Marriage promotion policies (Cohen)
In Cohen’s article, it’s discussed how those who promote marriage never specify the amount of marriage they want. When discussing policy approaches, the traditional thinking of marriage is that if marriage is promoted, then it will lead to improved economic security. However, Cohen’s liberal thinking of marriage is that it’s hard to have a stable marriage when economics themself are not stable. Cohen highlights how it seems as though there is a movement towards a more traditional view of marriage rather than Cohen’s view.
Deinstitutionalization of marriage (class lecture)
The institutionalization of marriage is when it becomes built into a structure and an expectation. It’s also viewed in a way that assumes that people who get married know what’s going to happen. In the 1940s, there were gendered roles, such as men knowing they would be the principal breadwinners, and women not having to work outside. The deinstitutionalization of marriage means switching this mentality to a more liberal approach.
Marriage as a greedy institution (Gertsel & Sarkisian)
In Gertsel & Sarkisian’s article, they emphasize that advocates suggest that marriage is good for pocketbooks, health, happiness, sex life, and kids. The article discusses how marriage is greedy for emotional, material, and cultural reasons. The article brings up the idea of honeymoons and how, when couples return, they are expected to no longer rely on relatives for jobs, education, or welfare assistance. Marriage takes up time and energy, and can weaken other relationships as married couples tend to primarily focus on each other.
Crisis of care (Nakano Glenn)
Nakano Glenn’s article emphasizes how we must change the way we view care work in our society. Care work in the United States has not been recognized as important. When care work is done by people who are accorded little status, it further reinforces care work as “dirty work.” By valuing and recognizing care work, this would raise the status and the rewards of those engaging in it. A shocking statistic that we discussed in class is the fact that an animal caretaker gets paid more than a childcare worker. To change the way “care work” is viewed in our society, we must value it and recognize it as real work.
Perception of work/family balance among young adults (Gerson)
Gerson’s article explores how a new economy is transforming the organization of American work and family life. In one study, young adults were interviewed, and they had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences in families that underwent transitions. These interviews caused Gerson to see three alternatives: the neo-traditional model, where one person has the responsibility for working, and another stays home. The second is self-reliance, where economic well-being is put first. The third is egalitarianism, where there is an equal divide. Egalitarianism is what most young people prefer.
Family and Medical Leave Act (class lecture)
The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, and they can’t be fired. They have the opportunity to attend to their own medical issues, birth or adoption of a child, or care for a sick parent, child, or spouse. However, there are limitations. This act only covers an individual who has been employed for a year and has worked around 24 hours per week. It also only applies to companies with more than 50 workers living within 75 miles of the workplace, and the act can be denied if a person meets the requirements but is a “key” worker. These limitations can cause there to be ambiguity when it comes to allowing an individual to tend to their own needs.
Housework as “help” (class lecture)
The traditional female tasks are typically indoor, regular/frequent, and necessary. However, the male tasks are outside, periodic/infrequent, and optional. If mothers got paid for the work they did in the home, they would make around $128,000 a month. However, the work that mothers do inside the house is seen to be their “duties,” and therefore can be overlooked despite the amount of effort they put in.
Pronatalism (class lecture)
Pronatalism is when one is “pro-children.” It is seen that all married couples should and want to reproduce, and it is necessary for fulfillment. Children are seen as a resource that is needed in society. People have children for several reasons: fear of death and wanting to leave something behind, a sense of purpose, cultural expectations, religious beliefs, etc.
Anonymous vs. known sperm donors (Hertz)
Hertz’s article discusses how knowing one’s biological parents helps construct an identity. The idea of anonymous donors doesn’t allow women to answer questions of identity for their children. Mothers who use anonymous or known donors as fathers need to help their children imagine how they appear in the eyes of their fathers, as a child’s self-image can be affected by not knowing this information. When there is a known donor, mothers can help their child imagine a positive father through more personal and concrete knowledge. Instead of denying or remaining silent about the father, mothers should present the father in everyday life and conversation.
The dilemmas of fatherhood (Coltrane)
To father means to impregnate a woman, while fathering is what men do with and for their children. To be a good father means to do more than just bring home a paycheck. Coltrane says that this is a dilemma, as fathers are still expected to devote themselves to their work and are seen in terms of their economic role. The weakening of the good-provider model has resulted in the average man spending fewer years living with children. One way for fathers to assume more responsibility for active parenting is by adopting different fathering styles and committing to doing things men are not accustomed to doing.
Medicalization of childbirth (class lecture)
There have been changing views of infertility. Technological cures have advanced, leading to three different mothers and two different fathers. There can be the mother who supplies the egg, the one who carries the baby, and the one who raises the child. There can be the father who supplies the sperm, and the father who raises the child. However, these can be deeply complicated when divorce and remarriage come into the picture.
Children as miniature adults (class lecture)
The idea of children as miniature adults arises from art that depicts children as “shrunken versions of adults.” Paintings of children from years ago also show children having “adult” features, but being “smaller.” This depiction raises the question of how “If children are viewed as miniature adults, how should we treat them?”
Children as little monsters (class lecture)
The idea of children as little monsters arises from society’s viewing of children as evil, corrupt, and sinful. This affects the approach to parenting and shifts to “how to tame the beast.” In some cases, parents would give their children opium to sedate them. If children could be tamed, they could become obedient. This idea of little monsters can be related to a modern concept of “The Terrible Twos.” A child will reach a certain age where they have terrible tantrums and are viewed as “little monsters.”
Children as natural innocents (class lecture)
The idea of children as natural innocents highlights that they can give in to temptation. This raises the question of whether children should be shielded from harsh realities. By contrast, should a parent’s job be to expose and guide their children to the realities of life? For example, children are exposed to school shooter drills. Children are told about how this is a possibility, and are guided as to how they should act if this becomes a reality in their own lives. Another ambiguity that arises is where innocence stops, and can be connected to when a child stops being a child.
Children as property/economic assets (class lecture)
In the past, parents could do whatever they wanted to their children. Some examples of this include putting children in beauty pageants or making their children the face of a YouTube channel. The concept of family influencer is manifested in current society and can be seen on Youtube where families with children will constantly have their child on camera, and are making money off of this.
Commodification of childhood (Pugh)
Pugh looks at how the marketing of certain products is targeted to children. If parents don’t buy certain items for their children, then they are not giving them a “good childhood.” The marketing of certain products targeted to children changes emotional relationships between children and parents. This can cause parents to think that buying certain items for their child will cause them to connect better. This also means parents need to know what their kids are interested in; if they don’t, they are “excluded.”
The contemporary path to adulthood (Settersten & Ray)
Settersen and Ray’s article highlights how there are benefits to delaying entry into adulthood. The opportunity to mature allows children the opportunity to build skills. In some cultures today, some ceremonies mark a child transitioning to an adult, like Bar Mitzvahs, which is a celebration of boyhood to manhood. For some women, when menstruating, they’re taken away, and when brought back, they are seen as adults. Additionally, in most of the U.S., the transition to adulthood is seen in three phases: child, adolescence, and adult. This allows children the opportunity to “grow up and make mistakes before they are officially deemed a child.
The sexual dichotomy (class lecture)
The sexual dichotomy is a belief that contains assumptions. The sexual dichotomy believes that gender springs from sex. It assumes that sex is genetically determined by XY and XX chromosomes. It believes that sex is permanent and is who you always will be. It also believes that there are two sex categories and they are universal.
Intersex and medical intervention (Davis)
Intersex is when an individual is born and has biological features of both a male and a female. Davis’s article highlights that medical professionals present intersex as a medical emergency. This is because medical professionals categorize bodies as either male or female, so their first response when encountering an intersex trait involves treating it by surgically erasing it.
LGBTQ parents and gender socialization of children (Henley-Averett)
Henley-Averett’s article discusses gender socialization among LGBTQ parents. Parents were interviewed, and one question raised was: Do parents feel obligated to resist gender norms, or do they feel obligated to assimilate to them? The strategies raised include: leave it up to the child and give them all their options, gender neutral clothing, encourage children to be non-conformist, or remove all options and don’t allow children to be traditionally feminine or masculine. This ties into teaching versus advocating; it’s one thing to encourage a child to be a certain way and another to teach them about all the possibilities.
The good divorce (Rutter)
When parents divorce, children have already been subject to their parents’ distressed marriages. Rutter’s article highlights that it’s beneficial to compare divorced people to those in high-stress/conflict marriages. By doing this, you can note the differences between an unhappy couple who divorced compared to a couple who choose to stay together despite divorce most likely being the best option. Parents divorcing may be more beneficial for a kid psychologically, as they aren’t living in a hostile environment.
No-fault divorce laws (class lecture)
No-fault divorce laws allow a couple to divorce for differences, and there doesn’t need to be a “concrete” reason. However, only 15 states are considered true no-fault states where couples can only file on no-fault grounds. This can be tricky in the sense that a desire for fairness may not play out. If there was an abusive relationship, this could go unnoticed in a true no-fault state, as they don’t look at faults but rather just see divorce as two individuals having differences.
Covenant marriage (class lecture)
A covenant marriage is when two individuals agree to live together as a couple for as long as they live. These are seen in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and less than 1% opt for this. They have counseling and are expected to tell each other everything. Covenant marriages cause people to consider if they really want to be married to this person, as it’s for life. The only reasons why divorce would be considered are if adultery, a life sentence, abuse, or cruelty are in the picture.
The uncoupling process (class lecture)
Divorce is a process and not a single event, and can be a buildup. Breaking up is typically one-sided, and the other party is typically oblivious. One partner may have secret unhappiness, have complaints about their partner, want to pursue outside involvements, or the negatives of their partners become more obvious. These are what can lead to uncoupling.
