marriage and cohabitation Flashcards
how many people who get married have lived together first?
2/3
marriage and cohabitation between people of the same gender have become…
increasingly common and accepted in both mainstream culture and law
many american marriages are what types of marriages?
remarriages
couples increasingly pair up by…
education level
who is marriage more common for?
people with college degrees
who is less likely to be poor?
married couples
what have weakened the ties of marriage?
the growth of individualism and the goals of individual self-expression and fulfillment
law increasingly treats people as _____ regardless of marriage status?
individuals
what trends have marriage rates followed since the 1960s?
falling dramatically
where are the most dramatic differences in marriage rates?
between racial-ethnic groups
what group has experienced the most rapid and pronounced decline?
African Americans
how many years could an average american living in 1960 expect to be married for? how about now
was 29 out of 37 years between ages 18 and 55, now 18
why have marriage rates fallen?
- young people postpone marriage because they idealize it more
- delay marriages because they want a better marriage
why have marriage rates fallen? (specifically among the poor and working class)
a sense of insecurity and uncertainty
increased earning power has boosted… and therefore…
women’s independence; they might not have or perceive an economic need for marriage
who is more likely to marry?
men and women with higher incomes due to the marriage market
for the economically insecure…
marriage may seem like a commitment that brings more burden than benefit
about the baby boom
- prolonged pike in birth rates from the mid-1940s through the early-1960s
- women marrying men about 3 years older
- posed a “marriage squeeze” about 25 years later
what was the result of the baby boom?
lower marriage rate for women
what caused the marriage squeeze for black women?
- in the 70s and 80s, industrial manufacturing jobs became scarcer
- men without college degrees have a hard time finding steady work
- incarceration of young black men
why do people still get married?
incentives: governments offer rights and benefits to married couples
social pressure
imitation
marriage market
the social space in which people search for potential marriage partners
what criteria must there be to define marriage as a market?
marriage must be voluntary and there must be competition for spouses
who advanced the marketplace concept?
economist Gary Becker
