Book Review: The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change

Abstract

First edition. "Learn the facts and debunk the fictions about contemporary families. Looking at modern families through the context of diversity, inequality, and social change, FamilyInequality.com blogger and demographer Philip N. Cohen brings a fresh approach to the sociological study of family life. The text features a wealth of original, interactive graphics of contemporary family trends and encourages students to be savvy consumers of media. Integrated workshops based on activities from Cohen’s undergraduate course give students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the book to their own lives."-- Provided by publisher. 1. A SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY, p.2 -- Defining Families, p.4 -- The family in sociological theory, p.13 -- Studying families, p.24 -- Moving on, p.29 -- 2. THE FAMILY IN HISTORY, p.32 -- Early history, p.34 -- Origins of the american family, p.39 -- The modern family (1900-1960s), p.52 -- New family diversity (1960s-Present), p.57 -- 3. RACE, ETHNICITY, AND IMMIGRATION, p.72 -- What are race and ethnicity?, p.73 -- American stories, p.83 -- Immigration, p.99 -- Intermarriage, p.106 -- 4. FAMILIES AND SOCIAL CLASS, p.112 -- Theories of social class, p.114 -- The american class structure, p.122 -- Social mobility and class persistence, p.134 -- 5. GENDER, p.148 -- Sex and gender, p.151 -- Perspectives on gender, p.161 -- Gender socialization, p.167 -- Gender at work, p.177 -- 6. SEXUALITY, p.186 -- Sociology and sexuality, p.188 -- Sexual identity and orientation, p.189 -- The biology of human sexuality, p.196 -- Sexual behavior, p.200 -- Teen sex, p.205 -- Sexuality and health, p.213 -- 7. LOVE AND ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS, p.224 -- Scripting diversity, p.226 -- Love, p.228 -- Relationship rituals, p.230 -- Mate selection, p.243 -- 8. Marriage and cohabitation, p.258 -- Diversity, inequality and social change, p.260 -- Who gets married, p.262 -- Who marries whom, p.275 -- Cohabitation, p.282 -- The modern married individual, p.286 -- The benefits of marriage, p.288 -- The politics of marriage, p.292 -- 9. FAMILIES AND CHILDREN, p.302 -- Childbearing, p.304 -- Adoption, p.310 -- Why (not) have children?, p.312 -- Children's living arrangements, p.319 -- Parenting, p.322 -- 10. DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE, AND BLENDED FAMILIES, p.342 -- For the children's sake, p.343 -- Church and state, p.345 -- Divorce rates and trends, p.347 -- Causes of divorce, p.355 -- Consequences of divorce, p.359 -- Remarriage and blended families, p.367 -- 11. WORK AND FAMILIES, p.378 -- Work in institutional arenas, p.380 -- Paid work, p.383 -- Housework and child care, p.387 -- Conflicts and solutions, p.397 -- 12. FAMILY VIOLENCE AND ABUSE, p.414 -- Family violence: An institutional perspective, p.416 -- What is family violence?, p.418 -- Child abuse and neglect, p.418 -- Elder abuse, p.424 -- Intimate partner violence, p.425 -- Sexual violence, p.430 -- Violence in lesbian and gay relationships, p.435 -- Declining violence, p.436 -- Consequences of family violence, p.441 -- Feminist perspectives, p.443 -- Interventions, p.447 -- 13. THE FUTURE OF THE FAMILY, p.452 -- Diversity, p.454 -- Inequality, p.460 -- Social change, p.466 -- Responses to family change, p.473 -- Conclusion, p.479.