Chapter 10. Family Life Cycles, Part II

I. Exploring Diversity: Cross-cult perspective: the Massai of Kenya and Tanzania

A. Clan identity:primary in other cultures;we project individ iden dueto cult bias

a. Identified by others first: as a son or daughter of a particular clan

b. Behavior toward you: determined by primary clan identity

B. Age sets: members @ same age;also important in some traditional societies

C. Massai econ: @entirely dep on pastoralism (heard short-horned Zebu cattle)

D. Pastoral societies: tend to be >androcentric(male-focused) than other soc

E. Massai org into fraternities:age set circumcised in ceremony(every few yrs)

a. Lifelong identity/loyalty: to one another as brothers

b. Progress together thru 15 yr stages: first/>important warrior grade

F. Warrior grade: live sep from fathers’ camp;cult ideal—beaut,fierce,f admire

G. Junior elderhood: next stage;men may marry; build up cattle heards,marry

H. Women dif: receive clitoridectomy w/ 1^st period,making marriageable;

a. Arranged marriage to much older man: occurs soon after

b. wives at upper end male age hierarc:youngest men no right to marry

I. Consider incest: Men forbid marry daughters of men from own age set(bros)

II. Perspective: Explaining Marital Satisfaction

A. 1st year marriage: sig declines in marital satisfaction;cont decline 10 yrs

B. low satisfaction in beginning stage: 4-5 times more likely to divorce

C. u shaped/curvilinear:highest in initial stag;rises in later yrs;same for remarry

D. explaining divorce:cannot by itself predict divorce;parental roles may be glue

E. duration-of-mar effect: early decline due to replace unreal expect by reality

a. transition: from single to marry filled w/ challenges

F. class dif:blue-collar<satis than white-col since<income create finance distress

G. homogamy best: not based fulfill complimentary needs; tidy happier w/ tidy

H. discrepancies in expectations: predict dissatisfaction better than fulfil expect

a. take for granted: partner will fulfill expect;nasty surprise when not

I. Expressiveness: key quality in marital satisfaction; >related than instrumental

a. Wife more satis if husb discuss rel: >satis w/mar than other wives

J. Phys health: tends to be better for married individuals than those not married

III. Youthful Marriages

A. dif wld husb/wife: depress may come from wife rel isolation when withdraw

from work&>contact w/child;husb not understand since think fulfill mom role

a. work wld vs household: do not understand each other since dif exper

IV. Middle-Aged Marriages

A. trend older fem have child:go up much since 1970;wait for finan/emot ready

a. >35yrs w/1st child:not last (past);<div rate,>attent to young due>ed,$

B. increased conflict due adolescents:>autonomy,indep;@study habits,responsi

C. empty nest:marit satis rise 1st time;no “e nest syndrome”(depress,ident crisis)

D. not-so-empty-nest: 1990,21% of 25yr-olds living at home(v. 15% 1970)

a. boomerang generation: extra rotation thru fam home after absence

b. eth dif: Hispanics>likely to stay at home until mar;blacks even> likely

c. financial reasons: high unemployment, housing costs, poor wages

V. Later Life Marriages:last 2 stages life cycle(7,8):child launched,partners mid-age/>

A. satisfaction: significantly more than families in earlier stages in life cycle

a. reason: <potential for conflict &> time for pleasure(dance,travel,read)

b. other reasons: good health,established at work,>$since child gone

B. well being:>on avg.,than young in U.S.; pov rate down 25% ’70 to 10.8% “96

a. pov level young children: 19.8% overall;39.5% blacks;39.9%Latino

b. ethnic dif:aged blacks 25.3%;Hisp 24.4%;aged black<life satis v whit

C. intermittent extended families: take in other relatives during time of need

a. freq: 1/3 white women’s families and 2/3 for black fem at some time

i. family members helped:daught single mom,sick/unemploy rel

ii. cause eth dif:extend fam cult trad >sig;>econ disadv,share res

1. additional cause: >single parenthood among blacks

D. sandwhich generation: mid-age or older take care dep child & aging parents

a. increasingly common: 20-30% workers > age 30 caregive to parents

i. sex dif: daughters/sons 3 /1;Asian-Am, eldest son held respons

b. pressure care elder:fam do injections,monitor,bath,ther once prof did

c. intimate violence: may stem from additional demands

E. grandparents: 3 distinct styles:

a. companionate:(55%)affection,play;don’t see as rule makers/enforcers

b. remote: (29%) no intimate involved in child’s life;gen geograph cause

c. involved: (16%) parent activity;make rules,etc.,gen grandma;in crisis

F. Retirement: growing trend toward early retirement among financially secure

a. Change in values: more toward leisure instead of >buying power

b. Trend: ¾ men and 4/5 women collect SS checks before age 65

c. Promotes >egalitarian d of l: men participate >household activities

d. Sex dif:ret fem w/hi mar satis,good health,adequate $,>satis than men

e. Add marital satis:good health,finan security,contact w/others,purpose

VI. Family Caregiving

A. caregiver role: role of family member who provides most of the ongoing

physical work and decision making that relates to the ill or disabled person

B. sex dif in depress: fem report >distress/depression from caregive than men

a. reason: men may approach in more detached,instrumental way

b. another cause: fem may be overburdened with job as well as mom

C. granny dumping: abandonment of relatives is not unusual

VII. Death and Dying: Widowhood

A. incidence: in 1965, 65% b/ 65-74 were married:75+ only 43%&48% widowed

VIII. Enduring Marriages: 20% very happy, 20% very unhappy