PSYC 3206 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Nuclear Family, Assortative Mating
Document Summary
Women focus on emotional sharing while men focus on shared interests. Commitment: willingness to stay with other through good and bad. Assortative mating: people nd partners based on their similarity to each other. People in committed, intimate, sexual relationships living together but unmarried. Increasingly popular in us and western societies. People with lower educational levels cohabit more. Reasons include testing potential marriage, convenience, marriage alternative. Age: the younger the parters are, the greater the chance of divorce. Homogamy: sharing similar values and interests increases the likelihood of lasting marriage. Exchange theory: marriage is based on each partner contributing something to the relationship that the other would be hard-pressed to provide. Nuclear family is most common in western societies. Most potential parents do not think deeply about the decision. Bene ts: affection, improved family ties, sense of immortality and accomplishment. Cons: expenses. each child requires approx ,000 by age 17 parental role. Average age at time of rst born is rising.
