The family is an intimate domestic group made up of people related to one another by bonds of blood, sexual mating, or legal ties. It has been a very resilient social unit that has survived and adapted through time. Family structure has changed notoriously during the last few decades. Statistics show that fewer Americans are getting married meanwhile sociologist study which groups are getting married in bigger numbers and its effect on society. With these changes in family structure, what used to be considered non-traditional families has now become more common. There are several alternative family forms. They include but are not limited to: single parenthood, cohabitation, GLBT relationships and polygamy. Along with this variety of families,
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Social scientist has found that children growing up in single-parent families are disadvantaged in other ways compared to two-biological-parent families. First of all, the economic situations these families face is not the same as the ones families with both parents face, especially when both parents have stable jobs. Many of these problems are directly related to the poor economic condition single parent families have to deal with. Some of the problems are: lower levels of educational achievement, twice as likely to drop out of school, more likely to become teen parents, twice as likely to go to jail among others. In most cases the absence of the right paternal figure affects children tremendously. Anne E. Barrett and R Jay Turner explain in their journal, Family structure and mental Health: The Mediating Effects on Socioeconomic Status, Family Process, and Social Stress, a child is more likely to suffer mental health risk when exposed to single parenthood and poverty. However, when one of these single mothers gets married is expected a paternal figure would be present for those children. Supposedly children’s behavior would improve just as their grades in school and depression would improve notoriously. However, studies prove that is not the most common case scenario that children from single-parenthood have. According to, Does Children’s Academic Achievement Improve When Single Mother Marry? …show more content…
According with the 2012 Census cohabitating couples and their children made up approximately 15 million households. People see cohabitation as an alternative form of marriage because in some ways it is similar to marriage. One of the most common reasons to cohabitate is because couples want to test their compatibility before marriage or by other couples whose marriage would not be legal.
Even though cohabitation is gaining popularity, there are some negative effects associated with cohabitation. Studies show that cohabitating couples are more likely to split than move toward marriage. Statistics also reveal that the average length for first-time couples is currently 22 months. When couples past the three-year mark, about 40% proceed to marry while the other 60% either continue to cohabitate or break up.
Sharon Sassler in her sociological journal, How Cohabitors View Childbearing, mentions that couples cohabitating view having children as a bigger responsibility and consider marriage as a prerequisite to have children. However, Sassler also discusses the fact that in many cases, cohabitating homes tend to be less stable environments than single parenthood or married union. Sassler also mentions that children from cohabitating homes tend to do poorly and have as many behavioral problems as teens living in single-parent homes (Sassler
Social scientist has found that children growing up in single-parent families are disadvantaged in other ways compared to two-biological-parent families. First of all, the economic situations these families face is not the same as the ones families with both parents face, especially when both parents have stable jobs. Many of these problems are directly related to the poor economic condition single parent families have to deal with. Some of the problems are: lower levels of educational achievement, twice as likely to drop out of school, more likely to become teen parents, twice as likely to go to jail among others. In most cases the absence of the right paternal figure affects children tremendously. Anne E. Barrett and R Jay Turner explain in their journal, Family structure and mental Health: The Mediating Effects on Socioeconomic Status, Family Process, and Social Stress, a child is more likely to suffer mental health risk when exposed to single parenthood and poverty. However, when one of these single mothers gets married is expected a paternal figure would be present for those children. Supposedly children’s behavior would improve just as their grades in school and depression would improve notoriously. However, studies prove that is not the most common case scenario that children from single-parenthood have. According to, Does Children’s Academic Achievement Improve When Single Mother Marry? …show more content…
According with the 2012 Census cohabitating couples and their children made up approximately 15 million households. People see cohabitation as an alternative form of marriage because in some ways it is similar to marriage. One of the most common reasons to cohabitate is because couples want to test their compatibility before marriage or by other couples whose marriage would not be legal.
Even though cohabitation is gaining popularity, there are some negative effects associated with cohabitation. Studies show that cohabitating couples are more likely to split than move toward marriage. Statistics also reveal that the average length for first-time couples is currently 22 months. When couples past the three-year mark, about 40% proceed to marry while the other 60% either continue to cohabitate or break up.
Sharon Sassler in her sociological journal, How Cohabitors View Childbearing, mentions that couples cohabitating view having children as a bigger responsibility and consider marriage as a prerequisite to have children. However, Sassler also discusses the fact that in many cases, cohabitating homes tend to be less stable environments than single parenthood or married union. Sassler also mentions that children from cohabitating homes tend to do poorly and have as many behavioral problems as teens living in single-parent homes (Sassler