Family Classes: What Family Classes: What ReallyReally Happened to the American FamilyHappened to the American Family

June Carbone

UMKC

The Family as a Marker of Class?

Adult Women Currently Married, Adult Women Currently Married, by Education, 1970 / 2007by Education, 1970 / 2007

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

<high school high school some college college grad

W1970

W2007

Adult Men Currently Married, Adult Men Currently Married, by Education, 1970 / 2007by Education, 1970 / 2007

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

< high school high school some college college grad

19702007

First Marriages Ending in Divorce Within 10 Years as a Percent of all First Marriages By Female Educational Attainment

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1970-1974 1975-1979 1980-1984 1985-1989 1990-1994

Year of First Marriage

4-Year CollegeDegree or More

No 4-Year CollegeDegree

% of Births to Never-married Women, % of Births to Never-married Women, by Race, Education, and Yearby Race, Education, and Year

0102030405060708090

100

< H.S. H.S. B.A.

Whites '82

Wh. 2006-08

Blacks "82

Bl. 2006-08

Percent of 14-year-old Girls Living with Percent of 14-year-old Girls Living with Mother and Father, Mother and Father,

by Race, Motherby Race, Mother’’s Education, and Years Education, and Year

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

<H.S. H.S. B.A

Whites '74-'81

Wh. 2000-07

Blacks '74-81

Bl. 2000-07

Female Median Income as a % of Female Median Income as a % of Male Median Income by EducationMale Median Income by Education

586062646668707274767880

1990 2007

< H.S.

H.S. grad

Some Col.

B.A.

% of 29-60-year-old Men % of 29-60-year-old Men Unemployed at Some Point Over Unemployed at Some Point Over

the Preceding 10 yrsthe Preceding 10 yrs

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Least Ed. Mod. Ed. Highly Ed.

1970's

2000's

Gender and UnemploymentGender and UnemploymentLaid-off men do less—not more—

housework, eating up their extra hours snacking, sleeping and channel surfing (which might be why the Cartoon Network, whose audience has grown by 10 percent during the downturn, is now running more ads for refrigerator repair school).

Unemployed men are right behind alcoholics and drug addicts as the group most likely to beat their female partners.

-2.5

-2-1.5

-1-0.5

00.5

11.5

22.5

1980 2000

high distresslow distress

[D]ual arrangements (working wives) = positive marital quality for the middle-class negative marital quality for the working-class

Benefits for both from greater income, but for the working class

greater marital tension low job satisfaction desire to decrease hours of employment or

return to homemaking.

% of 25–44-year-olds Agreeing That Marriage Has Not Worked Out for Most

People They Know, by Education

What Really Happened to the What Really Happened to the Family?Family?

Income Inequality Segments Marriage Markets,

Separated by Age of Marriage, EducationUnequal Societies Write Off a High Percentage of

Men – Unemployment, Substance Abuse, Imprisonment, Mental Illness

The Top is the Only Group Where Marriageable Men Outnumber Marriageable Women

Our Theory in BriefOur Theory in BriefMen (blue)/Women (red) Men (blue)/Women (red)

MismatchMismatch

The Higher the % of Women on a The Higher the % of Women on a College Campus, The More. . .College Campus, The More. . .

They express negative appraisals of men They hold more negative views of their

relationshipsThey go on fewer datesThey have a low likelihood of having a

boyfriend (or having had one on campus)They receive less (i.e., commitment) in

exchange for sex

Likelihood that a Woman Who Has a Boyfriend is Still a Virgin by

Percentage of Women on Campus

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Still a Virgin

30% women

40% women

50% women

60% women

70% women

The Alternatives: Invest in Women Or The Alternatives: Invest in Women Or Bring Back PatriarchyBring Back Patriarchy

None of it will work without None of it will work without addressing inequalityaddressing inequality