SMF101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Polyamory, Married People, Single Person
15 Jun 2018
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Chapter 4 – types of intimate couples
Social change in close relations
Diversity and fluidity
- Now in comparison to the past, there are non-marital childbearing, cohabitation, living
apart together relationships (LAT), divorce, living alone, non-monogamy, bisexual, gay,
transgender.
- Now, individuals no longer rely on traditional marriages or romantic partnerships to
establish emotionally intimate relationships.
- Non monogamous and polyamorists develop emotional intimacy with multiple partners.
Discontinuity
- Many Canadian children face changing family structures due to parental relationship
dissolution.
- Younger generations are more likely to face discontinuous life course trajectory. Ex.
Going back to post-secondary after working.
Emerging trends for young adults
- More likely to delay marriage, remain single, have fewer children, cohabit and
experience relationship dissolution or divorce.
- More likely to pursue LGBT relationships, polyamorous relationships, more likely to live
with their parents than a partner
- More likely to be in a LAT relationship
Emerging trends for older adults
- Increase now in divorce among older people.
- Divorced Canadians are taking longer to remarry or cohabit with a new partner.
- LAT is increasingly common
Profile of families in Canada today
Marriage
- The rate of marriage is declining as most cohabit or remain unmatched today.
- Cohabitation is more common than remarriage and divorced men are more likely to re-
partner than divorced women.
- Married couple families remain the most common In Canada although it Is declining.
- Decline is due to the higher age at marriage, increases in divorce and cohabitation,
increase of young adults who live in the parental home.
- Women with university degree are more likely to marry than cohabit.
- Earlier generation of women relied on marriage for economic support
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Cohabitation
- Young adults
- Increase of children being born through cohabitation.
- Less stale as the do’t hold taditioal ideas aout fail life ad are less likely to
believe in marriage permanence.
- Individuals who have experienced parental divorce are more likely to experience
relationship dissolution and are more likely to choose cohabitation over marriage.
- Some evidence that cohabiting couples are more gender EGALITARIAN than married
couples – willingness to resist males as breadwinners.
- Ca e see as a tial phase efoe aiage.
Living Apart together (LAP)
- Who ae i a elatioship ut do’t lie togethe.
- Viewed as temporary phase prior to marriage or cohabitation.
- Allows couples to experience being in a relationship and independence.
Intersections of sexual relationships and living arrangements
- Diversity in sexual relationships means there is more possibilities for individuals in
deciding how their sexual relationships might intersect with their relationship status or
living arrangements.
- There is greater opportunity for experimentation, as contemporary relationships are
more fluid and diverse compared to relationships in the past.
Single person households
- Among single person households, some were once married or cohabiting.
- Reasons: divorce, increased financial independence for women, longer life expectancy,
greater societal acceptance.
- People may cohabit with romantic partners or spouse, family member or roommate
eause the do’t hae the fiaial eas to lie idepedetl.
- Possibility for women to live independent expand as they attain financial independence.
Shifting societal views of the unattached
- According to Adams, government officials believed that Canadians who did not conform
to traditional marital and family roles were more likely to be communist sympathizers.
- Gays, lesbians, single people and even childless couples were viewed with suspicion as
possible communists.
- Now singleness is sometimes critiqued but also celebrated.
- Celebrities have spoken out on the benefits of remaining unattached and have argued
that women should not be defined by their marital or motherhood status.
- Remaining single may be a strategy used by individuals to meet their own occupational
o pesoal eeds. Mae do’t at to opoise ho the sped thei oe, too
uh eotioal eight dealig ith pate’s poles.
- Sologamy – single people are women particularly are celebrating their singlehood
through self-marriage. This reaffirms self acceptance, autonomy, self love. Critics have
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desied sologa as sad trend ad a efletio of oe puttig thei aees
ahead of their personal lives, disturbing perversion of marriage and a reflection of
narcissm.
The decision to cohabit, marry or remarry
- Decisions are shaped by family law which can sometimes deter cohabitation or
marriage.
- Among couples in which one partner has far greater financial resources, maintaining
separate households can be a strategy to protect assets in the event of relationship
dissolutio ad to esue that assets ill go to oe’s o hilde ad gadhilde.
Divorce and relationship dissolution
- The 16 dioe at poided o fault dioe ad suseuetl dioes ieased
dramatically.
- Likelihood of divorce is for individuals that get married younger (teens and early 20s)
- and for people will low education attainment.
- Couples who live together before marriage have a higher rate of divorce than couples
who do not.
- Ma oe do’t feel the eed a f o husad
- Economic issues – many want to travel for their careers, want to focus on professional
pursuits.
- Also due to infidelity.
- Research found that risk of divorce is higher for couples living in an area that has a lot of
single women.
- More women in the workplace increases the probability of a married man seeking a
divorce as they found an alternative wife.
- Divorce happened in both high and low conflict marriages.
- Can be linked to inequality in housework, unmet expectations, how couples spend their
time together.
- Financial problems.
- On-off – couples that experience many breakups and reconciliations.
Remarriage and blended families
- High divorce rates have made marriage more common.
- Risk of divorce declines as age at remarriage rises.
- As the age of marriage has increased, so too has the average age of divorced men and
women.
- Remarriage typically happens in the mid to late 40s for individuals who are previously
divorced and in the late 50s for those who have been widowed.
- Women are less likely to remarry following the death of a spouse as compared to men.
- Increasing number of previously divorced Canadians opt for cohabitation rather than
marriage.
- Likelihood for remarriage is LOWER for single mothers even with adult children at home
as children provide companionship.
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Now in comparison to the past, there are non-marital childbearing, cohabitation, living apart together relationships (lat), divorce, living alone, non-monogamy, bisexual, gay, transgender. Now, individuals no longer rely on traditional marriages or romantic partnerships to establish emotionally intimate relationships. Non monogamous and polyamorists develop emotional intimacy with multiple partners. Many canadian children face changing family structures due to parental relationship dissolution. Younger generations are more likely to face discontinuous life course trajectory. More likely to delay marriage, remain single, have fewer children, cohabit and experience relationship dissolution or divorce. More likely to pursue lgbt relationships, polyamorous relationships, more likely to live with their parents than a partner. More likely to be in a lat relationship. Divorced canadians are taking longer to remarry or cohabit with a new partner. The rate of marriage is declining as most cohabit or remain unmatched today. Cohabitation is more common than remarriage and divorced men are more likely to re- partner than divorced women.
