Page 428 - Essencials of Sociology

Summary and Review 401

their children and taking care of their aging parents. Two Sides of Family Life
Pp. 388–390.

Summarize the dark and bright sides of family life.
Divorce and Remarriage
12.7
What are the two sides of family life?
Summarize problems in measuring divorce, research The dark side is abuse—spouse battering, child abuse,
12.6
findings on children and grandchildren of divorce, fathers’ contact marital rape, and incest, all a misuse of family power. The
after divorce, ex-spouses, and remarriage. bright side is that most people find marriage and family to
be rewarding. Pp. 396–398.
What is the current divorce rate?
Depending on what numbers you choose to compare, you The Future of Marriage and Family
can produce rates between 2 percent and 50 percent.
Pp. 390–391.
Explain the likely future of marriage and family.
12.7
How do children and their parents adjust
to divorce? What is the likely future of marriage and
Divorce is difficult for children, whose adjustment prob- family?
lems often continue into adulthood. Consequences of We can expect cohabitation, births to unmarried women,
divorce are passed on to grandchildren. Fathers who have and age at first marriage to increase. The growing numbers
frequent contact with their children after a divorce are likely of women in the workforce are likely to continue to shift the
to maintain it. Pp. 391–395. balance of marital power. Pp. 398–399.

Thinking Critically about Chapter 12

1. Functionalists stress that the family is universal because it 3. Apply this chapter’s contents to your own experience
provides basic functions for individuals and society. What with marriage and family. What social factors affect your
functions does your family provide? Hint: In addition to family life? In what ways is your family life different from
the section “The Functionalist Perspective,” also consider that of your grandparents when they were your age?
the section “Common Cultural Themes.”
2. Explain why social class is more important than race–
ethnicity in determining a family’s characteristics.