SOC 2103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Engagement, Exogamy, Endogamy

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2103
• Professor: kathleenmoss

Document Summary

For older individuals, dating is seen important for companionship and intimacy, less so for recreation. Seniors, widows, and divorcees also date (people over 60 report that companionship and intimacy are the main functions of dating, not for recreation) Senior men are more likely to be quicker getting back into dating, and more likely to remarry than women (senior men need someone to take care of them due to belief in gender roles, women just want companionship) If men remarry, their life expectancy increases (not true for women) One factor of stability in a dating relationship is whether the two people believe there is a chance for marriage. Canadians make marriage choices in socially patterned ways (we view only certain partners as potential mates) The overall trend is that we choose partners based on ourselves in many ways. Homogamy: people tend to marry people of similar backgrounds and traits eg. similar intelligence, attractiveness, race, education, etc.