Deck 9: Contemporary Marriages

Question 1

Divorced women are more likely to remarry than are divorced men.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Approximately ten percent of cohabiting heterosexual couples eventually marry each other.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

This was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.

A) Connecticut
B) Massachusetts
C) Maine
D) Vermont

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Marriages in the White population tend to be more egalitarian in behavior than those in the African American population.

Question 5

What percentage of the U.S.population will eventually marry?

A) 50%
B) 90%
C) 75%
D) 45%

Question 6

Which of the following is a microstructural dynamic that patterns marriages?

A) racism
B) husbands' and wives' communication styles
C) the law
D) the segmented labor force

Question 7

Over the past three decades,the median age of first marriage in the United States has gone up for men,but has fallen for women.

Question 8

Devitalized marriages are centered around conflict and arguments.

Question 9

The loss of high-wage manufacturing jobs has led to a decrease in family power for many men.

Question 10

According to research cited in the text,a major consequence of delaying marriages is

A) a reduction in the number of children a woman will have.
B) dramatically increased economic opportunities for Black women.
C) lessened flexibility in making life choices after age 40.
D) all of the above

Question 11

Increased longevity for women and men is one explanation for the relatively high divorce rate in the United States.

Question 12

Which country allows homosexuals to marry?

A) Canada
B) Spain
C) Netherlands
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 13

In dual-earner families,wives spend about twice as much time on household work as their husbands.

Question 14

What percent of U.S.households fit the model of the father as the sole breadwinner?

A) 2%
B) 7%
C) 10%
D) 25%

Question 15

Since 1970,the percentage of never-married individuals in the 30 to 34 age group in the United States has

A) declined by 10%.
B) remained the same.
C) tripled.
D) become overwhelmingly homosexual.

Question 16

Because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),the federal government counts legally-married same-sex couples as

A) married couples.
B) legally-united couples.
C) single individuals.
D) unmarried partners.

Question 17

According to the text,a key factor responsible for the changing role expectations for women and men in U.S.society is

A) men's willingness to share in housework.
B) the decline in the fertility rate.
C) the massive entry of women into the paid labor force.
D) feminism.

Question 18

Women's flexibility and independence in making life choices appears to be empirically related to

A) life after divorce.
B) remarriage rates.
C) the women's movement.
D) delaying marriage.

Question 19

Marital satisfaction is reported to be the highest during the years when a couple's children are in school.

Question 20

It is estimated that about half of all U.S.marriages will end in divorce.

Question 21

Cuber and Haroff refer to marriages in which spouses are completely absorbed in one another's life activities,often including work,as

A) vital.
B) total.
C) habituated.
D) gradient.

Question 22

Which behavior pattern in marriage was found to be highly destructive by the "Love Lab" study?

A) contempt
B) stonewalling
C) criticism
D) all of the above

Question 23

Divorce is most common in which of the following racial groups?

A) White
B) Asian
C) Hispanic
D) African American

Question 24

Contemporary research on the benefits of marriage finds that

A) full-time housewives are happier than women who juggle family and paid employment.
B) marriage has a greater positive effect on men's health than it does on women's health.
C) single men are healthier than single women.
D) all of the above

Question 25

The Cuber-Haroff typology of marriages illustrates the point that

A) intact families are very similar in their social characteristics.
B) marital stability does not necessarily indicate marital satisfaction.
C) marital quality is the crucial factor in determining marital stability.
D) most violent relationships end in divorce.

Question 26

Research on marital communication finds that

A) quality is important, not quantity.
B) quality and quantity always go together.
C) quality and quantity are important.
D) quantity is more important than quality.

Question 27

Recent research suggests poor women

A) do not realize marriage is likely to help them escape poverty.
B) are not interested in marriage.
C) prioritize marriage above children.
D) are concerned about the disadvantages of marrying the wrong man.

Question 28

Some scholars point out that marriage does not benefit all social groups equally.Which of the following groups may not experience marriage as highly beneficial?

A) women
B) racial minorities
C) the poor
D) all of the above

Question 29

Research finds that marital communication is greatly affected by

A) positive and negative affect.
B) unequal power.
C) the demand/withdrawal interaction.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 30

According to Waite and Gallagher,what is the principal reason that married individuals have better physical health than unmarried individuals?

A) Married individuals have a spouse who monitors their health and encourages a healthy lifestyle.
B) Married individuals have less discretionary income than singles; this means fewer resources for drugs and alcohol.
C) Married individuals work more hours than singles; this means less leisure time for pursuing dangerous pastimes.
D) Married individuals are more likely to be church members; religious commitments foster a healthy lifestyle.

Question 31

Marital success is measured sociologically by analyzing marital stability and

A) marital quality.
B) economic resources.
C) marital communication.
D) all of the above

Question 32

Interracial marriage is

A) more common among younger than older Americans.
B) more common among less educated than more educated Americans.
C) more common in areas with miscegenation laws.
D) all of the above

Question 33

According to the text,the strong propensity for divorced people to remarry suggests that

A) disillusionment is with a partner, rather than with the institution of marriage.
B) conformity is more important in the United States than personal happiness.
C) individuals in the United States think family values require a marital context.
D) all of the above

Question 34

Sociologists find that the increased longevity of men and women is one explanation for

A) old-age child-rearing activities.
B) increased family size.
C) less sexual dysfunction among older Americans.
D) high divorce rates.

Question 35

Which of the following has been found to be a benefit of marriage?

A) better mental health than single individuals
B) more and better sex than single individuals
C) more economic resources than single individuals
D) all of the above

Question 36

The "Marriage Movement"

A) has received very little support from federal government.
B) focuses on the problems associated with bad marriages.
C) is often supported by those associated with the Family Decline perspective.
D) is often supported by those associated with the Family Resilience perspective.

Question 37

Cuber and Haroff refer to marriages that revolve around argumentation as

A) passive-aggressive.
B) vital.
C) devitalized.
D) conflict-habituated.

Question 38

Which of the following couples is least likely to describe their marriage as happy?

A) a middle-class couple whose children are grown
B) a low-income couple with four children under the age of ten
C) a professional couple with one child
D) a recently married, childless working-class couple

Question 39

The research of Amato et al.finds the impact of wives' full-time employment on marital quality

A) is positive.
B) is negative.
C) is neither positive nor negative.
D) depends on the level of job satisfaction among the wives.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about marital quality is inaccurate?

A) Homogamy and marital quality are positively correlated.
B) The higher the income and education levels, the more positively partners tend to evaluate their marriage.
C) The birth of children improves marital quality.
D) All statements are accurate.

Question 41

The text concludes which of the following about the future of marriage?

A) Marriage is a dying institution.
B) It is quite likely that the Religious Right will reestablish the dominance of traditional marriage in the United States.
C) Marriage is changing because "family values" are no longer important in this society.
D) Marriage is changing because the social conditions have changed markedly.

Question 42

Which of the following does Coontz identify as an obstacle in the past to the acceptance of the belief that marriage is primarily about personal happiness and self-fulfillment?

A) extended families encouraging couples to conform
B) unreliable birth control
C) seeing men and women as vastly different
D) all of the above

Question 43

What is "peer marriage"? How are these marriages organized? Schwartz believes that peer marriage may become a dominant type of marriage in the near future.Do you agree or disagree with her prediction? Explain.

Question 44

The textbook argues patriarchy

A) no longer shapes marriage.
B) only affects marriage among religious conservatives.
C) persists, giving men "invisible power" in marriage.
D) has changed very little from the past.

Question 45

According to research on sexuality in marriage,

A) high quality marriages experience no lag in frequency of sexual contact over time.
B) couples often engage in a "discourse of difference."
C) sex in marriage occurs most often after children leave the home.
D) sexual behavior among spouses is always an expression of physical desire.

Question 46

The power advantage of middle-class husbands over wives

A) is neutralized by egalitarian gender role ideology.
B) is enhanced by their resources and occupational status.
C) is less than that of working-class husbands, who tend to embrace traditional gender role ideology.
D) none of the above

Question 47

Which of the following is not a source of power in marriage?

A) the role of mother
B) societal norms promoting male dominance
C) physical strength
D) economic resources

Question 48

The power relationships between husbands and wives in Latino families

A) are generally more equal when wives work outside the home.
B) are derived primarily from Mexican culture.
C) are almost always characterized by a high degree of machismo.
D) all of the above

Question 49

What are the sources of power in marriage? How do these generally give more marital power to husbands than wives?

Question 50

Why is it important to differentiate between ideology and behavior in the study of marital power in racial ethnic families?

Question 51

Traditional expectations about marriage in the United States have held that individuals should marry as young adults,should have children,and that marriage lasts a lifetime.Looking at recent trends,discuss how these expectations compare to reality.

Question 52

Which of the following is seen as the most important factor in increasing women's marital power?

A) women's employment
B) women outperforming men in terms of prestige and money
C) Gender norms are being changed in society.
D) all of the above

Question 53

Schwartz identifies a new type of marriage relationship characterized by equality,equity,and friendship as

A) "assortive mating."
B) "passive congenial marriage."
C) "peer marriage."
D) "feminist marriage."

Question 54

The text reviews the sociological research on marital quality.Discuss the factors that are associated with higher quality marriages.

Question 55

The stereotype for the egalitarian middle-class marriage persists because

A) it is, in fact, more egalitarian than working class marriages.
B) the middle class has a more egalitarian ideology than the working class.
C) women are forced to work in working-class marriages.
D) all of the above