Chapte 8 - Divorce And Mothehood Flashcards
Why do people get divorced?
Arguments over money, cheating, druggie or alcoholic, violence, conflict,
Children of divorced parents
Behavioral changes in kids depending on age, difficulties for them tend to level off after a year if parents learn how to coparent
Women after divorce
Feels a sense of strength of being self reliant, relieved, better relationship with kids
Single women
About 4% of men and women of the oldest cohort has never been married, and among young cohort the disabled tend to stay single
Positives for single women
More freedom, privacy, more educated, more likely to have careers
Widowhood
Most stressful event and affects social sphere, parenting, daily living, and more stressful for younger people who are widowed
What age is the break even point for men and women?
43 - it’s not unusual for women to live 15 years beyond their husbands
How long does it take to adjust make to life for widows?
2-4 years to adjust back to normal and the first year is the hardest because of mental decline
“Displaced homemakers”
For divorced women - if they were the ones staying at home then they would have to find a job after the divorce but lack skills
Positives of motherhood
Have a new connection with their own mother after having a child, discover strengths they didn’t know they had
Negative factors of motherhood
Mother out in more work than father, repetitive so it can be boring, sometimes you feel isolated, can be disappointed if your ideal of your relationship with child isn’t going well
Empty nest syndrome
When kids are gone - for most women it’s positive because she can invest in herself
Sandwich generation
Taking care of kids and elderly parents - trying to balance all of this out, more common for miniorities and especially asian Americans
Lesbian mothers
Similar to heterosexual mothers in taking care, women has to tell them about discrimination against them because of their parents - about 10-14 million kids are raise by lesbian couples
Grandmothers
Most women are grandmas for half of their lives, the average age to be a grandma is 50, they are seen as a valued mentor/support,
