Changes in Women ; Marraiage Essay Example For Students

Changes in Women ; Marraiage Essay Changes in Women and Marriage- Changes in Women and Marriage- Abstract This paper presents an in-depth discussion about the changing relationship between women and marriage. Economic factors, a rise in feminism, parents influence, attitudes about sex, educational pursuits, and divorce statistics are discussed and their influence on womens attitudes toward marriage are explored. Cultural changes that have impacted womens lives are also examined. The purpose of the paper is to explore the changes affecting women, their attitudes toward marriage, and their expectations of marriage. This paper will primarily concentrate on the question of why women delay marriage. The sources used to develop this paper are published journals, the text for this course along with other books related to this issue, and the Internet. The Changing Relationship Between Women and Marriage Over the past four decades there has been substantial changes in the attitudes toward marriage among women in the United States. These attitudes relate to gender roles and social changes in todays society and have contributed to women marrying later than their ancestors married. Studies show American women are waiting longer than ever to get married. Their median age at first marriage hit a record high of 24. 5 years in 1994, up from 20 years in the mid 1950s (Crispell, 1996). Thats the oldest age since the Census Bureau started to ask about age at marriage in 1890. Of course postponing marriage means an increase, at any given time, in the number of people who have never wed, and that is also reflected in the census study. From 1970 to 1994 the number of Americans aged 18 and over who never married more than doubled from 21. 4 million to 44.2 million. Additionally, women may be less likely to marry in the future. Projections show the proportion of never married women increasing between 1992 and 2010 for all age groups under 55 (Crispell). According to Allen Kalish (1984), the timing of a first marriage is related to the attractiveness of the alternatives to marrying. When women value roles that provide viable alternatives to the role of wife, they delay marriage. The role of women has undergone significant transformation brought about by changes in society. Todays families are smaller and live longer, thereby allowing women to devote a smaller part of their lives to raising children than was the case in earlier times (Allen ; Kalish). Thus, more time is left for other pursuits. A woman who enters her first marriage at an older age is less likely to exchange dependence on her parents for dependence on a husband (Unger ; Crawford, 1992). Elder (1974) found that women who married later were more likely to have careers, financial stability and be middle class as opposed to lower class background. What has transformed societal attitudes toward marriage so that young women delay it, older women get out of it, and some women skip it altogether? Economic factors, a rise in feminism, parental influences, attitudes about sex, educational pursuits, and the divorce rate have all undergone significant cultural changes and are among some of the reasons being credited for influencing the ideas women have about marriage. Lets examine these influences and the attitudes of women which determine their decision to marry or delay marriage. We will also examine the expectations of marriage that todays educated women may have and how these expectations differ from other womens expectations. Economic factors have resulted in women working outside the home, and have had a strong influence over a womans decision to marry. The ever increasing opportunities for women to work outside the home make her less and less dependent, economically, upon a husband (Casler, 1974, p. 30). Late marrying women indicated that careers took relative precedence over marriage during the period of their lives when their less achievement oriented peers were opting for marriage (Allen ; Kalish, p. 141). Women now in the labor market want more than just a job, and therefore, actively pursue a career. Between 1969 and 1979, for example, percentages of women endorsing wanting to be an authority in my field increased from 54.3% to 70.5% and in 1979 were only 4.8% lower than the percentage for men. Women endorsing wanting to raise a family declined in these years from 77.8% to64.8% which equals the percentage for men. (Long, 1983). Beckers (1981) theories of marriage and family behavior hypothesize that womens increasing labor force participation has had a critical and presumably irreversible impact on the family. If half of all marriages are to fail, and with alimony for ex-wives less common, a woman cannot count upon marriage for a lifetime of economic security (Allen ; Kalish). Mens economic status has substantially deteriorated since the 1970s (Oppenheimer, 1994). The median income of men aged 25 to 34 fell by 26% between 1972 and 1994 (Koontz, 1997). The institution of marriage underwent a particularly rebellious and dramatic shift when women entered the work force. People dont have to stay married because of economic forces now . . . we are in the midst of trying to renegotiate what the marriage contracts is what men and women are suppose to do as partners (Gleick, 1995). Studies show the lowest marriage rate of all is for women professionals (i.e., doctors, lawyers). While over three-fourths of all women in the United States aged 35 to 39 are married, fewer than two thirds of these are professional women. Further, when they do marry, professional women are more likely to divorce than their age peers. As for childbearing, these women have significantly fewer children than their nonprofessional counterparts, when they have children at all (Allen ; Kalish). In the case of having children Oppenheimer argues that the major component of the cost of children is the indirect cost the cost of the mothers time (p. 295). A rise in feminism is credited for being another strong influence in womens lives. Feminism movements, with emphasis upon educational and vocational achievements for women, seem to encourage departure from traditional sex roles which were chiefly organized around marriage and children, and toward more extensive careers for women, especially those who are well educated (Becker). Even though not all young women label themselves feminists, the idea that women can and should have aspirations other than wife and mother has been widely accepted (Unger Crawford, pg. 364). While it is true the womans movement has made significant progress in its attempt to equalize opportunities, the situation continues to be blatantly unjust. It has been said that marriage diminishes man, which is often true; but almost always it annihilates woman (Casler, p. 30). Jubilee Year Essay In the 21st century, men will remain more married than women because of the surplus of adult women in all but the under age 25 group (McLaughlin). Gottman found that a major complaint of divorced women was that their ex-husbands had the majority of power. Moreover, it is still overwhelming women, not men, who are called upon to adjust their work lives to the demands of child rearing by quitting their jobs, working part-time or choosing a flexible job over one that offers higher pay (Cherlin, 1990). Women are also showing less patience with problem marriages as growing numbers unravel the marriage bond with divorce. The decline in the ideal of marital permanence one of the most well documented value changes among Americans in recent decades also has tended to make persons less willing and able to make the needed commitments to and investments in marriage (Gleick, 1993, p. 28). While entering into marriage with the utmost care and deepest consideration can only be to the good, it may be marriage itself along with the most basic institutions like the work place that continues to need refining (Gleick, p. 28). Todays women, all too aware of the current divorce numbers, may be hesitant to enter into marriage. I would say were in a stalled revolution . . . women have gone into the labor force, but not much else has changed to adapt to that new situation. We have not rewired the notion of manhood so that it makes sense to men to participate at home (Gleick, pg. 56). Many married women report although their role has changed when they entered the work force, men primary have kept doing what they have always been doing, thus, putting additional burdens on women (Gleick). However it seems that it is not the increased workload itself but rather the increased inequality that makes mothers less satisfied with their marriages than nonmothers (Unger Crawford, pg. 375). Men are making some progress though, in taking on household tasks, including child care, but women still shoulder most of the burden in families. One of the most likely reasons for the decline in marital success is an increase in what persons expect of marriage. The levels of intimacy, emotional support, companionship, and sexual gratification that people believe they should get from marriage differ because of the breakdown of what it means to be husband or wife. Whereas, until recently, the rights and obligations of spouses were prescribed culturally and fairly well understood by just about everyone, they have become a matter for regulation in the individual marriages for some this has led to discord and disappointment (Gleick, p. 26). Altogether then, cultural changes related to sex roles would seem to produce different expectations of marriage. A woman who has supported herself to the age of 25 or above and has lived on her own until that age has had time to get more education, be exposed more to a variety of view points and experiences, and therefore, is more likely to expect a peer relationship with her husband. All in all, she is more likely than a younger woman to enter marriage with a well developed sense of self worth and broad horizons for her life (Unger ; Crawford, pg. 364). Compared with a woman who marries younger she is more likely to expect a more traditional relationship in which the husband is dominant (Everett, 1991). According to Everett, younger women expect greater communication, companionship, and compatibility with their spouses than older women. Possibly younger women, still maturing, have not yet developed their own sense of self worth and, therefore, depend on their spouse to fulfill their needs of worthiness. As opposed to older women who, in most cases, have a more stronger sense of self worth. The traditional bargain struck between men and women financial support for domestic services is no longer valid. Women have shown outstanding improvements in education, and played a major part in the work force. With education and occupation in their hands, women do not need to rely on men for economic support, thus marriage is not an immediate concern anymore. However, it should be noted that when both husband and wife are employed the marriage is given an economic boost. Nonetheless, all of these changes have spurred women to greater autonomy. Each has affected marriage in a different way, but all have worked in unity toward the same result to make marriage less urgent and more arbitrary. Marriage may change for the better if people are committed to making the institution work, although in a new format. Still, studies show young adult women still care about marriage enough that the conflict between work life and family life remains intense. Its resolution remains a major issue on the public agenda for the future. ReferencesAllen, S. M. Kalish, R. A. (1984). Professional women and marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46(5), 375-382. Becker, G. S. (1981). A Theory of Marriage: Marriage, Children and Human Capital. Chicago, IL:University of Chicago Press. Casler, L. (1974). Is Marriage Necessary? New York:Human Sciences Press. Cherlin, A. (1990). The strange career of the Harvard Yale study. Public Opinion Quarterly, 54, 117-124. Chollar, S. (1993). Happy families. American Health, July/Aug., 52-57. Crispell, D. 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