[Solved] Critical Thinking Discussion Board Week 1

Assignment Prompt & Instructions

[>Sociology homework help](https://www.sweetstudy.com/fields/social-science-sociology)

attached

**files (4)**

– ## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart3-Tagged.pdf

– ## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart1-Tagged.pdf

– ## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart2.pptx

– Screenshot_22-8-2026_9632_luonline.blackboard.com.jpeg

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart3-Tagged.pdf**

Diversity in
Family
Structures

Chapter 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Polls on Blackboard: definition of family
is there a onesize fits all?

Definition of
Family/A
Household

• Family is a group united by marriage
or cohabitation, blood, and/or
adoption in order to satisfy intimacy
needs and/or bear and socialize
children.

• Satisfying intimacy needs and
rearing children always take place
in a social context.

Types of Households in the
United States, 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Current population survey: Annual social and economic supplement.

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/families/cps-2023.html

Nuclear Family
• The so-called “typical” or ”traditional”

family:
• The nuclear family consists of a

father, a mother, and their biological
or adopted children.

• In the truest sense of the definition,
nuclear families consist of first-time
married parents, their biological or
adopted children, and no other
family members living in the home.

Percentage Distribution of Children by Family Type: U.S., 2022
Source: Institute for Family Studies. (2024). The resurgence of the two parent family.
https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-resurgence-of-the-two-parent-family

Cohabiting Families

• Unmarried partners who live together in a single
household are referred to as cohabiting couples.

• The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent
of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino,
2022).

• Although once considered a scandalous, uncommon
alternative lifestyle, cohabiting before marriage (or
instead of marriage) is now the prevailing living
arrangement of intimate partners—the next step
following serious dating (Nugent & Daugherty, 2018;
Reynolds & Brown, 2020).

Single-Parent Families

Single-parent family types can be the result
of the choice of the parent or of
circumstance; they can result from divorce,
the death of a spouse, or unmarried
parenthood.

In the United States, the rate of children
under the age of 18 who live with only one
parent is more than three times the rate of
children around the world (Institute for
Family Studies, 2019; U.S. Census Bureau,
2023e).

Stepfamilies

• Census experts today estimate that one in
three Americans—about 33 percent—is now
either a stepparent, a stepchild, a stepsibling,
or some other member of a stepfamily (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2023b).

• A stepfamily is formed when, after death or
divorce, a parent marries again.

• A stepfamily is also formed when a never-
married parent marries and children from
different biological families end up living with
the new married couple for part of the time.

Extended/
Multigenerational
Family

• typically defined as a
family unit in which two or
more generations of close
family relatives live
together in one household.

Childless/Childfree Families

• Couples may consider themselves
childless if they are unable to conceive or
bear children of their own or adopt
children.

• Some couples today prefer to remain
childfree as a conscious choice.

• Childlessness is not new…

– Slide 1: Diversity in Family Structures
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Polls on Blackboard: definition of family is there a onesize fits all?
– Slide 4: Definition of Family/A Household
– Slide 5: Types of Households in the United States, 2023
– Slide 6: Nuclear Family
– Slide 7: Cohabiting Families
– Slide 8: Single-Parent Families
– Slide 9: Stepfamilies
– Slide 10: Extended/ Multigenerational Family
– Slide 11: Childless/Childfree Families

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart1-Tagged.pdf**

Marriage and Family
in America &
Diversity in Families
Chapters 1 & 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Let’s begin with some questions

Think about a time when you were in love. How
would you describe the feeling of being in love?

When was the last time you had a long good talk
with a friend and felt listened to? How did it feel?

When was the last time you had a great time with
your family? And how did that feel?

Intimacy

• A basic need
• Involves love, affection,

caring, and deep
attachment to a friend,
lover, spouse, or relative.

Family of Origin
• First experience of intimacy
• The family in which you

were born – family of origin
• Family structures can vary

Now, Questions to Ponder

Think about a time you walk into a place and not knowing anyone?
Think about a time you feel sad but has on one to share that feeling to?
Can you imagine what it would be like if your entire life were like that –
never had any experiences of intimacy?

Loneliness
• The feeling of being isolated from desired relationships.
• Social loneliness: you have less interpersonal interaction than

you desire
• Emotional loneliness: you have fewer intimate relationships

than you desire.
• loneliness is not the same as aloneness.

The sources
of loneliness

Temporary vs. Persistent

• Inevitable in modern society: the society is
heterogeneous.

Social factors: A failure of integration

• Childhood experiences: e.g., low self-esteem
in adolescence

• Loss of intimate relationships, financial stress,
and health problems in adulthood

Individual factors:

The Consequences of
Loneliness (1 of 2)
• Physical consequences: mortality,

cardiovascular disease, suppressed
immune system

• Mental health problems:
depression, anxiety,

• Problematic lifestyles: alcohol use,
substance use, etc.

Consequences of
Loneliness (2 of 2)

• Higher loneliness at age 12
precedes lower
employment and
education at age 18.

Intimacy & Well-being

Family cohesion and conflict in
relation to adolescent
development

• Among 151 adolescent caregivers
and adolescent children in the U.S.

• Measured levels of family cohesion
and conflict over 21-day diary.

• Adolescents who experienced better
family cohesion also reported better
levels of happiness, life satisfaction,
and meaning and purpose in life.

• Adolescents who experienced
greater family conflicts reported
greater levels of depressive
symptoms, anxiety, and angry mood.

Emotional intimacy in
romantic relationships

• Cohabitating couples.

• Self-disclosure to an unresponsive
listener in romantic relationship is
associated with depressive
symptoms and low relationship
satisfaction.

– Slide 1: Marriage and Family in America & Diversity in Families
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Let’s begin with some questions
– Slide 4: Intimacy
– Slide 5: Family of Origin
– Slide 6: Now, Questions to Ponder
– Slide 7: Loneliness
– Slide 8: The sources of loneliness
– Slide 9: The Consequences of Loneliness (1 of 2)
– Slide 10: Consequences of Loneliness (2 of 2)
– Slide 11: Intimacy & Well-being
– Slide 12: Family cohesion and conflict in relation to adolescent development
– Slide 13: Emotional intimacy in romantic relationships

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart2.pptx**

Marriage and Family in America &
Diversity in Families

Chapters 1 & 2

1

Outline

Introduction of Intimacy and Family

Changing Patterns of Intimate Relationships

Debates about Family & Marriage

Introduction to Family Theories

Various Family Structures in Modern U.S.

Premarital sex

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334794358_The_Wife%27s_Protector_The_Effect_of_Contraception_on_Marriage_during_the_20th_Century/figures

Picture 2 & 3:
[Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003 – PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1802108)

3

Births to Unmarried Women

4

Living Alone

Common reasons:

Widowed, divorced, separated, or never married.

5

Cohabitation

The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino, 2022).

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/the-landscape-of-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

6

Delayed Marriage

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/7031/americans-are-tying-the-knot-older-than-ever/?srsltid=AfmBOori0-l2FaudkaFPQZHbrpeKns9TUS_UDyU_RVmUsfJHQekSj9FJ

7

Birth Rates

Without immigration, the U.S. population will eventually decline if birth rates remain at the present low level.

Source: The U.S. Fertility Rate Has Fallen During Periods of Economic Decline

https://www.prb.org/resource/the-decline-in-u-s-fertility/

8

Divorce Rates

Data: Women’s Divorce Rates

9

Family patterns continue to evolve

Key Takeaway

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## image6.png

## image7.png

## image8.png

## image9.png

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## image11.jpeg

## image12.gif

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## image14.png

**Screenshot_22-8-2026_9632_luonline.blackboard.com.jpeg**

This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/screenshot-22-8-2026-9632-luonline-blackboard-com-jpeg)

**Screenshot_22-8-2026_9632_luonline.blackboard.com.jpeg**

This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/screenshot-22-8-2026-9632-luonline-blackboard-com-jpeg)

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart3-Tagged.pdf**

Diversity in
Family
Structures

Chapter 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Polls on Blackboard: definition of family
is there a onesize fits all?

Definition of
Family/A
Household

• Family is a group united by marriage
or cohabitation, blood, and/or
adoption in order to satisfy intimacy
needs and/or bear and socialize
children.

• Satisfying intimacy needs and
rearing children always take place
in a social context.

Types of Households in the
United States, 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Current population survey: Annual social and economic supplement.

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/families/cps-2023.html

Nuclear Family
• The so-called “typical” or ”traditional”

family:
• The nuclear family consists of a

father, a mother, and their biological
or adopted children.

• In the truest sense of the definition,
nuclear families consist of first-time
married parents, their biological or
adopted children, and no other
family members living in the home.

Percentage Distribution of Children by Family Type: U.S., 2022
Source: Institute for Family Studies. (2024). The resurgence of the two parent family.
https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-resurgence-of-the-two-parent-family

Cohabiting Families

• Unmarried partners who live together in a single
household are referred to as cohabiting couples.

• The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent
of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino,
2022).

• Although once considered a scandalous, uncommon
alternative lifestyle, cohabiting before marriage (or
instead of marriage) is now the prevailing living
arrangement of intimate partners—the next step
following serious dating (Nugent & Daugherty, 2018;
Reynolds & Brown, 2020).

Single-Parent Families

Single-parent family types can be the result
of the choice of the parent or of
circumstance; they can result from divorce,
the death of a spouse, or unmarried
parenthood.

In the United States, the rate of children
under the age of 18 who live with only one
parent is more than three times the rate of
children around the world (Institute for
Family Studies, 2019; U.S. Census Bureau,
2023e).

Stepfamilies

• Census experts today estimate that one in
three Americans—about 33 percent—is now
either a stepparent, a stepchild, a stepsibling,
or some other member of a stepfamily (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2023b).

• A stepfamily is formed when, after death or
divorce, a parent marries again.

• A stepfamily is also formed when a never-
married parent marries and children from
different biological families end up living with
the new married couple for part of the time.

Extended/
Multigenerational
Family

• typically defined as a
family unit in which two or
more generations of close
family relatives live
together in one household.

Childless/Childfree Families

• Couples may consider themselves
childless if they are unable to conceive or
bear children of their own or adopt
children.

• Some couples today prefer to remain
childfree as a conscious choice.

• Childlessness is not new…

– Slide 1: Diversity in Family Structures
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Polls on Blackboard: definition of family is there a onesize fits all?
– Slide 4: Definition of Family/A Household
– Slide 5: Types of Households in the United States, 2023
– Slide 6: Nuclear Family
– Slide 7: Cohabiting Families
– Slide 8: Single-Parent Families
– Slide 9: Stepfamilies
– Slide 10: Extended/ Multigenerational Family
– Slide 11: Childless/Childfree Families

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart1-Tagged.pdf**

Marriage and Family
in America &
Diversity in Families
Chapters 1 & 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Let’s begin with some questions

Think about a time when you were in love. How
would you describe the feeling of being in love?

When was the last time you had a long good talk
with a friend and felt listened to? How did it feel?

When was the last time you had a great time with
your family? And how did that feel?

Intimacy

• A basic need
• Involves love, affection,

caring, and deep
attachment to a friend,
lover, spouse, or relative.

Family of Origin
• First experience of intimacy
• The family in which you

were born – family of origin
• Family structures can vary

Now, Questions to Ponder

Think about a time you walk into a place and not knowing anyone?
Think about a time you feel sad but has on one to share that feeling to?
Can you imagine what it would be like if your entire life were like that –
never had any experiences of intimacy?

Loneliness
• The feeling of being isolated from desired relationships.
• Social loneliness: you have less interpersonal interaction than

you desire
• Emotional loneliness: you have fewer intimate relationships

than you desire.
• loneliness is not the same as aloneness.

The sources
of loneliness

Temporary vs. Persistent

• Inevitable in modern society: the society is
heterogeneous.

Social factors: A failure of integration

• Childhood experiences: e.g., low self-esteem
in adolescence

• Loss of intimate relationships, financial stress,
and health problems in adulthood

Individual factors:

The Consequences of
Loneliness (1 of 2)
• Physical consequences: mortality,

cardiovascular disease, suppressed
immune system

• Mental health problems:
depression, anxiety,

• Problematic lifestyles: alcohol use,
substance use, etc.

Consequences of
Loneliness (2 of 2)

• Higher loneliness at age 12
precedes lower
employment and
education at age 18.

Intimacy & Well-being

Family cohesion and conflict in
relation to adolescent
development

• Among 151 adolescent caregivers
and adolescent children in the U.S.

• Measured levels of family cohesion
and conflict over 21-day diary.

• Adolescents who experienced better
family cohesion also reported better
levels of happiness, life satisfaction,
and meaning and purpose in life.

• Adolescents who experienced
greater family conflicts reported
greater levels of depressive
symptoms, anxiety, and angry mood.

Emotional intimacy in
romantic relationships

• Cohabitating couples.

• Self-disclosure to an unresponsive
listener in romantic relationship is
associated with depressive
symptoms and low relationship
satisfaction.

– Slide 1: Marriage and Family in America & Diversity in Families
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Let’s begin with some questions
– Slide 4: Intimacy
– Slide 5: Family of Origin
– Slide 6: Now, Questions to Ponder
– Slide 7: Loneliness
– Slide 8: The sources of loneliness
– Slide 9: The Consequences of Loneliness (1 of 2)
– Slide 10: Consequences of Loneliness (2 of 2)
– Slide 11: Intimacy & Well-being
– Slide 12: Family cohesion and conflict in relation to adolescent development
– Slide 13: Emotional intimacy in romantic relationships

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart2.pptx**

Marriage and Family in America &
Diversity in Families

Chapters 1 & 2

1

Outline

Introduction of Intimacy and Family

Changing Patterns of Intimate Relationships

Debates about Family & Marriage

Introduction to Family Theories

Various Family Structures in Modern U.S.

Premarital sex

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334794358_The_Wife%27s_Protector_The_Effect_of_Contraception_on_Marriage_during_the_20th_Century/figures

Picture 2 & 3:
[Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003 – PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1802108)

3

Births to Unmarried Women

4

Living Alone

Common reasons:

Widowed, divorced, separated, or never married.

5

Cohabitation

The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino, 2022).

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/the-landscape-of-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

6

Delayed Marriage

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/7031/americans-are-tying-the-knot-older-than-ever/?srsltid=AfmBOori0-l2FaudkaFPQZHbrpeKns9TUS_UDyU_RVmUsfJHQekSj9FJ

7

Birth Rates

Without immigration, the U.S. population will eventually decline if birth rates remain at the present low level.

Source: The U.S. Fertility Rate Has Fallen During Periods of Economic Decline

https://www.prb.org/resource/the-decline-in-u-s-fertility/

8

Divorce Rates

Data: Women’s Divorce Rates

9

Family patterns continue to evolve

Key Takeaway

## image1.jpeg

## image2.jpeg

## image3.jpg

## image4.png

## image5.svg

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

## image6.png

## image7.png

## image8.png

## image9.png

## image10.png

## image11.jpeg

## image12.gif

## image13.png

## image14.png

**Screenshot_22-8-2026_9632_luonline.blackboard.com.jpeg**

This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/screenshot-22-8-2026-9632-luonline-blackboard-com-jpeg)

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart3-Tagged.pdf**

Diversity in
Family
Structures

Chapter 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Polls on Blackboard: definition of family
is there a onesize fits all?

Definition of
Family/A
Household

• Family is a group united by marriage
or cohabitation, blood, and/or
adoption in order to satisfy intimacy
needs and/or bear and socialize
children.

• Satisfying intimacy needs and
rearing children always take place
in a social context.

Types of Households in the
United States, 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Current population survey: Annual social and economic supplement.

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/families/cps-2023.html

Nuclear Family
• The so-called “typical” or ”traditional”

family:
• The nuclear family consists of a

father, a mother, and their biological
or adopted children.

• In the truest sense of the definition,
nuclear families consist of first-time
married parents, their biological or
adopted children, and no other
family members living in the home.

Percentage Distribution of Children by Family Type: U.S., 2022
Source: Institute for Family Studies. (2024). The resurgence of the two parent family.
https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-resurgence-of-the-two-parent-family

Cohabiting Families

• Unmarried partners who live together in a single
household are referred to as cohabiting couples.

• The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent
of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino,
2022).

• Although once considered a scandalous, uncommon
alternative lifestyle, cohabiting before marriage (or
instead of marriage) is now the prevailing living
arrangement of intimate partners—the next step
following serious dating (Nugent & Daugherty, 2018;
Reynolds & Brown, 2020).

Single-Parent Families

Single-parent family types can be the result
of the choice of the parent or of
circumstance; they can result from divorce,
the death of a spouse, or unmarried
parenthood.

In the United States, the rate of children
under the age of 18 who live with only one
parent is more than three times the rate of
children around the world (Institute for
Family Studies, 2019; U.S. Census Bureau,
2023e).

Stepfamilies

• Census experts today estimate that one in
three Americans—about 33 percent—is now
either a stepparent, a stepchild, a stepsibling,
or some other member of a stepfamily (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2023b).

• A stepfamily is formed when, after death or
divorce, a parent marries again.

• A stepfamily is also formed when a never-
married parent marries and children from
different biological families end up living with
the new married couple for part of the time.

Extended/
Multigenerational
Family

• typically defined as a
family unit in which two or
more generations of close
family relatives live
together in one household.

Childless/Childfree Families

• Couples may consider themselves
childless if they are unable to conceive or
bear children of their own or adopt
children.

• Some couples today prefer to remain
childfree as a conscious choice.

• Childlessness is not new…

– Slide 1: Diversity in Family Structures
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Polls on Blackboard: definition of family is there a onesize fits all?
– Slide 4: Definition of Family/A Household
– Slide 5: Types of Households in the United States, 2023
– Slide 6: Nuclear Family
– Slide 7: Cohabiting Families
– Slide 8: Single-Parent Families
– Slide 9: Stepfamilies
– Slide 10: Extended/ Multigenerational Family
– Slide 11: Childless/Childfree Families

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart1-Tagged.pdf**

Marriage and Family
in America &
Diversity in Families
Chapters 1 & 2

Outline

Introduction of
Intimacy and

Family

Changing
Patterns of

Intimate
Relationships

Various Family
Structures in
Modern U.S.

Debates about
Family & Marriage

Introduction to
Family Theories

Let’s begin with some questions

Think about a time when you were in love. How
would you describe the feeling of being in love?

When was the last time you had a long good talk
with a friend and felt listened to? How did it feel?

When was the last time you had a great time with
your family? And how did that feel?

Intimacy

• A basic need
• Involves love, affection,

caring, and deep
attachment to a friend,
lover, spouse, or relative.

Family of Origin
• First experience of intimacy
• The family in which you

were born – family of origin
• Family structures can vary

Now, Questions to Ponder

Think about a time you walk into a place and not knowing anyone?
Think about a time you feel sad but has on one to share that feeling to?
Can you imagine what it would be like if your entire life were like that –
never had any experiences of intimacy?

Loneliness
• The feeling of being isolated from desired relationships.
• Social loneliness: you have less interpersonal interaction than

you desire
• Emotional loneliness: you have fewer intimate relationships

than you desire.
• loneliness is not the same as aloneness.

The sources
of loneliness

Temporary vs. Persistent

• Inevitable in modern society: the society is
heterogeneous.

Social factors: A failure of integration

• Childhood experiences: e.g., low self-esteem
in adolescence

• Loss of intimate relationships, financial stress,
and health problems in adulthood

Individual factors:

The Consequences of
Loneliness (1 of 2)
• Physical consequences: mortality,

cardiovascular disease, suppressed
immune system

• Mental health problems:
depression, anxiety,

• Problematic lifestyles: alcohol use,
substance use, etc.

Consequences of
Loneliness (2 of 2)

• Higher loneliness at age 12
precedes lower
employment and
education at age 18.

Intimacy & Well-being

Family cohesion and conflict in
relation to adolescent
development

• Among 151 adolescent caregivers
and adolescent children in the U.S.

• Measured levels of family cohesion
and conflict over 21-day diary.

• Adolescents who experienced better
family cohesion also reported better
levels of happiness, life satisfaction,
and meaning and purpose in life.

• Adolescents who experienced
greater family conflicts reported
greater levels of depressive
symptoms, anxiety, and angry mood.

Emotional intimacy in
romantic relationships

• Cohabitating couples.

• Self-disclosure to an unresponsive
listener in romantic relationship is
associated with depressive
symptoms and low relationship
satisfaction.

– Slide 1: Marriage and Family in America & Diversity in Families
– Slide 2: Outline
– Slide 3: Let’s begin with some questions
– Slide 4: Intimacy
– Slide 5: Family of Origin
– Slide 6: Now, Questions to Ponder
– Slide 7: Loneliness
– Slide 8: The sources of loneliness
– Slide 9: The Consequences of Loneliness (1 of 2)
– Slide 10: Consequences of Loneliness (2 of 2)
– Slide 11: Intimacy & Well-being
– Slide 12: Family cohesion and conflict in relation to adolescent development
– Slide 13: Emotional intimacy in romantic relationships

**## Ch.1-2MarriageandFamilyinAmericaDiversityinFamiliesPart2.pptx**

Marriage and Family in America &
Diversity in Families

Chapters 1 & 2

1

Outline

Introduction of Intimacy and Family

Changing Patterns of Intimate Relationships

Debates about Family & Marriage

Introduction to Family Theories

Various Family Structures in Modern U.S.

Premarital sex

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334794358_The_Wife%27s_Protector_The_Effect_of_Contraception_on_Marriage_during_the_20th_Century/figures

Picture 2 & 3:
[Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003 – PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1802108)

3

Births to Unmarried Women

4

Living Alone

Common reasons:

Widowed, divorced, separated, or never married.

5

Cohabitation

The U.S. Census Bureau today estimates that 10 percent of all adults in the United States are cohabiting (Marino, 2022).

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/the-landscape-of-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

6

Delayed Marriage

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/7031/americans-are-tying-the-knot-older-than-ever/?srsltid=AfmBOori0-l2FaudkaFPQZHbrpeKns9TUS_UDyU_RVmUsfJHQekSj9FJ

7

Birth Rates

Without immigration, the U.S. population will eventually decline if birth rates remain at the present low level.

Source: The U.S. Fertility Rate Has Fallen During Periods of Economic Decline

https://www.prb.org/resource/the-decline-in-u-s-fertility/

8

Divorce Rates

Data: Women’s Divorce Rates

9

Family patterns continue to evolve

Key Takeaway

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