Page 393 - Sociology and You

Chapter 11 The Family
363
Section 3
Family and Marriage in the United States
Key Terms
• divorce rate
• marriage rate
The Nature of the American Family
The United States is a large, diverse society. Describing the “typical” family might be impossible. There are, however, more similarities than differences among American families. As the various ethnic groups
blend into life in the United States, their families tend to follow the American pattern described below.
❖ Families are nuclear (a household contains only a set of parents and their children).
❖ Families are bilateral (they trace lineage and pass inheritance equally through both parents).
❖ Families are democratic (partners share decision making equally).
❖ Families are neolocal (each family lives apart from other families).
❖ Families are monogamous (each includes only one husband and one
wife at a time).
Romantic Love and Marriage
To Americans, it’s like the old song—“Love and marriage go to- gether like a horse and carriage.” In a recent poll of the American public, 83 percent of both men and women rated “being in love” as the most vital reason to marry.
The relationship between love and marriage is not always viewed in this way. Among the British feudal aristocracy, romantic love was a game of pursuit played outside of marriage. Marriage was not thought to be com- patible with deeply romantic feelings. In ancient Japan, love was considered a barrier to the arrangement of mar- riages by parents. Among Hindus in India today, parents or other relatives
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Modern marriages are based primarily on love, but there are many reasons
for marrying—and as many reasons for divorce. Although the American family provides social and emotional support, violence in this setting is not uncommon. Child abuse and spousal abuse are serious problems in too many American families.
In the United States today, the norm is for love to precede the marriage vows. Not all societies share this norm.