Exploring Variations in Family Life- Facts and Social Acceptance of Cohabitation, Single-Parent Households, and Same-Sex Couples

Exploring Variations in Family Life- Facts and Social Acceptance of Cohabitation, Single-Parent Households, and Same-Sex Couples

Heterosexual cohabitation is more common and normative in the current society. Griffiths claims that cohabitation has become more acceptable in societies where individuals have reduced motivation to get married (Griffiths 310). Rose-Greenland and Smock claim that most young adults in the US consider non-marital cohabitation an acceptable form of relationship (255). There are several facts about cohabitation. First, most marriages today begin with cohabitation, after which couples consider getting married at a later time (Griffiths 308). According to Willoughby, Carroll, and Busby (2012), over 50% of women enter into one or more cohabiting relationships in their lives, and more than 60% of marriages begin from cohabitation (398). Cohabitation is, therefore, considered a trial run before individuals think of marriage (Griffiths 315). Our assignment writing help is at affordable prices to students of all academic levels and disciplines.

Secondly, individuals who cohabited have a higher probability of divorcing than those who did not. Willoughby, Carroll, and Busby (2012) claim that cohabiting couples tend to show more negative long-term and short-term relational outcomes as they have more conflicts and less commitment than married couples (398). They also report lower marital quality levels when they get married.

Thirdly, most cohabiting relations involve children. Research shows that over 2.5 million unmarried and cohabiting couples have one or more children, summing up to about 38% of every cohabiting couple (Rose-Greenland and Smock 257). About half of these children biologically belong to both partners, whereas the other half belong to only one partner. Fourthly, most cohabiting couples cite convenience and finances as the major reasons for moving in together. The Pew Research Center records that 37% of cohabiting couples cite convenience as the key reason for living together, whereas 38% cite finance instead of only 10% and 13% of married couples (Graf). Lastly, cohabiting couples have lower relationship stability than married couples due to a lack of social and legal support (Manning, Brown and Stykes 939). Accordingly, cohabiting couples have higher levels of alcohol problems and depression than married couples (Thomas).

Social Institutions

Families are important in society as they help bring stability. Given that individual family members take on certain status roles in the family or marriage, they help facilitate the development and prosperity of society. The family plays sexual, economic, educational, and reproductive roles (Griffiths 317). The family also enculturates and socializes children, teaching them how to behave and think based on certain cultural norms, attitudes, and beliefs. Children learn gender roles from their parents, facilitating labor divisions (expressive roles for women and instrumental roles for men) that maintain balance. Moving outside these roles is likely to cause disequilibrium in the family.

The conflict theory posits that families are private entities that should be allowed to deal with their issues. Families are against government intervention, as they believe that the government should have no say in how children are raised and should be uninvolved in domestic matters (Griffiths 317). Conflict theory argues that power struggles can occur in the family, particularly regarding family status roles. The individual having the most access to resources (particularly money) often has the most power. Conflict theorists believe that conflicts over household labor divisions bring marital discord since household labor brings no wages and, hence, no power. However, when men indulge in more household work, there is increased satisfaction among women, hence lessening the conflict (Griffiths 317).

Symbolic interactionism views the world regarding meanings and symbols assigned to them. Families are symbols, as they represent a mother, father, and children to some people and a union that upholds compassion and respect for others. This theory postulates that families are social constructs and are subject to the flow and ebb of dynamic meanings and social norms. For instance, a parent symbolized an emotional and biological link to a child in the past. Today, given that parent-child relations are developed through remarriage, adoption, or an alteration in guardianship, parent means anyone in charge of bringing up a child instead of the conventional biological connection.

Additionally, fathers and mothers do not necessarily symbolize breadwinners and caregivers, respectively, as the meanings change with the changing roles of family members. Symbol interactionists, therefore, consider a family as a group of actors who come together to play their roles, creating a family. These roles vary in interpretation. For instance, recently, a good father engages in the intellectual growth, social skills, and emotional well-being of the children instead of the previous role of ensuring the family’s financial security.

Works Cited

Graf, Nikki. Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/06/key-findings-on-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/, 2019.

Griffiths, Heather. Introduction to Sociology. Openstax College. 2017.

Manning, Wendy D., Susan L. Brown, and J. Bart Stykes. “Same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couple relationship stability.” Demography 53.4 937-953, 2016.

Rose-Greenland, Fiona, and Pamela J. Smock. “Living together unmarried: What do we know about cohabiting families?” Handbook of marriage and the family. Springer, Boston, MA; 255-273, 2013.

Thomas, Caitlin. 5 Facts About Cohabitation You May Not Know. Daily Signal. https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/02/13/5-facts-cohabitation-may-not-know/, February 13, 2015.

Willoughby, Brian J., Jason S. Carroll, and Dean M. Busby. “The different effects of “living together” Determining and comparing types of cohabiting couples.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 29.3: 397-419, 2012.

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In this chapter, we learn about marriage and the family as social institutions (at the macro level of analysis). In Chapter 14, Page 313 of the online textbook, we study Variations in Family Life (at the macro level of analysis).
“Variations in Family Life – The combination of husband, wife, and children that 99.8 percent of people in the United States believe constitutes a family is not representative of 99.8 percent of U.S. families. According to 2010 census data, only 66 percent of children under seventeen years old live in a household with two married parents. This decreased from 77 percent in 1980 (U.S. Census 2011). This two-parent family structure is known as a nuclear family, referring to married parents and children as the nucleus, or core, of the group. In recent years, there has been a rise in variations of the nuclear family, with the parents not being married. Three percent of children live with two cohabiting parents (U.S. Census 2011).

Exploring Variations in Family Life- Facts and Social Acceptance of Cohabitation, Single-Parent Households, and Same-Sex Couples

1: Discuss one of the examples of Variations in Family life – such as Cohabitation, Single-Parent Households, Same-Sex couples, etc. and tell the class five facts about the family life of this variation and whether society openly accepts and agrees with this variation.
2: Please explain Marriage and Family as social institutions by three sociological perspectives, functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interaction, from “Theoretical Perspectives on Marriage and Family” from pages 312-318 from the online textbook chapter 14.