TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Studying Families: Micro and Macro Perspectives
Families, Communities, Society: Interconnections
What Is a System?
Families as Small Groups
The Family as an Institution
Ecological Systems Perspective
Diversity Among Families
Family Structure
Sex and Gender Differences
Methods for Studying Families

Chapter 2: Commitment: To Self, Family, Community
The Importance of Commitment
Commitment to Self
Socialization: The Creation of Identities and the Self
Commitment to Family
The Big Picture: Commitment to Community

Chapter 3: Developing Close Relationships: Making Lifestyle Choices
Building Intimate Relationships
Social and Behavioral Processes That Bring Couples Together
Lifestyle Choices
The Big Picture: The Influence of Macrolevel Forces on the Formation of Intimate Relationships
Sex, Sexuality, and Gender Roles

Chapter 4: Maintaining Intimacy: Marriage and Enduring Unions
Marriage Patterns: Historical Trends and Racial and Social Class Differences
Transition to Marriage
Accompanying Marriage
The Internal Dynamics of Marriage
The Big Picture

Chapter 5: Moving Through the Life Cycle: Family Experiences in Early to Middle Adulthood
The Transition to Parenthood
Parenting
Parenting Changes From Childhood Through Adolescence
Sibling Relationships in Childhood
Couple Subsystems
The Big Picture: Historical Change Affecting Young Families

RETURN TO TOP

Chapter 6: Moving Through the Life Cycle: Family Experiences in Middle to Late Adulthood
Renegotiating Parent-Child Relationships in Late Adolescence and Early Adulthood
Adjusting to the Empty Nest Period
Parents and Children in Middle to Late Adulthood
Aged Parents and Adult Children
Marital Relations in Middle to Late Adulthood
Adult Sibling Relations
Grandparenting
Experiencing the Death of Family Members
The Big Picture: Societal Influences on Family Relationships Across Adulthood

Chapter 7: Balancing Work and Family
Labor Force Participation
Work-Family Spillover
Household Division of Labor
Housework in Different Types of Families
Cohabitation, Marriage, Remarriage, and Housework Contributions
The Fairness Issue
Changing Norms: What Has Changed?
Children's Work
Effects of Unemployment on the Family
Retirement
The Big Picture: Family and Work in the Larger Society Macrosystem

Chapter 8: Family Transitions: Divorce, Single Parenting, Remarriage
Divorce
Parenting After Divorce
Children in Single-Parent Households
Remarriage and Stepparenting
Death as the Cause of Marital Dissolution
The Big Picture: Family Transitions in a Social Context

Chapter 9: Distressed Families: The Darker Side of Family Life
Partner Violence
The Demographics of Partner Violence
Marital Rape
Violence Among Same-Sex Couples
Child Maltreatment
Abuse of Siblings and Parents
Elder Abuse and Neglect
Alcoholism and Substance Addiction
Children Who Run Away
If They Are Family, Why Are They Mistreated?
The Big Picture: The Social and Cultural Context of Violence

Chapter 10: Families in a Social Context: The Big Picture
Beyond the Family Microsystem
Governmental Exosystem and Macro-Level Influences

References
Author Index
Subject Index