Synopses & Reviews
This reader examines the family through two lenses--the familiar private family, in which we live our personal lives, and the public family, in which we deal with broader societal issues, such as raising the next generation, and the care of the elderly. Consequently, these readings look both at intimate, personal concerns, such as whether to marry, as well as societal concerns, such as governmental policies that affect families. The reader corresponds exactly to and is published concurrent with Cherlins textbook Public and Private Families: An Introduction; both the textbook and the reader have 15 same-named chapters.
About the Author
Andrew J. Cherlin is Benjamin H. Griswold III Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. He received a B.S. from Yale University in 1970 and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1976. He is the author of the McGraw-Hill textbook, Public and Private Families: An Introduction. His other books include Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage (revised and enlarged edition, 1992), Divided Families: What Happens to Children when Parents Part (with Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., 1991), The Changing American Family and Public Policy (1988), and The New American Grandparent: A Place in the Family, A Life Apart (with Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., 1986). In 1989-1990 he was chair of the Family Section of the American Sociological Association. In 1999 he was president of the Population Association of America, the scholarly organization for demographic research.
In 2005, Professor Cherlin was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. He recived the Distinguished Career Award in 2003 from the Family Section of the American Sociological Association. In 2001, he received the Olivia S. Nordberg Award for Excellence in Writing in the Population Sciences; and in 1999, he was President of the Population Association of America. He was also received a Merit Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for his research on the effects of family structure onchildren. His recent articles include "The Deinstitutionalization of American Marriage," in the Journal of Marriage and Family; "The Influence of Physical and Sexual Abuse on Marriage and Cohabitation," in the American Sociological Review; and "American Marriage in the Early Twenty-First Century," in The Future of Children.
He also has written many articles for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, Newsweek, and other periodicals. He has been interviewed on ABC News Nightline, the Today Show, network evening news programs, National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and other news programs and documentaries.
Table of Contents
Preface Part One: Introduction (* indicates a new reading). Chapter 1: Public and Private Families *1.1 A “Quieting” of Family Change, by Lynne M. Casper and Suzanne M. Bianchi. Source: Pp. 1-13 from Lynne M. Casper and Suzanne M. Bianchi. 2002. Continuity and Change in the American Family. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. *1.2 On the Way to a Post-Familial Family: From a Community of Need to Elective Affinities, by Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim. Source: Pp. 85-100 in Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim. 2002. Individualization: Institutionalized Individualism and Its Social and Political Consequences. London: Sage Publications. Chapter 2: The History of the Family *2.1 An Archaeology of American Monogamy, by Nancy F. Cott. Source: Pp. 9-23 in Nancy F. Cott. 2000. Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. 2.2 From Patriarchy to Androgeny and Other Myths: Placing Mens Family Roles in Historical Perspective,by Steven Mintz. Source: “From Patriarchy to Androgeny and Other Myths: Placing Mens Family Roles in Historical Perspective,” from Alan Booth and Ann C. Crouter, (eds.), Men in Families. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Part Two: Gender, Class, and Race-Ethnicity Chapter 3: Gender and Families *3.1 Doing Gender, by Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman. Source: Pp. 125-140 from Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman. 1987. “Doing Gender.” GenderandSociety 1: 125-151. 3.2 Feeding as “Womens Work” by Marjorie L. DeVaultSource: Marjorie I. DeVault. 1991. Feeding the Family: The Social Organization of Caring as Gendered Work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 4: Social Class and Families *4.1 Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black and White Families, by Annette Lareau.Source: Pp. 747-761 and 766-776 from Annette Lareau. 2002. “Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black and White Families.” American Sociological Review 67: 747-776. 4.2 The Black Middle Class, by Mary Pattillo-McCoySource: Mary Patillo-McCoy. 1999. Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril among the Black Middle Class. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Chapter 5: Race, Ethnicity and Families *5.1 “Im here, but Im There:” The Meanings of Latina Transnational Motherhood by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Ernestine Avila. Source: Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Ernestine Avila. 1997. “ ‘Im here, but Im There: The Meanings of Latina Transnational Motherhood.” GenderandSociety 11: 548-571. 5.2 Family Values, by Katherine S. Newman. Source: Katherine S. Newman. 1999. No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Part Three: Sexuality, Love, Partnership, and Marriage Chapter 6: Sexuality and Love *6.1 Gay Marriage, by Steven Seidman. Source: Steven Seidman. 2003. The Social Construction of Sexuality. New York: W. W. Norton. 6.2 Sexual Desire and Gender, by Pepper Schwartz and Virginia Rutter. Source: Pepper Schwartz and Virginia Rutter. 1998. The Gender of Sexuality. Pine Forge Press. Chapter 7: Spouses and Partners 7.1 From Role to Self: The Emergence of Androgynous Love in the 20th Century, by Francesca M. Cancian. Source: Francesca M. Cancian. 1987. Love in America: Gender and Self-Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *7.2 The Theory and Practice of the Pure Relationship, by Anthony Giddens. Source: Anthony Giddens. 1991. Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in Late Modern Age. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Chapter 8: Work and Families *8.1 The Cost of Caring, by Paula England and Nancy Folbre. Source: Paula England and Nancy Folbre. 1999. “The Cost of Caring,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 561: 39-51. 8.2 Joeys Problem: Nancy and Evan Holt, by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Source: Arlie Russell Hochschild. 1989. The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at Home. New York: Viking Penguin. Part Four: Links across the Generations Chapter 9: Children and Parents *9.1 Why Cant a Mother be More Like a Businessman? by Sharon Hays. Source: Sharon Hays. 1996. The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood New Haven: Yale University Press. 9.2 Blood Knots: Adoption, Reproduction, and the Politics of Family, by Elizabeth Bartholet. Source: Elizabeth Bartholet. 1993 (September 21). “Blood Knots: Adoption, Reproduction, and the Politics of Family.” The American Prospect 48-57. Chapter 10: The Elderly and Their Families *10.1 Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of Multigenerational Bonds by Vern L. Bengtson.Source: Vern L. Bengtson. 2001. “Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of Multigenerational Bonds.”Journal of Marriage and Family 63: 1-16. *10.2 Men and Women: Together and Apart in the Later Years, by Katherine S. Newman. Source: Katherine S. Newman. 2003. A Different Shade of Gray: Midlife and Beyond in the Inner City. New York: New Press. Part Five: Conflict, Disruption, and Reconstitution Chapter 11: Domestic Violence *11.1 Class, Race, and Research on Woman Battering,by James Ptacek. Source: James Ptacek. 1999. Battered Women in the Courtroom: The Power of Judicial Responses. Boston: Northeastern University Press. *11.2 Dangerous Dependencies: The Intersection of Welfare Reform and Domestic Violence, by Ellen K. Scott, Andrew S. London, and Nancy A. Myers. Source: Ellen K. Scott, Andrew S. London, and Nancy A. Myers. 2002. “Dangerous Dependencies: The Intersection of Welfare Reform and Domestic Violence,” GenderandSociety 16: 878-897. Chapter 12: Divorce *12.1 Life Without Father: What Happens to the Children, by Sara McLanahan. Source: Sara McLanahan. 2002. “Life Without Father: What Happens to the Children.” Context 1 (no. 1): *12.2 “Doing” Post-Divorce Childhood, by Carol Smart, Bren Neale, and Amanda Wade. Source: Carol Smart, Bren Neale, and Amanda Wade. 2001. The Changing Experiences of Childhood. Cambridge: Polity Press. Chapter 13: Remarriage and Stepfamilies *13.1: Overlooked Aspects of Stepfathering, by William Marsiglio. Source: William Marsiglio. 2004. Stepdads: Stories of Love, Hope, and Repair. Boulder, CO: RowmanandLittlefield. 13.2 Stepfamilies over the Life Course: Social Support, by Lynn White. Source: Lynn White. 1994. “Stepfamilies over the Life Course: Social Support,” from Alan Booth and Judy Dunn (eds.), Stepfamilies: Who Benefits, Who Does Not? Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Part Six: Family and Society Chapter 14: The Family, the State, and Social Policy *14.1 How is the 1996 Welfare Reform Law Affecting Poor Families? by Andrew J. Cherlin. Source: Andrew Cherlin. 2004. (Original article, revised for 4e). Reprinted with permission of the author. *14.2 Marriage as a Precommitment, by Elizabeth S. Scott. Source: Elizabeth S. Scott. 2000. Pp. 161-178 in Martin King Whyte, ed., Marriage in America: A Communitarian Perspective. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Chapter 15: Social Change and Families 15.1 Decline of the Family: Conservative, Liberal, and Feminist Views, by Janet Z. Giele. Source: Janet Z. Geile. 1996. “Decline of the Family: Conservative, Liberal, and Feminist Views.” Pp. 89-115 in David Popenoe, et al., eds., Promises to Keep: Decline and Renewal of Marriage in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. *15.2 Family Change and Family Diversity, by Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. Source: Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. 1999. “Family Change and Family Diversity.” Pp. 147-165 in Neil J. Smelser and Jeffrey C. Alexander, eds., Diversity and Its Discontents: Cultural Conflict and Common Ground in Contemporary American Society. Princeton: Princeton University Press. References