Deck 7: The New Conjugal: Marriage, but Also Civil Unions

Question 1

Compare a "civil union" and "civil marriage" in terms of rights and responsibilities.

Answer 1

The rights, responsibilities and benefits associated with a civil union vary from country to country and state to state, unlike a civil marriage in which rights, responsibilities and benefits are recognized across state and international lines. Civil marriage also enjoys greater social acceptance and respect. This double standard is maintained by the DOMA and is unjust since it denies basic rights and respect by marital status.

Question 2

Explain two of the four major effects of American couples who marry later in life.

Answer 2

a) Lengthening the time to settle into education, employment, and other adult roles and responsibilities,
b) Increasing the likelihood of cohabitation, returning to live with parents, and experimentation with other living arrangements before marriage,
c) Delaying entry into parenthood,
d) Increasing the likelihood of pregnancy and giving birth before marriage

Question 3

Identify three life course transitions that can negatively impact marital quality? Select one and explain how this transition challenges intimate relationships.

Answer 3

Examples: a) addition and departure of children, nonmarital births for premarital couples,
b) entry and exit from employment (unemployment, retirement),
c) changes in home ownership,
d) changes in family income, chronic illness or debilitating injury

Question 4

Explain what belligerent and emotional disengagement are and how these impact the interactions of intimate couples.

Question 5

Describe a flourishing intimate relationship as noted by Fincham and Beach (2010)
Suggested responses:

Question 6

In a 2010 Pew Research survey, when asked to list their reasons for marrying respondents stated the most important was:

A) Financial stability
B) Love
C) Having children
D) Lifelong commitment

Question 7

The Defense of Marriage Act bill denies LGBTQ committed couples all of the following EXCEPT?

A) Right to civil unions
B) Medical decision making rights
C) Military benefits (pensions, housing, medical care)
D) Federal tax relief

Question 8

The following are government sanctioned relationships that vary in terms of marital rights, responsibilities, and benefits from country to country and state to state EXCEPT

A) Civil unions
B) Marriages
C) Common-law marriages
D) Domestic partnerships

Question 9

In 2010, 42 percent of American adults ___________ civil marriages for gay and lesbian couples.

A) Approved of
B) Disapproved of
C) Were undecided over
D) None of the above

Question 10

First marriage at a later age affects all of the following aspects of young adulthood EXCEPT:

A) Likelihood of cohabitation
B) Risk of giving birth before marriage
C) Desire to delay entry into parenthood
D) Shortened time to adjust to employment, and other adults roles

Question 11

In a 2010 study of the effectiveness of four marriage preparation interventions:
1) Self-directed learning (books and online sources)
2) Classroom setting course
3) Community/church sponsored workshop
4) Direct couple counseling
Which two were rated as more helpful of the four?

A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 3 and 4
D) 1 and 4

Question 12

Marriage preparation programs appear to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) Lower marital stress
B) Speeds up the couples' progress toward marriage
C) Informs couples of marital assistance options
D) Sends message of the importance of marriage

Question 13

Researchers report that the National Health Interview Survey of 2008 revealed ______ and _______ self-reported better personal health.

A) Never married adults and married women
B) Never married adults and married men
C) Married men and never married women
D) Married men and married women

Question 14

The eudaimonic theory focuses on

A) Human economics
B) Human longevity
C) Human genetics
D) Human flourishing

Question 15

According to the readings, what is the marriage migration phenomenon

A) When a first generation immigrant married couple immigrates to escape hardship
B) When two first generation immigrants marry in a new culture
C) When a first generation immigrant marries a native born citizen
D) When two second generation immigrant marries a first generation illegal immigrant

Question 16

Understanding the culture and context of families as they transition through the life course is important in researching marital quality. For example, non-marital childbearing is more negatively associated with marital quality for which group?

A) Non-Hispanic black women
B) Non-Hispanic white women
C) Hispanic women
D) Native American women

Question 17

Research on marital communication offers the following conclusions EXCEPT

A) Happy couples spend more time conversing
B) Happy couples are more likely to miscommunicate
C) Happy couples use more self-disclosure
D) Happy couples use more humor

Question 18

Which of the following communication issue is NOT included in Gottman's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

A) Defensiveness
B) Contempt
C) Stonewalling
D) Lying

Question 19

Critical familialism balances family cohesion and _______ differentials within families

A) Power
B) Wealth
C) Health
D) Age

Question 20

Naive familialism is an ethic that places family togetherness about

A) Gender equality
B) Children's well being
C) Individual family members
D) All of the above

Question 21

In 2001 the ______________ aimed at promoting heterosexual marriage as a part of the solution to poverty and welfare dependency.

A) Marriage preparation and preservation act
B) Defense of Marriage Act
C) Faith Based and Community Initiative
D) Marriage Encounter Movement

Question 22

Which of the following marriage enhancement endeavors strives to bring sophisticated understanding of research about families as it recognizes the diversity of families.

A) The Marriage Project
B) Marriage Encounter Movement
C) Council on Contemporary Families
D) Marriage Preparation and Preservation Act

Question 23

A decline in marital quality over the course of a marriage is impacted by

A) Unemployment
B) Children
C) Work demands
D) All of the above

Question 24

Family researchers caution that most marriage education programs focus solely on the couples' ___________ rather than addressing the unique situations each couple brings to the class.

A) Finances
B) Communication
C) Religious beliefs
D) Career paths

Question 25

What are "memes" ?

A) Marital memories that enhance the relationship
B) Social networks families use as resources
C) On-line resources for couples
D) Cultural aspects, ideas, values, and patterns of behaviors impacting families