples as family if
children are involved
• Inclusionists: Have a very broad definition of family

7. 1-7
• Fewer marriages
• Later age of marriage
• Traditional roles of fathers and mothers are converging
• Changes in the structure of American families
• More breadwinner moms
• More than 4 in 10 American adults have at least one
step relative in their family
• The college marriage gap has reversed

8. 1-8
Couples remain single longer or opt to cohabit
Increase in number of same-sex couples who are not
counted as being married

9. 1-9
Increase observed in unmarried cohabitation in the
United States over the past five decades
• Unmarried cohabitation: Status of couples who are
sexual partners, not married to each other, and sharing
a household
• Common among young people

10. 1-10
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2004/2005. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office,
2004/2005. .

11. 1-11
Divorced men are more likely to remarry than divorced
women
There is an almost a fifty percent possibility for a first
marriage to end in a divorce

12. 1-12
Unrealistic expectations about marriage
Lack of compatibility between partners
Lack of the understanding that marriage is a
challenging relationship that should be handled with
care
Effort is not expended in developing the required
relationship skills

13. 1-13
Higher divorce rates in remarriages than first marriages
Factors causing failure of remarriages
• Presence of children from a previous
relationship
• Remarriages in communities with higher
poverty rates, low median family income, and a
low proportion of college-educated residents

14. 1-14
Contemporary families are more varied today
• There are stepfamilies, same-sex parents and couples, child-
free couples, grandparents raising grandchildren, surrogate
parents, foster care families, and disabled parents and
children
Some of the changes in family structure in the U.S.
• Increase in the percentage of children who are living with an
unmarried parent
• Families are typically having fewer children compared to
earlier generations
• Decline in the number of stay-at-home mothers

15. 1-15
Couples prefer an egalitarian marital relationship
• Equality is the sharing of work to accomplish the
responsibilities of family life
Families provide a value system of spiritual and moral
beliefs
• Basis for their behaviors
• Effective way of socializing children

16. 1-16
Longer life expectancy
Healthier lifestyle
Greater happiness
More satisfying sex life due to proximity, a long-term contract,
exclusivity and emotional bonding
Career advantages for men
Accumulated wealth
Married women are less likely to experience domestic abuse
Children fare better if parents are married

17. 1-17
Comprises all factors in society that impact individuals
and their relationships
Can experience its pervasive influence by visiting
another culture

18. 1-18
Stress: Body and mind’s reaction to life
• Technology and materialism increase stress in all areas of life
• Stress is directly related to change, and the greater the
change, the higher the level of stress
Consumer culture has affected relationship dynamics
• Finding a new partner is an easier option than repairing a
struggling relationship

19. 1-19
Lack of Time for Oneself
and Significant Others
Boundaries between home and work are blurred
Efforts should be focused on investing more time in
relationships
• High-income families purchase labor to free
up time for families
• Low-income families intentionally build
relationship time into mealtime and other
household activities

20. 1-20
Majority of the children in the United States are in
regular child-care arrangements
Parents are more concerned with quality of child-care
• They are checking out day care centers more carefully
• They are looking critically at teachers and their relationship
with their children

21. 1-21
Sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence
are major public health problems in the United States
Child fatalities are a result of maltreatment
Risk factors for suicide
• Depression, other mental disorders, prior suicide attempts
• Family history of mental disorder, suicide, violence
• Substance-abuse, firearms in home, incarceration
• Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others

22. 1-22
SHORT-TERM HEALTH RISKS
• Unintentional injuries
• Violence
• Miscarriage and stillbirth
in pregnant women
• Alcohol poisoning
LONG-TERM HEALTH RISKS
• Neurological problems
• Cardiovascular problems
• Psychiatric problems
• Social problems
• Cancer
• Other gastrointestinal
problems

23. 1-23
Single most preventable cause of disease, disability,
and death
• Leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ
of the body
• Causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes,
and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and
problems of the immune system
• On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers

24. 1-24
Internet-connected households report:
• Erosion of face-to-face family time
• Increased feelings of being ignored by family members using
the Web
• Growing concerns that children are spending too much time
online
It is estimated that 15 percent of individuals who visit Internet
porn sites develop sexual behaviors that interfere with their lives

25. 1-25
Gender roles: Traits and behaviors assigned to males
and females in a culture
• Redefined with the emergence of women in traditionally
male roles

26. 1-26
Technological advances in farming resulted in a
decrease in the number of farmers
• Number of farmers and farm families declined steadily
• Small towns shrank in size
People moved from rural to urban areas in pursuit of
work and a stable life
Impersonal forces of urban living are countered by
village-like social structures in:
• The neighborhood and the workplace
• Religious institutions and community settings

27. 1-27
Most common stressors faced by families
Easy credit lines have contributed to mounting debt
Positive approach should be undertaken
• Have a saving and investment plan
• Cut down on overspending

28. 1-28
Many communities provide positive experiences for
families through:
• Schools
• Organizations
• Religious institutions

29. Chapter 1
Perspectives on
Intimate
Relationships