Chapter 11 Flashcards
Homogamy
Homogamy: marriage with people who are similar to each other on a range of important dimensions, like class, education, race, religion or political views.
- Ex.) Asians tend to marry Asians, Muslims often marry other Muslims, highly educated people tend to marry others who are also highly educated.
- “Like marries like”.
- Homogamy preserves group identity and values and prevents economic loss.
Reasons for homogamy
- Group pressures prevent people from crossing socially recognized boundaries, like pressure to not marry outside of your religion or race, or pressure against “dating down” with someone from a lower socioeconomic status.
- Emotional attachment to similarities, because people similar to us share our values and attitudes.
- People’s financial and material situations, such as their level of education, income, and social status, can significantly impact their relationships and who they choose to be with.
Opposites attract idea
- Sociologists have studied the concept of whether opposites attract in relationships
- Despite the popular belief, research shows that people tend to enter into relationships with others who are similar to them.
Factors influencing mate selection
- Partners often share similarities in age, race, education, social class, religion, height, and income.
- People tend to choose partners based on educational and economic compatibility.
- Racial and ethnic background, as well as religious orientation, play roles in partner selection.
- Relationships with less similarity between partners may be of lower quality and shorter duration.
Heterosexual women preferences in mate selection
Heterosexual women: attracted to dominant, tall, and strong men who can provide protection and resources.
Heterosexual men preferences in mate selection
Heterosexual men: prioritize fertility indicators in women such as youth, good teeth, smooth skin, a curvy figure, health, and physical fitness.
Monogamy
Monogamy: the practice of being married to or in a sexual relationship with one person at a time.
Polygamy
Polygamy: practice of having more than one partner at a time.
Pure relationships
“Pure relationships”: Coined by Anthony Giddens. Relationships defined by the love, interests, and needs of each partner rather than by laws, traditions, or necessity.
Assortive mating
Assortive mating: the non-random matching of people into relationships.
- Homogamy is typically the result of assortive mating.
- Partners often share similarities in age, race, education, social class, religion, height, and income.
Mere exposure effect
Mere exposure effect: simply being more exposed to someone can elicit more positive feelings about them.
The marriage market concept
The “marriage market” concept in Canada refers to the idea that individuals use assets like attractiveness, income, or education to attract desirable partners.
- Those seeking to maximize their long-term well-being in a relationship aim to choose partners who can provide sufficient economic resources and social status.
Individuals with higher economic attractiveness, such as those with higher education levels or salaries, are more competitive in the marriage market and can attract higher-status partners.
People tend to form relationships along educational and socioeconomic lines, as well as based on attractiveness, because they seek out partners who are similar to themselves.
Race also plays a role in the marriage market, with evidence suggesting that lower-status whites may marry higher-status Blacks, trading the perceived “value” of their race for the economic power of their racial minority partner.
Third-party pressure from friends and family influences relationship choices:
Hookups
Online dating
