University at Albany State University of New York Spring 1991 Professor Glenna Spitze T Th 1:00-2:20 Families-Crosslisted: Women's Studies 560 Graduate Level Sociology 560 Graduate Level Purpose: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to some of the research literature on families, with emphasis on the contemporary United States. Topics will include theoretical perspectives on families, family formation and dissolution, family interaction and power, parent-child relations, economic issues, relations with extended family members, and family policies. We will attempt to emphasize diversity among families, and to examine research literature with a critical eye toward underlying assumptions. Texts: On the reading list, readings labelled "CF book" are from Booth (ed.) Contemporary Families, National Council on Family Relations. Those labelled "S & S" are from Family in Transition by Skolnick and Skolnick, 6th ed. The Dornbusch and Strober book is entitled Feminism, Children, and the New Families. Others are from journals and other books. JMF refers to Journal of Marriage and the Family. Journal articles and book chapters will be available in the sociology lounge. We will be reading only selected articles as a class, while some will be reported on by individuals. Requirements: There will be 3 major requirements for the class: First, active participation in class, including presentation of articles to the class and participation in class discussion. Second, you will read a book (see attached list for suggestions; others are acceptable) and prepare a book report, both written (approximately 5 pages) and oral. You must choose your book by Feb. 5 and book reports will start Feb. 26. I have copies of most of these books for loan. Third, you will conduct a research project that will result in a 20-25 page paper. The paper will be presented to the class during the last 2 to 3 weeks of class. It can take the form of a literature review or a report on empirical data analysis. We will discuss it further in class. Proposals for final papers (under one page) are due Tuesday, March 12. Final draft is due Friday, May 10 unless other arrangements are made ahead of time. Final grades will be based on the following: Class participation and reports 30% Book report, oral and written 20% Oral presentation of research project 15% Written research project 35% READING LIST A. Introduction 1. Origins and theories Berardo, "Family research in the 1980's" CF book. Sprey, "Current theorizing on the family" CF book. Beutler et al. "The family realm--theoretical contributions for understanding its uniqueness" (and comments) JMF Aug. 1989 Huber and Spitze, "Trends in family sociology," in Neil Smelser (ed.) Handbook of Sociology, 1988. Collier et al., "Is there a family? New anthropological views," Ch. 2 in Thorne (ed.) Glenn, "Gender and the Family," in Hess and Ferree (eds.) Analyzing Gender. 2. Demographic trends Bumpass, "What's happening to the family? Interactions between demographic and institutional change." Demography Nov. 1990 Watkins et al. "Demographic foundations of family change," ASR June 1987. Henry Walker, "Black-white differences in marriage and family patterns," in Dornbusch and Strober, (eds.), Feminism, Children and the New Families. Thornton, "Changing attitudes toward family issues in the U.S." JMF Nov. 1989 3. Diversity Taylor et al., "Developments in research on black families." CF book. Vega, "Hispanic families in the 1980s" CF book. Baca Zinn, "Family, feminism and race in America." Gender and Society March 1990. Staples and Mirande, "Racial and cultural variations among American families." S & S 35 Gutman, "Persistent myths about the Afro-American family", in Gordon (ed.), The American Family in Social-Historical Perspective. Macklin, "Nontraditional family forms: a decade of research," November 1980 JMF. B. Family Interaction among adults. 1. Couple relationships Glenn, "Quantitative research on marital quality in the 1980s" CF book. Noller and Fitzpatrick, "Marital communication in the eighties." CF book. Surra, "Research and theory on mate selection..." CF book. Demaris and Leslie, "Cohabitation with the future spouse: Its influence on marital satisfaction and commitment," Feb. 84 JMF White, "Determinants of spousal interaction: marital structure or marital happiness," Aug. 1983 JMF Peplau, "Research on homosexual couples: an overview." Journal of Homosexuality Winter 1982. 2. Gender and Power in families Thompson and Walker, "Gender in families." CF book. Kranichfeld, "Rethinking family power," in Glenn and Coleman (eds.), Family Relations. Gillespie "Who has the power? the marital struggle." Aug. 1971 JMF Willie and Greenblatt, "Four 'classic' studies of power relations in black families," Nov. 1978 JMF C. Family Interactions involving children 1. Children's status in society Preston, "Children and the elderly: divergent paths for America's dependents," Demography Nov. 1984 Zelizer, "Pricing the priceless child", S & S 28 2. Effects of family size and structure on children McLanahan and Booth, "Mother-only families" CF book. Blake, "Family size and the quality of children," Nov. 1981 Demog. Blake, "The only child in America: prejudice vs. performance," March 1981 Population and Development Review Polit and Falbo, "Only children and personality development," May 1987 JMF Dornbusch and Gray, "Single parent families." Dornbusch and Strober Ch. 12 Blechman, "Are children with one parent at psychological risk?" Feb. 1982 JMF 3. Non-parental child care Belsky, "Parental and nonparental child care and children's socioemotional development." CF book. Floge, "The dynamics of child-care use and some implications for women's employment," Feb. 85 JMF Hofferth and Phillips, "Child care in the United States, 1970 to 1995," Aug. 1987 JMF Skold, "The interests of feminists and children in child care." in Dornbusch and Strober. 4. Parent-child relations, effects on children Gecas and Seff, "Families and adolescents," CF book. Fein, "Research on fathering: social policy and an emergent perspective." S & S 32 Miller, "Gay fathers and their children" The Family Coordinator, October 1979 Peters, "Parenting in black families with young children," in Harriette McAdoo (ed.) Black Families, 2nd ed. 5. Parenting: Effects on parents McLanahan and Adams, "Parenthood and psychological well-being." Annual Review of Sociology 1987, 13: 237-57. Rossi, "Gender and parenthood," ASR Feb. 1984 White et al., "Children and marital happiness: why the negative correlation?", Journal of Family Issues 1986 p. 131 Blake, "Is zero preferred? American attitudes toward childlessness in the 1970s," May 1979 JMF D. Economic issues. 1. Paid work and housework Ferree, "Feminism and family research," in CF book. Maines and Hardesty, "Temporality and gender: young adults' career and family plans," Sept. 1987 Social Forces Cowan, "Twentieth-century changes in household technology." S & S 3 Coverman and Sheley, "Change in men's housework and child-care time, 1965-1975," May 1986 JMF Glenn, "Split Household, small producer and dual wage earner: an analysis of Chinese-American family strategies." Feb. 1983 JMF Kraut and Gramsich, "Home-based white collar employment," Dec. 1987 Social Forces 2. Consequences of work roles for family members Spitze, "Wives' employment and family relations," CF book. Menaghan and Parcel, "Parental employment and family life." CF book. Kingston and Nock, "Consequences of the family work day." Aug. 1985 JMF Ybarra "When wives work: impact on the Chicano family." Feb.82 JMF Ross et al., "Dividing work, sharing work, and in-between: marriage patterns and depression," Dec. 1983 ASR Davis, "Wives and work: the sex role revolution and its consequences" Population and Development Review Sept. 1984 Broman, 1988. "Household work and family life satisfaction of blacks." Aug. JMF Mischel and Fuhr, "Maternal employment: its psychological effects on children and their families." Dornbusch and Strober Ch. 9 3. Poverty and family structure Voydanoff, "Economic distress and family relations." CF book. McLanahan, "Family structure and the reproduction of poverty." Jan. 1985 AJS Bianchi and Farley," Racial differences in family living arrangements and economic wellbeing." Aug. 1979 JMF Darity and Myers, "Does welfare dependency cause female headship: the case of the black family." JMF Nov. 1984 Wilson, "Poverty and family structure: the widening gap between evidence and public policy issues." S & S 36 Staples, 1989 "Changes in black family structure: the conflict between family ideology and structural conditions," in Risman and Schwartz Baca Zinn, "Family, race, and poverty in the eighties." Signs Summer, 1989. Collins, "A comparison of two works on black family life." Signs Summer, 1989. E. Dissolution and Reconstitution. 1. Determinants White, "Determinants of divorce," CF book. Udry, "Marital alternatives and marital disruption," Nov. 1981 JMF Huber and Spitze, "Considering divorce: an expansion of Becker's theory of marital instability," July 1980 AJS 2. Consequences Kitson and Morgan, "The multiple consequences of divorce." CF book. Demo and Acock, "The impact of divorce on children." CF book. Weitzman and Dixon, "The transformation of legal marriage through no-fault divorce." S & S 24 Glenn and Kramer, "The psychological wellbeing of adult children of divorce," Nov. 1985 JMF Furstenberg and Nord, "Parenting apart: patterns of childrearing after marital disruption," Nov. 1985 JMF Furstenberg et al., "Paternal participation and children's well-being after marital dissolution," ASR Oct. 1987 Uhlenberg and Myers 1981 "Divorce and the elderly." The Gerontologist 3. Remarried families Coleman and Ganong "Remarriage and stepfamily research in the 1980s." CF book. Cherlin, "Remarriage as an incomplete institution." Nov. 78 AJS. Bumpass, "Some characteristics of children's second families," Nov. 1984 AJS White and Booth, "The quality and stability of remarriage: the role of stepchildren," Oct. 1985 ASR Crosbie-Burnett et al., "Exploring stepfamilies from a feminist perspective," in Dornbusch and Strober F. Kinship Relations; Aging families Brubaker, "Families in later life." CF book. Mancini and Blieszner, 1989, "Aging parents and adult children." CF book. Cherlin and Furstenberg, "The modernization of grandparenthood." S & S 10 Sena-Rivera, "Extended kinship in the U.S.: competing models and the case of La Familia Chicana," Feb. 1979 JMF Rempel, "Childless elderly: what are they missing? May 1985 JMF Taylor, "Receipt of support from family among Black Americans: demographic and familial differences," Feb. 1986 JMF Finley, 1989. "Theories of family labor as applied to gender differences in caregiving for elderly parents." JMF Feb. G. Family Problems: Violence, Child abuse, Elder Abuse Gelles and Conte, "Domestic violence and sexual abuse of children" CF book. Piercy and Sprenkle, "Marriage and family therapy," CF book. Gordon, "The politics and history of family violence." S & S 4 Straus et al., "The marriage license as a hitting license." S & S 23 Pillemer, "The dangers of dependency: new findings on domestic violence against the elderly." Social Problems 33: 146-58, December 1985. H. Family-related Policies; Feminism and The New Right Aldous and Dumon, "Family policy in the 1980s" CF book. Kay, "Reproductive technology and child custody," S & S 30 Rothman, 1989, "Women as fathers: motherhood and child care under a modified patriarchy," Gender & Society March. Cohen and Katzenstein, "The war over the family is not over the family," Dornbusch and Strober Strober and Dornbusch, "Public policy alternatives," in Dornbusch and Strober. Klatch, "Coalition and conflict among women of the new right," Signs, Summer 1988. Suggestions for book reports Carol Stack, All Our Kin, 1974 Lenore Weitzman, The Divorce Revolution, 1983 Andrew Cherlin and Frank Furstenberg, The New American Grandparent, 1986 Francesca Cancian, Love in America, 1987 Louise Tilly and Joan Scott, Women, Work and Family, rev. ed. 1987 Frank Furstenberg and Graham Spanier, Recycling the Family, 1984 Barbara Ehrenreich, The Hearts of Men, 1983 Kathleen Gerson, Hard Choices: How Women Decide About Work, Career, and Motherhood, 1985 Ann Oakley, The Sociology of Housework 1974 Naomi Gerstel and Harriet Gross, Commuter Marriage: A Study of Work and Family, 1986 Graham Spanier and Linda Thompson, Parting: The Aftermath of Separation and Divorce, 1984 Viviana Zelizer, Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children, 1985 Lillian Rubin, Worlds of Pain: Life in the Working Class Family. 1976. Kristin Luker, Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood, 1984. Diane Vaughan, Uncoupling: Turning Points in Intimate Relationships. 1986 Terry Arendell, Mothers and Divorce. 1986. Diana Russell, The Secret Trauma, 1986 Linda Gordon, Heroes of their Own Lives, 1988. Judith Stacy, Brave New Families, 1990. Barbara Katz Rothman, Recreating Motherhood: Ideology and Technology in a Patriarchal Society, 1989. Arlie Hochschild, The Second Shift, 1989. Judith Blake, Family Size and Achievement.