Marriage & Cohabitation

Questions:
1. What does it mean when sociologists say, “marriage is an institution”? According to Stephanie Coontz, what are the indicators of the “deinstitutionalization” of marriage? Explain what problems Coontz finds in the proposals to “reinstitutionalize marriage.”
2. According to the articles by Harris and by Gerstel and Sarkisian, what are the benefits and disadvantages of marriage for women and men?
3. According to Brown, what are the different reasons people cohabit, and what are the effects of cohabitation on well-being?
4. The findings of the research on benefits and disadvantages of marriage and cohabitation can be affected by selection effects. Explain what that means.

When sociologists say that marriage is an "institution", they mean it comes "'with a well-understood set of obligations and rights', all of which are backed up by law, customs, rituals, and social expectations" (78). in the past, marriage was the primary way or organizing work along the lines of age and sex and determined the roles of men and women in public. It was also an important sign of adulthood and respectable status. But now there have emerged other way to regulate sexual behavior, channel relations between men and women, and to raise children. Marriage has transformed into an option rather than a necessity. This is indicated by the fact that only half of American children live in families with both biological parents present. The number of single parents has increased from 3.8 million in 1970 to 12.2 in 1996. However, this doesn't take into account the number of children who are born into families where both parents are present, but they are not married. Coontz has problems with the proposals to reinstitutionalize marriage, because she does not think the current social and economic conditions are conducive to forcing people to get married and to stay married. With the emergence of women in the workforce, they no longer have to get married as early in life, and aren't financially tied to their husbands, leaving them free to leave unpleasant marriages. Men are also less dependent on women for domestic work with the rise of washing machines, frozen foods, etc., "neither men nor women need marriage as much as they used to. Asking people to behave as if they do just sets them up for trouble" (82). Coontz beleives that we can as hard as we can to try to bring back 19th Century ideals of family (virginity, the double standard, ban of birth control, no unwed mothers, etc.), but if we did, families would be a lot worse off than they are right now. These ideals are not applicable to current social, economic, and emotional condistions.

Harris claims in her article that married people are weathier, healthier, have better sex, and are better parents. Couples who have children out of wedlock tent to treat their relationships as temporary and avoid specialization. She claims that people who are married live longer, are less prone to depression, suicide, and anxiety. Marriage benefits women by allowing them to have flexible work lives. The draw backs are the growing divorce rates and changing roles of women and men within the family and in the workforce. Gerstel and Sarkisian claim that all those benfists are "selection effects", that marriage itself has no salutary effects. Those who are already healthier, wealthier, sexier, and more law abiding are more like to find and hang on to a spouse. These benefits apply to marriages with little hostility and conflict, but alot of marriages are in fact hostile and violent. They claim that marriage competes with and undermines realtionships in the wider community. The married are less involved with their parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends, less likely to keep in touch with or offer emotional support. Married couples are more likely to hang out with other married couples rather than those who are single. They attribute this diminishing of other relationships to the cultural norms that say that one's spouse is their main confidant and support system. People are less likely to turn to others for adivice/help. It is also due to the idea of self-sufficiency. Couples believe they should be "making it on their own" and don't ask for help.

In Brown's article, she states that purpose for cohabition is not just as a stepping stone to marriage. Purposes include: an alternative to being single or a stage in the courtship porcess to marriage for those who have never previously been married or have no children; a long term substitution for marriage for those who have already been married before, beaucse they are disillusioned by the concept of marriage. The well-being of cohabitors tends to be lower than those who are married. Married people are better adjusted psychologically and better adapted to handle stress. Cohabitors tend to have more sex than married couples, but married couples are happier with their sex lives. Married couples are also more financially stable. Cohabitors marry after they become financially stable, meaning that before they are married, they may experience problems. Though many factors can affect a child's well-being, generally, family environment has a significant effect.

The findings of reasearch on benefirts and disadvantages or marriage and cohabitation can be affected by selection effects. Selection effects are based on the population that is chosen to be surveyed/observed. People who are married are generally already healthy, wealthy, and more law abiding than those that are single. You have to keep in mind the background of people who tend to get married, and the reasons why they did.