Marriage Readings Flashcards
What cultural changes have made marriage less stable for moderately educated Americans?
Moderately educated Americans are less likely to follow values like waiting for what they want (delayed gratification), focusing on education, and practicing self-control. These values are important for personal and marital success, so their decline has made marriage less stable in this group.
What is the “success sequence” embraced by highly educated Americans?
It is a norm that prioritizes education, work, marriage, and childbearing in sequence to maximize family success.
What belief is central to the “marriage cure” idea?
Promoting and strengthening marriage can reduce poverty.
What were the main focuses of the marriage movement in the late 20th and early 21st centuries?
Improving marriage, encouraging stable family structures, and supporting healthy relationships.
What are “intimate inequalities” as described by sociologist Ken Plummer?
“Intimate inequalities” are inequalities in personal areas of life, like marriage and relationships, that affect things like money, social benefits, and social acceptance.
What is the “marriage gap”?
A disparity where economically advantaged individuals are more likely to marry and stay married compared to those near or below the poverty line.
How do changing family patterns contribute to class inequalities?
Patterns like single parenthood and cohabitation are more common among low-income groups, perpetuating economic disadvantages.
What ideological debate surrounds the significance of marriage in the U.S.?
Conservatives view changes as moral failures undermining marriage, while others see these changes as adaptations to social and economic shifts.
What is unique about the U.S. marriage culture, according to Andrew Cherlin?
Americans simultaneously value stable lifelong marriage and individual fulfillment, leading to high marriage and divorce rates.
What are the goals of the marriage movement?
To encourage marriage, discourage divorce, improve relationships, and address social issues like single parenthood and high divorce rates.
What is “marriage education”?
Programs teaching couples relationship skills to improve communication, conflict resolution, and financial management.
How do marriage education programs differ from couples therapy?
Marriage education involves group-based workshops, while therapy is individualized with a psychologist.
What are the criticisms of the marriage movement’s focus on low-income Americans?
It overlooks economic and job-market realities that influence decisions about marriage and family.
What was the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI)?
A federal program providing funding to promote marriage and reduce poverty through relationship education.
What were the findings of the Building Strong Families (BSF) evaluation?
Most BSF programs had no impact on marriage rates or significant improvements in relationships.
What do critics argue is the real issue behind low marriage rates among the poor?
Economic and social hardships, not a lack of value for marriage.
How did scholars like Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas view marriage among low-income women?
They see marriage as highly valued but often unattainable due to financial instability and unmet pre-marriage milestones.
What role did government policies play in the marriage movement?
Policies aimed to promote marriage as a poverty-reduction strategy but faced limited success in achieving these goals.
What societal trends did the marriage movement seek to counter?
Trends like high cohabitation rates, nonmarital childbearing, and single parenthood.
What were some initiatives promoted by the marriage movement?
Divorce reform, marriage education, fatherhood initiatives, and opposition to same-sex marriage.
What was the federal government’s focus in relationship programs since 2002?
Strengthening relationships and promoting marriage, especially targeting low-income, unmarried couples expecting or raising a new baby.
What is the “magic moment” in the context of marriage promotion?
The time around a child’s birth, seen as an opportunity for couples to marry and create a stable family.
Why do low-income couples delay marriage, according to Randles’ research?
Due to curtailed commitment: the belief that they need to meet middle-class family norms, including economic stability, before marrying.
How did parents benefit from co-parenting and communication classes?
They felt empowered, recognized shared struggles, and learned skills in a supportive, judgment-free environment.
Why was applying classroom skills challenging for low-income parents?
Material constraints such as lack of time, crowded living conditions, and financial struggles made implementation difficult.
What major ideas of marriage-promotion policy did low-income parents reject?
That married families are inherently healthier and that marriage leads to economic self-sufficiency.
What did low-income parents say about financial management advice in classes?
It was unhelpful; they already knew how to manage their limited finances effectively.
How does marriage-promotion policy contribute to intimate inequalities?
Marriage-promotion policies blame individuals for not being married while ignoring larger problems like poverty, lack of jobs, and unaffordable housing that many low-income families face. These policies often take money away from programs that provide direct support, like childcare assistance, healthcare, or job training, and instead use it for marriage-focused initiatives. As a result, families miss out on meaningful help, and inequality grows worse.
What state pioneered a statewide marriage-promotion initiative?
Oklahoma, starting in 2000 with $10 million from TANF funds (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).
Who mainly attended Oklahoma Marriage Initiative classes?
White, middle-class couples, even though the funding was intended for low-income families.
What was the “marriage initiative puzzle” Heath explored?
Why funds meant for needy families were used for marriage workshops targeting middle-class populations.
What logic supports the “marriage cure” idea?
That marriage could be a cost-effective way to lift families out of poverty by combining incomes.
Why did marriage workshops fail to reduce poverty, according to Heath and Randles?
They did not address the structural challenges preventing low-income couples from achieving economic stability.
What was Diane Sollee’s role in the marriage movement?
She founded the Coalition for Marriage, Family, and Couples Education (CMFCE) and the annual Smart Marriages conference.
What replaced Smart Marriages in 2010?
The National Association for Relationship and Marriage Educators (NARME).
How did marriage education conferences reveal the movement’s focus?
They emphasized individual relationships and cultural values over structural or economic issues.
Why do marriage educators dismiss evidence showing their programs’ limited efficacy?
They rely on anecdotal evidence and internal studies rather than independent, structural analyses.
What foundational issue limits marriage education as an antipoverty strategy?
It focuses on individual behavior without addressing systemic inequalities like economic insecurity.
How do modern Canadians approach marriage and monogamy?
Many Canadians are rethinking lifelong monogamy, with 41% of marriages ending before the 30th anniversary. Some opt for common-law relationships or living separately instead of traditional marriage.
Why do Canadians continue to marry despite growing skepticism?
Marriage remains popular for its social recognition, symbolism of adulthood, and benefits like passing on a shared estate to children. Most Canadians marry for love, often choosing partners who are their best friends and confidants.
How has the meaning of marriage evolved in Canada?
Marriage has shifted from being about strict duty to encompassing diverse personal meanings. Historically, it empowered husbands, suppressed wives, and excluded interracial and same-sex couples, but it now represents a broader spectrum of values.
What were some restrictions and inequalities in early Canadian marriage laws?
Married women lacked property and legal rights, needing their husband’s permission for many actions until reforms began in the late 19th century. Interracial couples and same-sex partners faced legal and social barriers to marrying.
What milestone in marriage law reform occurred in 1872 in Ontario?
Ontario granted married women the right to earn and control their own wages, marking the start of property rights reforms for wives in Canada.
What was controversial about marrying a deceased wife’s sister in 19th-century Canada?
This practice was considered incestuous by some lawmakers and feared by feminists as it might sexualize family relationships. It was legalized for men in 1882 but remained illegal for women until 1923.
How did the 1919 amendment to the Female Refuges Act affect women?
It allowed Ontario officials to imprison unwed, pregnant women for “morality offenses,” often targeting poor, uneducated women or victims of abuse, reflecting severe gender and racial biases.
When were Canadian women granted equal grounds for divorce?
In 1925, women were allowed to divorce on the same grounds as men, primarily adultery, whereas previously they had to prove additional offenses like desertion or cruelty.
How did the Irene Murdoch case highlight inequalities in family law?
After 25 years of labor on her husband’s ranch, Murdoch was denied a share of the property during their divorce, sparking national outrage and demands for family law reform to treat spouses as equals.
What challenges did same-sex couples face in gaining marriage rights?
Couples like Richard North and Chris Vogel held unofficial ceremonies as early as the 1970s but were denied legal recognition for decades. They faced persistent discrimination even after legalization in their provinces.
What significant legal change did Bill C-127 introduce in 1983?
It made spousal sexual assault a crime in Canada, recognizing for the first time that marital rape is an offense.
How did the Indian Act of 1876 discriminate against Indigenous women?
It stripped Indigenous women of their status if they married non-Indigenous men, leading to loss of rights such as living on reserves.
What was the significance of Evelyne St-Onge’s fight against the Indian Act?
Her efforts contributed to the 1985 changes that allowed Indigenous women to regain their status, ending decades of discrimination.
What major change to divorce laws occurred in 1986?
The introduction of no-fault divorce in Canada, allowing couples to divorce after living apart for one year without proving wrongdoing.
What was notable about Wayne Gretzky’s wedding in 1988?
It sparked public fascination, with 5,000 fans attending to catch a glimpse of the lavish ceremony.
How did the 2001 wedding of Elaine and Anne Vautour impact LGBTQ+ rights?
It was an early step in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada, although their marriage wasn’t officially recognized until 2003.
