"Survival of the Black Family" critically examines the social policies that arose from the civil rights movement. Jewell proposes new steps to economic independence for black families that would place this responsibility within all sectors of society, arguing that social policies and their absence have affected the status of black family structures. She refutes the myths of significant black progress that emanated from the civil rights era, including the belief in equity for minorities in societal institutions. Attention is focused on the extent to which black families have been adversely affected by a process of assimilation, which was sociopsychological rather than economic. Jewell also discusses how neoconservatism in the 1980s has affected the status of black families. Finally, Jewell offers guidelines to the formulation of a social policy that could enhance the status of black families in the United States.

Brothers and sisters remain, for those that have them, an inextricable part of existence. In adult life they may never be in contact but they cannot be formally divorced. Brothers and sisters are frequently life's longest relationship. Yet until recently, historians have scarcely noticed.
Thicker than Water is a pioneering history of sibling relationships in the long nineteenth century, from the last decades of the eighteenth to the first decades of the twentieth. The principal focus is on Britain, the first major capitalist society, and its middle classes, who were at the core of the nascent new order. It was their extensive family networks that provided the capital, personnel, skills, and contacts crucial to the rapidly expanding commercial and professional enterprises of the Victorian era.
Davidoff examines what we know about sibling relationships at this time, before delving deeper, looking at their uses and meaning for British middle class families, how they operated within the economic, social, cultural, and religious constraints of their place and time, and how they changed as families became smaller from the end of the nineteenth century onwards.
The issues raised throughout the book are grounded in an exploration of some specific themes, sibling intimacy and incest, sibling death, as well as in case studies of famous sibling relationships, such as that between William Gladstone and his sisters, and a revealing account of the household relations of perhaps the most influential interpreter of personal and familial life in modern society, Sigmund Freud.

Population ageing today affects most industrialised countries, and it will have an impact on many facets of the social system. Intergenerational relationships will play a key role in dealing with the demographical and societal change. This book provides innovative views in the multidisciplinary research field of intergenerational family relations in society, with a focus on Europe. Different, but complementary, perspectives are integrated in one volume bringing together international scholars from sociology, psychology and economics. The book's chapters are grouped into three thematic sections which cover conceptual issues, multigenerational and cross-cultural perspectives, as well as applied issues. Implications for research, policy and practice are addressed and suggestions for future directions are discussed. By raising recent discussions on controversial issues, this book will stimulate the current discourse at various levels. Intergenerational relations in society and family will be equally interesting for researchers, advanced-level students and stakeholders in the fields of social policy, population ageing and intergenerational family relationships.

This book focuses on the interpretation of Malachi 2:10-16, which censures the lax marital practice of its contemporaries. In particular, Hugenberger investigates Malachi's identification of marriage as a "covenant" in response to recent scholarly challenges to this identification.
Taking the issues raised by Malachi as his point of departure, Hugenberger examines the nature of covenant and oath (including "verba solemnia and oath-signs), and, in light of these findings, explores the theory of marriage implied elsewhere in the Old Testament. Included in this investigation are an analysis of the concentric literary structure of Malachi and a study of the Old Testament's ethical perspectives on divorce, polygamy, and sexual fidelity.
An extensive bibliography and indices complete the book.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.In this dynamic legal context the publication of Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini''s Love the Sin offers a smart, but controversial, intervention. -- Journal of the American Academy of ReligionImportant... a fresh way to argue for gay rights and sexual freedom.--Boston PhoenixLove the Sin is a progressive contribution to discussions about sexual and religious freedom in a country where we find less of both than most politicians, religious thinkers, media moralists, and average Americans want to admit.--Gay TodayA brilliant book, one that can move public conversations about sexual, racial, and religious difference beyond present assumptions and impasses. Love the Sin suggests that religion can become the ground for sexual freedom rather than the justification for sexual repression.--Margaret R. Miles, author of Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the MoviesThis impressive book provides analytical and strategic insights on the central obstacle to gay and lesbian freedom today: sexuality''s treatment by religion. The authors'' accessible voice, wide-ranging and original synthesis, and deep knowledge make the experience of reading this book a pleasure.--Urvashi Vaid, former director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy InstituteJakobsen and Pellegrini argue convincingly that movements for ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual justice would be well served by using the paradigm of religious freedom instead of biological determinism to make the case for social change. Love the Sin is required reading for all the sinners to whom the title euphemistically refers, and for everyone who dreams of a more just society.--RabbiRebecca Alpert, author of Like Bread on the Seder PlateGives us vital language to escape both the trap of toleration and the seduction of assimilation. Not afraid to challenge the certainties of the secular left on religion, nor willing to settle for a narrow version of gay and lesbian rights, Love the Sin presents a new vision of American sexual and religious freedom.--Laura Levitt, Director of Jewish Studies, Temple UniversityAs ambitious, feisty, and exciting as any new passion, Love the Sin takes its readers on a compelling ride across the volatile landscape of religion and sex in American public life. The authors not only provoke and stimulate, guide and elucidate, but they redefine freedom and democracy as values for our sex lives as well as our sexual politics.--Lisa Duggan, coauthor of Sex Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political CultureJakobsen and Pellegrini do a nice job of showing how the love-the-sinner/hate-the- sin tradition falls dramatically short of the higher aspiration to tolerance.--Stephen Pomper, Washington MonthlyThe authors of this short but succinct study explore the connection between the traditions of Christianity and the political and social regulation of sexuality in America.-- Library JournalLike any trumpet call to pull down the walls, this book serves its purpose by giving the GLBT community a new focus and even a renewed idealism.--The Gay & Lesbian ReviewWe cannot afford to lose the battle for nonpartisan sex education in the schools, sexual freedom for all citizens or a host of other endangered human rights. Love the Sin is essential reading for anyone who cares about these issues.--Women''s Review of BooksLove the Sin is a book that is relevant for anyoneinterested in sexology, religion, and politics. It has the potential to provoke and important dialogue amoung religious institutions, politicians at every level of government, community leader, and families about what it means to live up to the American ideal. -- Journal of History of SexualitySex. Religion. There is no denying that these two subjects are among the most provocative in American public life. Even the constitutional principle of church-state separation seems to give way when it comes to sex: the Supreme Court draws on theology as readily as it draws on cas

Childlessness is not a new phenomenon, but empirical evidence from the demographic field has demonstrated that it is on the increase. Furthermore, childlessness has a number of consequences for both women and men, the communities in which they live, their psychic states, their social networks and the organisations in which they work. Bringing together research from a wide range of scholarly disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, sociology, gender studies, social work and social policy, and underpinned by a feminist ontology this edited collection of original chapters provides an insight into the current state of the art research on the drivers, determinants, manifestations and outcomes of childlessness. The collection is intended to be a key resource for scholars, students and policymakers addressing this issue in a wide range of disciplinary contexts.

In Northern Europe almost half of households consist of one person. Rates of living alone are lower in the Global South but the trend is still on the increase. Prevalent first among the elderly, living alone then becomes common at ages associated with partners and children. Fears about the end of family and community combine with stereotypes, the 'sad and lonely' or 'selfish singles', in popular depictions. This groundbreaking and highly original study brings evidence to the core debates about contemporary social change in the context of globalization, exploring individualization and social connection, the future of family formation, consumption and identities, the relevance of place - rural or urban - in mobile worlds, sexuality, belonging and 'community', living arrangements and sustainability. This book presents a systematic sociological analysis of the growing trend of solo living across the globe, while also drawing on the voices of working-age men and women living in urban and rural areas in the UK.

This book presents historical perspectives on single mothers and antipoverty strategies in the US and several other industrial societies. The authors, specialists in family policy, discuss family and personal life of single mothers, their work and income (usually low), and issues such as child care, housing, and stress. The experiences of different types of mothers-only families are examined, and societal concerns for improvement of the situation of such families are addressed. Kamerman and Kahn analyze various policy options and, following a holistic approach, they propose a benefit-service package. . . . Encompassing statistics, case studies, anecdotal insights, and cross-national analysis, this book makes a valuable contribution to understanding the problem and its policy implications. "Choice"

Single-mother families are becoming an increasingly large and diversified group in the United States and other industrialized countries. From the poor, uneducated, unskilled teenager to the middle-class professional mother by choice, single mothers and their children face serious economic and social difficulties. This timely and comprehensive volume considers public policy options that respond to the needs of single mothers and their children, particularly in the areas of income, work, and child care.

This fact-filled book on polygamy and plural unions around the world supports an in-depth consideration of policy options for Western countries. Polygamy and plural marriage have become front-and-center issues in Europe, Canada, and the United States, notably on two religious fronts: among some splinter groups of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and in Islam. Polygamy in the Monogamous World: Multicultural Challenges for Western Law and Policy takes both groups into account as it provides a careful examination of legal polygamy in non-Western countries and plural unions in North America. Comparing these similar, but legally distinct forms of union, it offers a fresh perspective on how Western countries should respond to these relationships. Specifically, the book surveys non-Western countries where polygamy is legally practiced, then provides an overview of plural unions in North America. The problems of polygamy and plural unions are examined, including the potential for tne abuse of wives. The responses of Western governments to such relationships are reviewed, and the most effective solutions are identified to ascertain what policies should be adopted going forward. A bibliography of significant laws, cases, reports, books, and journal articles about polygamy

This book provides insightful sociological analyses of Japanese demography and families, paying attention not only to national average data, but also to regional variations and community level analyses. In analyzing Japanese family issues such as demographic changes, courtship and marriage, international marriage, divorce, late-life divorce, and the elderly living alone, this book emphasizes the significance of two theoretical frameworks: the dual structure and regional variations of the community network in Japan. By emphasizing the extensive cultural diversity from one region to another, this book represents a paradigm shift from former studies of Japanese families, which relied mostly on national average data. The method of analysis adopted in the study is qualitative, with a historical perspective. The book is thus an invitation to more in-depth, qualitative dialogue in the field of family sociology in Japan. This book will be of great interest not only to Asian scholars, but also to other specialists in comparative family studies around the world.

The election of America's first biracial president brings the question dramatically to the fore. What does it mean to be biracial or tri-racial in the United States today? Anthropologist Stephanie Bird takes us into a world where people are struggling to be heard, recognized, and celebrated for the racial diversity one would think is the epitome of America's melting pot persona. But being biracial or tri-racial brings unique challenges - challenges including prejudice, racism and, from within racial groups, colorism. Yet America is now experiencing a multiracial baby boom, with at least three states logging more multiracial baby births than any other race aside from Caucasians. As the Columbia Journalism Review reported, American demographics are no longer black and white. In truth, they are a blended, difficult-to-define shade of brown. Bird shows us the history of biracial and tri-racial people in the United States, and in European families and events. She presents the personal traumas and victories of those who struggle for recognition and acceptance in light of their racial backgrounds, including celebrities such as golf expert Tiger Woods, who eventually quit trying to describe himself as Cablanasin, a mix including Asian and African American. Bird examines current events, including the National Mixed Race Student Conference, and the push to dub this Generation MIX. And she examines how American demographics, government, and society are changing overall as a result. This work includes a guide to tracing your own racial roots.

Drawing on interviews with UK couples in distance relationships, this book seeks to explain, evaluate and advance sociological debates about intimate life. It provides a rich and human perspective on how bodies, emotions and connections to others are key in maintaining intimate relationships.

Teenage boys are wild about girls. When their hormones kick in at puberty, they can think of nothing else, and that's the way it has always been - right? Wrong. Before World War II, only sissies liked girls. Masculine, red-blooded, all-American boys were supposed to ignore girls until they were 18 or 19. Instead, parents, teachers, psychiatrists, and especially the mass media encouraged them to form passionate, intense, romantic bonds with each other. This book explores romantic relationships between teenage boys as they were portrayed before, during, and immediately after World War II, including - teenage melodramas: ""We'll always be together!""; ""Adventure Boys"": ""I never knew what the treasure was...""; Henry Aldrich: ""Would you mind if I take you out sometime and buy you a milkshake?""; Andy Hardy: ""Hi, tenderfoot, drop by sometime""; ""Terry and the Pirates"": ""I'd feel a lot better if I slept with you tonight""; ""Superhero and Sidekick"": ""Come on, let's go home""; the ""Dead End Kids"": ""They may be underprivileged, but they sure ain't underdeveloped""; the ""Little Tough Guys"": ""Lots of guys go in pairs""; colonial fantasies: ""Stay away, this is my friend!"" ; the teenage musical: ""If there's a double meaning in that, I got it""; high school yearbooks: ""Tall, dashing, quick, and fair, spurns all girls with vigilant care!"" The author takes the reader through a rich landscape of media - sci fi pulps, comics, adventure stories, tales of teen sleuths, boys' serial novels, wartime bestsellers, and movies populated by many types of male adolescents: ""Boys Next Door"", ""Adventure Boys"", ""Jungle Boys"", and ""Lost Boys"". In Hollywood movies, ""Boys Next Door"" like Jackie Cooper, Ronald Sinclair, and Jimmy Lydon were constantly falling in love, but not with girls. In serial novels, ""Jungle Boys"" like Bomba, Sorak, and Og Son of Fire swung through the trees to rescue teenage boys, not teenage girls. In comic strips and on the radio, ""Adventure Boys"" like Don Study, Jack Armstrong, and Tim Tyler formed lasting romantic partnerships with other boys or men. ""Lost Boys"" like Frankie Darro, Leo Gorcey, and Billy Halop starred in dozens of movies about pairs of poor urban teenagers sticking together, with never a girl in sight.

This volume addresses the tensions between work and welfare with respect to fertility. Focusing on childbearing choices (intentions, desires) as influential predictors of future fertility, the contributors examine the importance of labour force attachment on young women's fertility plans in the context of increased labour market flexibility and differences in work-life balance policies across Europe in the early 21st century. Both high- and low-fertility societies of different welfare regimes are studied, illuminating processes of uncertainty and risk related to insecure labour force attachment and the incoherence effect in terms of women's and men's equal access to education and employment but unequal share of domestic responsibilities, constraining fertility. The synthesis of the findings shows how childbearing choices in relation to uncertainty, risk and incoherence offer a lens for understanding the capabilities of families to have and care for children in contemporary Europe. This volume contributes to the conceptual development of further research on the complex relationship between fertility, paid work and work-life balance policies.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of research on the early origins of adult health. A growing body of evidence documents that maternal health before conception, prenatal and perinatal exposures, and conditions in childhood play critical roles in health over the life course. Scientific understanding of the multiple and interacting influences on child health and their role in later health continues to evolve rapidly, but greater attention to how families shape the conditions of early life that underlie childhood health is needed. This volume aims to advance understanding of this topic, with attention to mechanisms through which health disparities emerge and are sustained across the lifespan.

This bestselling title has been extensively revised and updated to provide an accurate statistical portrait of the American family as it exists today. Data collected from federal and state government agencies, Gallup polls, professional journals, and research are presented in a single, easily accessible format. Nearly 350 graphs, charts, and figures are provided. The second edition reflects the changing demographics of the American family. Among the issues receiving new or expanded coverage are the amount of time husbands spend doing household tasks, the concept of equal pay for equal work, parents' interaction with children, child abuse, household income, and fathers' participation in child care.

This book explores how low fertility levels could fundamentally change a country's population and society. It analyzes the profound effects below average birthrates have on virtually all aspects of society, from the economy to religion, from marriage to gender roles. An introduction written by Dudley L. Poston Jr. provides a general overview of this relatively new phenomenon that has already impacted nearly one-half of the countries of the world today. Poston also discusses the broad implications of the changes that these societies are currently experiencing and the ones that they will soon confront. Next, each of the 12 essays collected in this volume look into how a low fertility level affects a particular demographic or societal structure or process. In addition, case studies offer an in-depth portrait of these changes in the United States and China. Coverage includes the dynamics of low and lowest-low (where the birthrate is well below average) fertility, high and increasing life expectancies in the United States, the implications of native-born fertility and other socio-demographic changes for less-skilled U.S. immigration, ageing and age dependency in post-industrial societies, good mothering and gender roles in China, the increasing prevalence of voluntary childlessness, how low fertility and prolonged longevity could result in slow economic growth, the decreasing relevance of traditional religious systems, and more. The emergence and persistence of population decline produced by low fertility levels has the potential to greatly alter key aspects of society as well as individual lives. Containing insightful analysis from some of the top minds in demography today, this book will arm readers with the knowledge they need to fully understand these transformations.

No other century promoted such rapid change in American families than the twentieth century did. Through most of the first half of the century families were two-parent plus children units, but by the 1980s and 1990s divorce was common in half of the homes and many families were single-parent or included step-parents, step-siblings and half-siblings. The major changes in opinions and even some laws on race, gender and sexuality during the 1960s and 1970s brought change to families as well. Some families were headed by gay parents, lived in communes or other non-traditional homes, were of mixed race, or had adopted children. Family life had changed dramatically in less than 50 years. The change in the core make-up of what was considered a family ushered in new celebrations and holidays, ways of cooking, eating, and entertainment, and even daily activities. In this detailed look at family life in America, Coleman, Ganong and Warzinick discuss home and work, family ceremonies and celebrations, parenting and children, divorce and single-parent homes, gay and lesbian families, as well as cooking and meals, urban vs. suburban homes, and ethnic and minority families. Reference resources include a timeline, sources for further reading, photographs and an index. Volumes in the Family Life in America series focus on the day-to-day lives and roles of families throughout history. The roles of all family members are defined and information on daily family life, the role of the family in society, and the ever-changing definition of the term family' are discussed. Discussion of the nuclear family, single parent homes, foster and adoptive families, stepfamilies, and gay and lesbian families are includedwhere appropriate. Topics such as meal planning, homes, entertainment and celebrations, are discussed along with larger social issues that originate in the home like domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and divorce. Ideal for students and general readers alike, books in this series bring the history of everyday people to life.

As new forms of family and 'non-traditional' families grow in number, there is a need to understand these 'new' arrangements and models of parenthood. This ground-breaking book discusses, using a comparative and a sociological perspective, examples of the relationship between changing gender identities and processes of family formation in the Western experience. It aims to show that, in the 21st century, it is possible to form a family without sex, without children, without a shared home, without a partner, without a working husband, without a heterosexual orientation or without a biological' sexual body. 'Diversity in family life' will help readers discover and understand the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of these new models of parenthood, and their political implications in terms of social movements, characteristics and demands.

"Sexual Pathways" introduces the topic of bisexuality--a subject largely misunderstood. Persons who display dual sexual attraction experience some form of erotic fulfillment with both same-sex and opposite-sex partners. They may or may not identify themselves as bisexual, but during significant periods of their life span they act bisexually. Studies of human sexuality world-wide indicate the incidence of bisexuality ranges from high to low prevalence in all literate and many nonliterate societies. To better understand the bisexual perspective, the author presents interviews with 30 men and women. Each describes his or her sexual pathway from birth to adulthood, portraying the construction of a lifestyle that incorporates a bisexual perspective.

Marriages across ethnic borders are increasing in frequency, yet little is known of how discourses of 'normal' families, ethnicity, race, migration, globalisation affect couples and children involved in these mixed marriages. This book explores mixed marriage though intimate stories drawn from the real lives of visibly different couples.

Many people seem to be searching for answers to help explain their past, understand their current way of being, and create a happier, more satisfying future. It is the current trend to blame mothers for such emotional problems. "Poppa" Psychology calls into question this habit of blaming mothers, and focuses, instead, on the father-child relationship. Regardless of whether the father is present or absent, his actions will have a direct influence on the child's development. Fathers have received a great deal of media attention lately, but the main focus has been on their absence. "Poppa" Psychology deals with the psychological ramifications of the father-child relationship, regardless of whether the fathers are present or absent. Specifically, it highlights factors that are related to maladjustment in children and provides suggestions for raising psychologically healthy children.

In the context of dramatically changing contemporary patterns of mate selection in China, Mate Selection in China focuses upon both the causes and consequences the societal changes which have resulted in a considerable shift in the ways in which young adults go about finding a spouse. Tracking a period of change, from a long history of patriarchal families and arranged marriages, into an environment wherein individuals are relatively free to choose their intimate partners, Blair, Madison and Fang demonstrate and analyse how recent shifts in divorce, cohabitation, and pre-marital sex have altered young adults' perceptions of marriage. Delving into demographic factors, such as the skewed sex ratio among young adults which have resulted in an overabundance of young males, cultural factors, such as increasingly individualistic forms of dating, and social and economic change which has resulted an increasingly materialistic middle-class, this book highlights that while traditional influence of parents in the selection of partners for their children has been overtaken, mate selection choices are not entirely made by the individuals themselves. Providing a comprehensive examination of mate selection within an ever-changing context, this book is a fascinating read for scholars interested in the impact of culture of family and marriage.

Based on open-ended interviews with adult children and children-in-law, this book documents how plain folk from the working and middle classes manage to provide care for their frail, elderly parents while simultaneously meeting the obligations of their jobs and their own immediate families.

Adult children who care for elderly parents are pressured daily trying to juggle the responsibilities of work, family, and caregiving. Deborah Merrill shows how plain folk (as one caregiver termed herself) from the working and lower middle classes manage to provide care for their frail, elderly parents while simultaneously meeting the obligations of their jobs and their own immediate families. The evidence is drawn from open-ended, in-depth interviews with adult children and children-in-law, all of whom have worked outside of the home at some point during caregiving.

Merrill examines the strategies that caregivers use to combine work and caregiving and the accommodations they make in their jobs. She also points to the pathways that lead family members to caregiving roles and how those pathways vary according to family history, gender, and in-law status. By focusing on class differences in caregiving and pointing to policy implications, Merrill has provided an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and policymakers in social work, gerontology, family studies, and social issues.

Family Therapy of Neurobehavioral Disorders shows you a unique integration of neuropsychology and family therapy. Authors Judith L. Johnson and William G. McCown span these two broad areas by synthesizing family therapy principles and applying them specifically to traumatic brain injury and degenerative dementia. Family therapists, neuropsychologists, social workers, and counselors working with patients who experience brain dysfunction and their families learn to better address common issues and problems and of therapeutic interventions. This expert book includes case examples and working models of family reactions. The book then extends this information into practical clinical situations commonly confronted in work with these patients and their families. Readers of Family Therapy of Neurobehavioral Disorders are introduced to brain-behavior relationships including neuroanatomy of the brain as it relates to behavior, dynamics of neurologic disorders, and common symptoms of brain dysfunction. You can then use this information to help persons with traumatic brain injury and their families cope with and adjust to the issues and challenges they face. Specifically, you gain invaluable, informative insight into: the neuroanatomy of the brain and which structures mediate behavior, emotion, and cognition common issues families face when a member suffers traumatic brain injury therapeutic strategies and practical suggestions for assisting families mild head injury and familial reactions common issues faced by families confronting Alzheimer's disease or other dementias a model of family reactions to dementia over timeChapters in Family Therapy of Neurobehavioral Disorders outline symptoms of brain dysfunction and family therapy designed to approach these symptoms. Divided into two sections, the book gives readers a model of traumatic brain injury beginning with the initial onset and proceeding through time. This section focuses on changes within the family and therapeutic strategies for helping these distressed families. Secondly, the authors address degenerative dementia with emphases on certain phases through which family members may progress as they acknowledge their loved one's condition and then therapeutically work through the reality of it. Professionals in the medical and social sciences will find Family Therapy of Neurobehavioral Disorders a unique and irreplacable guide for developing and understanding the meshing of neuropsychology and family therapy. Also, the book serves as a solid text for students in courses such as rehabilitation, counseling, and family therapy.Translated into Spanish!