Marriage, Cohabitation, & Partnership

1. What does it mean when sociologists say, "marriage is an institution?" According to Coontz, what are the main indicators of the "deinsitutionalization" of marriage? Explain what problem Coontz finds in the proposals to "reinstitutionalize" marriage?
Marriage as an institution implies that it is a legal organization controlled and modified by set rules, law, customs, rituals, and social expectations. In the past, marriage was the primary means of organization. It helped to determine gender roles both in the home and in public and served to regulate work based upon age and sex.
However, according to Coontz marriage has become deinstitutionalized gradually over time. Divorce, cohabitation, remarriage, and single motherhood have worked to make marriage more of an option rather than a necessity. In additon, longer life spans and the increase of young adults living on their own before marriage have also been factors.
Coontz finds many problems in the proposals to "reinstitutionalize" marriage, including lowering the age of marriage, forcing people to live at home before marriage, and enforcing the reproductive revolution only in marriage.
2. According to the articles by Harris & by Gerstel & Sarkisian, what are the benefits & disadvantages of marriage for men & women?
Married men and women are found to have better health, happiness, sex life, more property, and higher incomes and wealth. Married couples have sex more often than unmarried couples. It has been found that marriage keeps men out of crime and violence and has profound physical and mental health benefits for men.
For women, housework increases as career work and income decreases. This comes with childbearing and childrearing. Women also face domestic violence and it been reported that poor women seek fewer benefits to marriage.
While both men and women have decreased involvement with friends, neighbors, and family members, women have been found to keep better contact via telephone calls and visitations. On the other hand, men are more likely to rely on their wives to contact relatives and friends.

3. According to Brown, what are the different reasons people cohabit & what are the effects of cohabitation on well- being?
People cohabit for various reasons including, "a stepping stone to marriage, a substitute for marriage, or an alternative to singlehood." Young adults who have never married and who are childless cohabit as an alternative to living alone. Some of these couples have the mindset that they will marry, while others are less committed. In fact, half of all people who live together will marry. Often, when these couples break up they will move in with their next boyfriend or girlfriend. This is called "serial cohabitation." Those who have been married and do have children cohabit instead of getting remarried. They are more likely to live together long- term. In addition, "there is also mounting evidence that the purpose of cohabitation may vary by racial- ethnic group." Whites are more likely to cohabit as a stepping stone to marriage while Hispanics and blacks cohabit as an alternative to marriage.
The well- being of cohabitors has been found to be lower than that of married couples. Married couples report more happiness with their sex lives even though cohabitors report engaging in more sex. Cohabitors are less economically stable than married couples and also are not as psychologically well- adjusted. They are less happy and have reported more fighting.

4. The findings of the research on benefits and disadvantages of marriage & cohabitation can be affected by selection effects. Explain what this means.
The selection effect refers to the sampling proccess and the gap in data between the wealthy, poor, sick, and healthy.