lesson 15 – remarriage and stepfamilies robert wonser
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Lesson 15 – Remarriage and Stepfamilies
Robert Wonser
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Remarriage and StepfamiliesRemarriage and Stepfamilies
Remarriage
Remarriage after divorce is much more likely to occur if the divorcees are in their 20s.
The odds of remarriage decline in the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.
Remarriage typically occurs sooner for the man than the woman.
Why do you think this is?
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Statistics
22% of marriages in the US are of a divorced person to a 1st time marrying person
20% are divorced to divorcedthe other 58% are some other combination
1st - 1st widowed-widowedwidowed-divorcedwidowed-1st
about 2/3 of women and 3/4 of men remarry after a divorcemen more likely to remarry sooner
2nd marriage-60-67% divorce3rd marriage-73-74%2/3 of divorced people remarry within 5 years
Whites more likely to remarry than Hispanics or Blacks
Reasons for Dating
Having someone to talk to and do things with (49%)
To have fun (18%)Sex (11% men, 2% women)To remarry (10% men, 7% women)
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Types of Dating
Non-exclusive (32%)Exclusive (31%)Not dating b/c can’t find the right person to date (27%)
Not interested in dating (9%)Same-sex dating (7% men, 3% women)
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Internet Dating
One 2009 ranking reported that Match.com and eHarmony had 20 million subscribers
Yahoo Personals had 9 million chemistry.com and Perfectmatch.com each had 4
million.In fact, online dating is projected to increase between
2007-2012 with revenues topping $1.9 billion by 2012.Sautter et al. (2010) reported that internet dating is more common among computer-savvy and already socially networked daters.
What about homogamy and propinquity in online dating?
Types of Online Daters by Motivation
First were the adventurers who thrive in the anonymity provided by the Internet which shields them from elimination through traditional social norms. Adventurers seek communication, curiosity, and even emotional support as they seek to meet new people.
Escapers to a virtual world were the second category. Escapers find the real world too harsh and relax in the
relatively anxiety-free cyber world. Third and finally were the Romantics who sincerely seek
for love, friendship, and sex. Sex is not the major motivation, but is a common motivation for some Internet daters.
Why Remarry?
Recalling what we’ve discussed so far, why would anyone remarry?
Benefits?Costs?
Remarriage
Remarriage is the legal union of a man and woman that follows the dissolution of a previous marriage for one or both spouses.
Often leads to:Stepfamilies are formed when children from another marriage or relationship are brought into a family through a new marriage.
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Benefits of remarriage for parents
emotional closeness, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction
greater self-esteem, contentment, and happiness
have someone with whom they can share both the financial and caregiving responsibilities
remarried parents report feelings of stress and depression related to the many demands they experience, the marriages still are as happy as those in non-divorced families
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Remarriage compared to 1st marriage
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Differences from 1st marriages
More egalitarianMore openMore pragmaticLess romanticMore willing to confront conflict
Why do you think this is?
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Child Well-Being in Stepfamilies
Less well adjustedMore behavioral or social problemsLower academic achievementLower social competence & responsibilityTeen pregnancySchool dropout Adult relationshipsChildren’s adjustment in step families variesOften initial declines in cognitive and social competence
after the remarriage tend to diminish over time similar to other crisis events
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Factors Influencing Adjustment
Gender and age# of transitionsMarital qualityParenting style changesDiscipline consistency
Perspectives: Structural Functionalism
According to functionalists, individuals have the greatest chance of success if they grow up in a traditional family with father instrumental and mother expressive
Perspectives: Conflict
Because family members compete for resources, stepfamilies create more conflict because of additional family members and blurred roles
Perspectives: Symbolic Interactionism
Meanings of the configuration of a family are constructed, and reconstructed, through increased interactions
Like all relationships, must have interaction