Showing papers in "Family Relations in 1988"

Changing men : new directions in research on men and masculinity

Abstract: Rethinking 'Masculinity' - Michael S Kimmel New Directions in Research PART ONE: REFORMULATING THE MALE ROLE The Structure of Male Role Norms - Edward Thompson and Joseph Pleck The Embodiment of Masculinity - Mark Mishkind et al Cultural, Psychological, and Behavioral Dimensions The Life of a Man's Seasons - Michael Messner Male Identity in the Lifecourse of the Jock On Heterosexual Masculinity - Gregory M Herek Some Psychical Consequences of the Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality PART TWO: MEN IN DOMESTIC SETTINGS American Fathering in Historical Perspective - Joseph Pleck Paternal Child Care and the Status of Women - Scott Coltrane A Cross-Cultural Study of Gender Differentiation Fathers in Transition - Teresa L Jump and Linda Haas Dual-Career Fathers Participating in Childcare PART THREE: MEN AND WOMEN What do Women Want...from Men? The Role Men Play in Women's Lives - Kathleen Gerson One of the Boys - Gary Alan Fine Women in Male Dominated Settings The Fraternal Bond as a Joking Relationship - Peter Lyman A Case Study of the Role of Sexist Jokes in Male Group Bonding PART FOUR: SEXUALITY In Pursuit of the Perfect Penis - Leonore Tiefer The Medicalization of Male Sexuality Motivations of Abortion Clinic Waiting Room Males - Arthur Shostak 'Bottled-up' Roles and Unmet Needs Mass Media Sexual Violence and Male Viewers - Edward Donnerstein and Daniel Linz Current Theory and Research PART FIVE: RACE AND GENDER Gender and Imperialism - Mrinalini Sinha Colonial Policy and the Ideology of Moral Imperialism in Late 19th Century Bengal Predicting Interpersonal Conflict Between Men and Women - Lawrence Gary The Case of Black Men Race, Class and Gender - Noel Cazenave and George Leon An Analysis of Male Work and Family Roles PART SIX: TOWARDS MEN'S STUDIES New Perspectives on Masculinity - Harry Brod A Case for Men's Studies Teaching About Men - Michael S Kimmel Maculinist Reaction or 'Gentlemen's Auxiliary'? The Men's Movement - Michael Schiffman An Empirical Study

Typologies of Resilient Families: Emerging Roles of Social Class and Ethnicity.

Abstract: The study of resilient families, or the search for characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations, is a natural and predictable development in the evolution of family science. Current findings from the studies conducted on resilient families are reviewed and summarized with an emphasis on three emerging issues. The importance of social class and ethnicity is accentuated in a review of current studies conducted on military families. Deterrents to and the need for more research on resilient families are discussed in relationship to the value of prevention oriented family programs. The study of resilient families, or the search for characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations, is a natural and predictable development in the evolution of family science. Families appear to endure even in the face of adversity, and we are pressed to discover why. This line of scientific inquiry was initially characterized by a heavy investment in descriptive research listing those family strengths which authors inferred from family therapists' testimony and questionnaires (i.e., Curran, 1983; Otto, 1963). This was complemented by efforts to uncover those family resources which facilitate adaptation following a major crisis, a catastrophe or chronic illness (i.e., McCubbin, McCubbin, Patterson, Cauble, Wilson, & Warwick, 1983; Patterson & McCubbin, 1983). In recent times, family scientists have turned to theory building and research which move beyond these descriptive accounts, involve tests of the efficacy of these strengths, examine underlying patterns of family functioning referred to as family typologies (Lavee, 1985; McCubbin, 1986). In an effort to advance this line of research and theory building and foster the development of preventionoriented family-based programs, it would be instructive to review and examine the most recent findings to discern the emerging challenges and paradoxes involved in the study of resilient families. On the basis of a systematic review of the research strategies and findings from recent investiaations on resilient families conducted as part of the Family Stress, Coping and Health Project at the University of Wisconsin, we will attempt to shed some light on the emerging themes as well as paradoxes and present the pressing challenges for family life education and practice.

Children's Ethnic Socialization: Pluralism and Development.

Abstract: Introduction - Mary Jane Rotheram Definitions and Perspectives in the Study of Children's Ethnic Socialization PART ONE: ETHNICITY AND THE YOUNG CHILD: AWARENESS, ATTITUDES AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION The Development of Ethnic Self-identification and Attitudes - Frances E Aboud Young Children's Thinking About Ethnic Differences - Patricia G Ramsey A Social-Psychological Model of Ethnic Identity Development - Graham M Vaughan Developmental and Social Processes in Ethnic Attitudes and Self-Identification - Phyllis A Katz PART TWO: MINORITY STATUS AND THE CHILD Black Children's Ethnic Identity Formation - Margaret B Spencer Risk and Resilience of Castelike Minorities A Two-Factor Theory of Black Identity - William E Cross Jr Implications for the Study of Identity Development in Minority Children Ethnic Labeling and Identity Among Mexican-Americans - Raymond Buriel PART THREE: LATER CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE: ETHNIC IDENTITY AND ETHNIC GROUP PATTERNS Ethnic Identity Development in Adolescents - Doreen A Rosenthal The Role of Language in the Formation of Ethnic Identity - Monica Heller Ethnic Behavior Patterns as an Aspect of Identity - Mary Jane Rotheram and Jean S Phinney The Ethnic Component in Black Language and Culture - Thomas Kochman Historical Sociocultural Premises and Ethnic Socialization - Rogelio Diaz-Guerrero PART FOUR: THE STUDY OF ETHNICITY: EMERGING THEMES AND IMPLICATIONS Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Components of Research on Ethnic Identity and Intergroup Relations - Janet Ward Schofield and Karen Anderson Children's Ethnic Socialization - Jean S Phinney and Mary Jane Rotheram Themes and Implications

Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change

Abstract: Too many American families unstable, broken, often poor are in serious peril, and both the reality of the situation and the myths obscuring that reality call for attention and swift action. In this most incisive analysis of the parlous state of the family today, Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund, charts what is happening, exposes myths, and sets a bold agenda to strengthen families and protect children. In brilliant strokes and with abundant detail, Edelman describes family conditions over a generation the rising curve of teenage pregnancy, the overwhelming joblessness of young blacks, the trend toward single-parent households, the increase in hungry and neglected children.Dispelling common assumptions about these bleak phenomena, she shows that the birth rate for black unmarried women is stabilizing while that for unmarried whites continues to rise, that Aid to Dependent Children does not cause teenage pregnancy or births, and that the child poverty rate has increased two-thirds for whites in recent years, as opposed to one-sixth for black children. Overall, whites are losing ground faster than blacks. Speaking for a growing number of social commentators, she finds the key to explain the rising proportion of births to single black mothers: a lost generation of fathers young black males unable to marry and support a family, jobless from lack of education and training.What can be done? Edelman links the family and child poverty crisis to the fragile and ephemeral commitment of government to assist the needy. She suggests establishing a partnership between government, the private sector, and the black community to ensure children food, clothing, housing, medical care, and education. Preventive investment strategies providing health, nutrition, and child care, raising the minimum wage, preventing teenage pregnancies, and opening up educational and employment opportunities for heads of families will benefit us all. A passionate call to act now, to give real meaning to traditional American instincts for decency, this book is essential reading for everyone committed to preserving the nation's future."

Demographic Change and the Life Course: Some Emerging Trends in the Family Realm.

Abstract: Demographic change during this century has altered the prevalence timing and sequencing of some key family transitions. Patterns of family deaths are now more predictable. Grandparenthood is more prevalent and falls into a clearer sequence of life changes. Marital disruption presents complex somewhat contradictory patterns. Divorce and remarriage clearly illustrate the importance of recognizing counter transitions; life changes reflect the interdependencies among lives in the family. The author concludes that researchers and practitioners need to view families as complex webs of lives and relationships. (authors)

Who "Mothers" the Chronically Mentally Ill?

Abstract: The purpose of this analysis is to explore how the shift to community residence and treatment has influenced mothers who care for their mentally ill young adult offspring. Home visits with clients and their families were used to gather interview, questionnaire, and observational data from 49 parents residing with a psychiatrically disabled child at the time of the latter's entry into a psychiatric rehabilitation program. Results indicated a high level of emotional distress on the part of both mothers and fathers. Mothers reported significantly higher degrees of anxiety, depression, fear, and emotional drain, even following the introduction of a series of control variables measuring parent's education, ethnicity, age, the illness length, and the offspring's gender. Application of a feminist analysis to these data suggests a theoretical and clinical approach based on understanding the meaning of the child's illness to mothers themselves, along with an awareness of what is involved in caring for severely mentally ill individuals. Such an approach may be used by clinicians to avoid well-documented tendencies in the psychotherapeutic professions toward mother-blaming and maternal scapegoating, and to formulate effective ways to support women and their families in caring for a mentally ill offspring.

Examining the Definition and Assessment of Social Support: A Resource for Individuals and Families.

Abstract: Family practitioners consider social support to be a significant resource for individuals and family members encountering stress. There has, however, not been an adequate way to assess an individual's or a family's perception of the social support they are receiving. A new definition of social support is presented, along with a way to measure two dimensions of social support: (a) the kinds of support available, such as emotional support; and (b) the sources of support, such as friends. The instrument described here has been used most extensively with first-time parents, but has potential as an aid for therapists and educators to help individuals and families in other contexts and roles.

Gender Differences in the Definition and Perception of Household Labor.

Abstract: This article used data from a time-budget and interview study with 60 married couples. Household labor activities recorded in the diaries were analyzed in terms of whether they were experienced as work or leisure, and in terms of their perceptual dimensions and objective situational contexts. Females defined their household labor activities more often as work than did males. In addition, the situational contexts were more negative for females. The employment status of females had little effect on the definition and perception of household labor. These results have implications for family practitioners concerned about the division of responsibility for household labor.

Conflict, Emotion, and Personal Strain among Family Caregivers.

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of interpersonal conflict, affection, and distress concerning dependency and caregiving satisfactions in predicting caregiver strain and negative emotion. The sample consisted of 98 family caregivers responding to a self-administered questionnaire. Results from two separate stepwise multiple regressions noted that interpersonal conflict between the elder and caregiver predicted the greatest amount of variance in both caregiver strain and negative affect. The implications of the findings for family therapists, family life educators, and gerontologists working with the elderly and their family caregivers are discussed.

Parents, Children, Siblings, In-Laws, and Non-Kin as Sources of Emergency Assistance to Black Americans

Abstract: Demographic correlates of familial and nonfamilial sources of emergency assistance among blacks were examined with data from a national probability sample (Panel Study of Income Dynamics-1980). Both family and non-kin were found to be important sources of emergency assistance. Multivariate analyses revealed age, gender, marital status, and urbanlrural differences in the source of emergency assistance. The findings highlighted the critical importance of the parent-child bond across the life course. The article concludes with a discussion of the practice implications of the findings.

Family Stress, Resources, and Family Types: Chronic Illness in Children.

Abstract: Family stress, resources, parental coping, and family types were measured in 58 two-parent families who had a child with myelomeningocele. The sample was divided into three groups based on whether the child had a mild, moderate, or severe level of impairment; and the relationships between the family characteristics and the child's health status and number of active health problems were determined. Results show an increasing level of family system involvement contributing to the child health outcomes with increasing severity of impairment. Implications for assessment and intervention by family practitioners are discussed.

The Marriage Quiz: College Students' Beliefs in Selected Myths about Marriage.

Abstract: The 20-item Marriage Quiz was developed to measure students'beliefs in myths about marriage and family relations. A sample of 279 college students completed the Marriage Quiz. Female students missed significantly fewer items than male students. Students with a less romantic perception of marriage missed significantly fewer items than more romantic students. Students who completed a marriage and family course missed significantly fewer items than students who did not complete the course. The uses of the Marriage Quiz in family life education are outlined. O ne explanation for the current high divorce rate and the prevalence of marital dissatisfaction is that Americans have high and unrealistic expectations of marriage-expecting a spouse to simultaneously be a friend, a confidant, a fulfilling sex partner, a counselor, and a parent. Epstein and Eidelson (1981) found that unhappy couples possess unrealistic expectations about marriage which harm their chances for developing marital satisfaction. Underlying these unrealistic marital expectations are often beliefs in a variety of myths about marriage (Crosby, 1985a). A myth is defined as a widely held belief that is not supported by the facts.

Exploring Relationship Satisfaction: A Social Exchange Perspective on the Interdependence between Theory, Research, and Practice.

Abstract: This article explores the applications of the social exchange perspective on relationship satisfaction to educational and therapeutic interventions with those involved in close personal relationships. The article focuses on the role that relationship expectations play in the evaluations that people make of their relationships. A specific illustration of the relevance of this exchange perspective on relationship satisfaction for educational intervention with premarital couples is presented. Specifically, the educational implications of data contrasting the relationship expectations of exclusively dating and married couples and the males and females within each of these groups are explored.

Family change and gender differences: Implications for theory and practice.

Abstract: Theories of gender on which public policy and therapeutic interventions are based have not kept up with the family transition from preindustrial to modern times. The functionalist view of sex roles continues to emphasize separate spheres for women and men, a view which also has been adopted by some feminists. Yet working mothers have dual roles and suffer from overload as shown by research in a traditional society such as China and in an industrialized society such as the United States. Alpha bias, the exaggeration of gender opposition, is characteristic of psychodynamic and sex role theories. Beta bias, the denial of gender differences, is evident in systems theories. The dual roles of women and their dual socialization call for a new model of gender differences which recognizes this asymmetry in women's and men's roles and responsibilities.

Family Development's First Forty Years.

Abstract: The history of family development and its interdisciplinary nature are reviewed. Variations as well as the universality of the family life cyc/e and developmental tasks are explored. Examples of the applications of family developmental concepts by a variety of practitioners in the family field are presented. W hy should I undertake a history of family development at this time? Many of you are better equipped in theory-building, research, and the history of family studies than am 1. Most of you have academic settings where such endeavors flow more easily than in my idiosyncratic situation. But, I am one of the few survivors of those early days when family development was conceived, born, and named as a respectable member of family study. So, bear with me while I tell you about the olden days when the family development conceptual framework was very young. At the end of World War 11, American families were in disarray. Marriage on a weekend pass all too often was followed by a "Dear John" letter. Women are reluctant to leave jobs that had given them independence. Men, too, had changed; and the "crisis of reunion" was general as families struggled to establish themselves in the postwar economy.

Child Behavior in Mexican American/Chicano Families: Maternal Teaching and Child-Rearing Practices

Abstract: When mother-child dyads in a Mexican American/Chicano sample are observed during a structured teaching task, children respond differently to permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian child-rearing practices. Analysis of family ecosystem variables show that despite their 10th-grade mean education level, these lower socioeconomic status mothers are well acculturated since most were third or fourth generation, speak English fluently, and live in predominantly white neighborhoods in the Midwest. Suggestions are made to teachers and family life educators for serving Chicano families without violating the essential role that their ethnicity plays in developing and maintaining a strong and fulfilling family life.

Puerto Rican familism: considerations for family therapy

Abstract: The Puerto Rican cultural value of familism has been described as a traditional modality that emphasizes the obligation and duties of family members to one another (Rogler & Cooney, 1984). As a core value of Puerto Rican families on the United States mainland, familism has endured the changes in cultural values brought about by repeated migrations between the United States mainland and Puerto Rico, the influences of social and economic trends in the United States, and the pressures to acculturate to American society. Familiarity with this cultural value helps the family therapist accurately define the family's problems and needs, and promotes an interventive approach congruent with the Puerto Rican family's expectations. O ver the past several decades, the employment of Puerto Ricans on the mainland United States has depended largely on the strength of the Northeast manufacturing and service sectors (United States Commission for Employment Policy, 1982). The mercurial economic conditions of these sectors have resulted in low wages and unstable employment for mainland Puerto Ricans. The oscillations in employment have brought about what has been termed "circular migration" (Ford Foundation, 1984) between Puerto Rico and, generally, the major cities of the Northeast. Return migration to Puerto Rico occurs when employment opportunities decrease on the mainland. Conversely, when the island economy experiences diminished activity or mainland employment prospects look more promising, a relocation follows (United States Commission for Employment Policy, 1982). Historically, this migration pattern has been facilitated because Puerto Ricans hold United States citizenship from birth, and air fares to the mainland are low. Circular migration among Puerto Ricans has engendered changes in the family's lifestyle from traditional, island values toward contemporary American cultural values. Intergenerational changes in ethnic identity, for example, have taken place. Rogler, Cooney, and Ortiz (1980) noted that first-generation Puerto Rican immigrant parents hold older island values and norms more strongly than do their children. Adult children who have been exposed to extended periods of residency on the mainland are less likely to speak Spanish, to reDort SDanish fluency, and to listen to Spanish-language radio and television. In a similar study, Col leran (1984) found that while Spanish is losing its relevance in their daily lives, parents and children value its importance for achievement in American society. Rogler et al. (1980) also found that the adult children clearly prefer to identify themselves as Puerto Ricans rather than Americans. Indeed, movement toward biculturalism is stronger than toward assimilation to a monocultural American identification. The identification with Puerto Rico has a special importance for the children's identities. The children, Colleran (1984) writes, "have chosen to remain bicultural in their outlook, retaining their connection with Puerto Rico despite increasing cultural distance from its heritage" (p. 6).

Black/White Family Comparisons in Helping and Decision-Making Networks of Impaired Elderly.

Abstract: Research on racial differences in kin support and use of professionals provides conflicting findings. Unlike recent research, this study differentiates the roles of kin and formal assistance in instrumental care and decision making using interviews with 193 white and 51 black family caregivers. Use of ANOVA shows few differences in the size of networks. However, white elders are twice as likely to participate centrally in decisions regarding their care. There is also a notable absence of professional participation in decision making. Implications for serving racially heterogeneous populations are discussed.

Employer Family-Supportive Policies: Diverse Variations on the Theme.

Abstract: Since the United States lacks the national family-supportive programs of European societies, a major issue for employed parents and family practitioners is the extent and nature of employer workplace initiatives. Interviews with a sample of New Orleans employers bolstered other research findings of progress but continued limited workplace implementations of formal, family-supportive programs. This study found that modifications of formal policies and informal policies did extend organizational family supports, and a high degree of variability in family-supportive practices seems to be the current social milieu of employed parents.

AIDS: Implications for Families.

Abstract: Facts about AIDS and its epidemiology are reviewed and the psychosocial implications for families and human service professionals are discussed. AIDS was 1st diagnosed in the US in 1981. As of January 18 1988 51361 cases of AIDS had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and 56% of these had already died. It is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million persons in the US are currently infected with human immunodeficiency virus and by the end of 1991 179000 will have died because of the disease. Yet it is only recently that family professionals have become sensitized to the profound impact of these realities on families and their members as well as on the communities within which they live. Public education; voluntary anonymous testing with counseling; integrated family-oriented health care; and long-term implications are considered.

Life Satisfaction among Young Adults from Rural Families.

Abstract: This study examined whether objective indicators of life conditions (e.g., status attainment variables, closeness to one's childhood home, and community size) and subjective measures of life circumstances (e.g., self-esteem and frustrations about limited job opportunities) would predict life satisfaction in a sample of low-income youth from rural Appalachia. Data were acquired by questionnaires as part of a longitudinal project on 322 young people in their early twenties. Multiple regression was used to analyze the data provided by these respondents. Both subjective and objective conditions of life were predictors of life satisfaction in low-income youth from rural Appalachia. Although objective attainment variables (i.e., educational and occupational attainment) did not predict, financial resources, self-esteem, and proximity to one's childhood home were positive predictors; frustrations about limited job opportunities and community size were negative predictors of life satisfaction. Several implications are discussed for intervention programs by family and other professionals.

The effect of age in the transition to parenthood: are delayed childbearers a unique group?

Abstract: This study compares delayed and younger childbearers in the US during the transition to parenthood using a longitudinal design. It examines changes in the marital adjustment self-esteem and sex-role attributions that occur for both partners from the last trimester of pregnancy until their child is 12 months old. Based upon previous research and theorizing about the phenomenon of delayed childbearing it was predicted that delayed childbearing women when compared to younger childbearers would score higher in masculinity prior to giving birth and would experience less decline in marital adjustment and a greater increase in femininity across the transition to parenthood. The study failed to find any indication that delayed childbearers are a distinct group in terms of personal and family variables. There were neither initial differences between delayed and younger childbearers in any of several personal and family variables despite clear differences in demographic characteristics. Earlier quite positive assessments of delayed childbearers may have been unduly optimistic because of the use of special subgroups of delayed childbearers (e.g. women in middle management or in professional careers) and an over emphasis upon their personal assets (e.g. higher education higher income). Interestingly the transition to parenthood was quite similar for men and women on the dependent measures used. In this sample there was no difference in the proportion of women in each group who worked or who returned to work after childbirth.