Monday, April 12, 1999
Announcements:

none

1. Happy Marriage

1. From the sociological point of view, your chances of finding Mr. or Mrs. Right are 1 in a million
2. There is no correlation between the number of partners in your past and the happiness in your marriage
3. The amount of shopping for Mr. Right does not assure you’ll find him
4. Good relationships are based on homogemy (same education, background)
5. Racial differences do not create major problems in marriage
6. Education similarity is the most important for a happy marriage
7. Similarities in age
8. Geographic Explanation: Meet a person with similar interests in student clubs, religious organizations, interest groups, etc. - Not in a bar
9. Relationships are healthy because people are satisfied with themselves

1. Self satisfied people sharpen and strengthen the relationship
2. People happy with life do not compare with that which they don’t have

1. Anomie – sense of having no values no direction. Must have strong values to have a healthy relationship
2. Work on relationship and marriage
3. The professors opinion:

1. Sexual attraction is not the main thing in a marriage – it passes on after 6 months
2. Women must compromise their radical feminism
3. There is no such thing as a happy marriage – only periods of happiness

1. Divorce – 50% of American marriages end in divorce

1. Demographic features:

1. Age – divorce high among couples who marry before 18
2. Social Economic Status – Lower income equals higher divorce rate
3. Race – African Americans – single women due to lack of jobs and the heritage of slavery
4. Religious affiliation – highest among Protestants, lowest among Jews
5. Divorce rate 3 times higher for White males who never attend religious activities
6. Cohabitation before marriage increases chance of divorce by 30%. The divorce rate among people who have lived in cohabitation has risen 44%

1. Reasons for Divorce

1. Divorce laws – No fault divorce – it is easier to end marriage
2. Contraceptives

1. When people don’t have kids getting a divorce is easier; children hold people together
2. People seek divorce because of infidelity – contraceptives make extramarital affairs less risky

1. Women in Labor Force – expansion of the service sector
2. Economic stress – moderate to low income families – it creates a climate in which divorce takes place
3. Welfare assistance to female-headed households – This is changing with Clinton’s welfare reform. Divorce is made more accessible
4. Change in Attitudes – We don’t see marriage as a sacred institution, we see it as a source of personal fulfillment and happiness
5. Culture of Divorce – we hear more about bad marriages than good marriages
6. American Culture – Cost-Benefit Analysis – always looking for a better deal. American values of individualism and self pleasure makes divorce frequent
7. Because of group conformity and low expectations of marriage, divorce rates are lower in India and China
8. Louisiana – Covenant Marriage – couple who is having problems can get a 2 year separation and must get marriage counseling

1. Religion – unified system of beliefs and practices based on the recognition of the sacred

1. Animism – Hunting and gathering – Natural world has spiritual forces that affect humans. Mana – brings them good luck, invoking super natural forces
2. Theodicy – emotionally satisfying answer that religion offers for origin of life, human suffering, and death.
3. Durkheim – humans see things as either

1. Profane – outside the temple – ordinary things, or
2. Sacred – inside the temple – extraordinary (Bible, church) we approach what is sacred through religious rituals. Example: At the Dome of the Rock in Israel, a Swedish couple was thrown out for kissing at the sacred site.

1. Functionalists view of Religion