SOC 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Parenting, Coparenting, Alimony
Document Summary
Retain sharp gender division of labor, homemaker- breadwinner ideal. Flexible roles (decline of homemaker-breadwinner, rise of dual earner model) Enabled by rising standards of living - possibility of leaving dissatisfying relationships. From marker of conformity to marker of prestige. Marriage no longer beings, but rather crowns adulthood. All of these are increasingly possible outside of marriage. Marriage is no longer the exclusive organizing principle of reproduction. 2/3 of people who marry have already lived together. Remarriage is becoming more common among american couples. Homogamy: marry people who are most like you. Rural "common law marriage" (now a dying legal doctrine) Today, majority of young american will cohabit cohabitation is increasingly "normal" ~2/3 of first marriages are preceded by cohabitation. Cohabitation does not result from a conscious decision. For more couples, cohabitating is a gradual process rather than an abrupt change in their relationship. Many cannot remember start date (like married couples would remember wedding date)
