Synopses & Reviews
By introducing the themes of “Changes, Choices and Constraints” when presenting the basic concepts, theory, research and statistics about marriages and families, Benokraitis discusses how contemporary changes in families and their structure impact the choices student’s actually have, and how society can constrain their marriages, families and relationships. Through this approach, students are better able to understand what the research and statistics mean for themselves!
Review
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I liked this book, because I feel it is very readable and understandable, especially for freshmen or non-majors. In addition, Benokraitis gives very detailed and relevant examples or scenarios relating to the concepts covered in the respectable chapter. The book is extremely interesting and enjoyable. Moshe Braunstein Jersey City University
Very current and extremely informative about the family, both historically and in contemporary society. I also think that the author has a way of writing about the material so that the content is provocative and the issues really come alive for the reader.
Prof. Kathryn Bonach
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
I think this is one of the most “teachable” texts I have read on this subject. Even if the instructor doesn’t think of a question a student may want to ask, the author has already done that for us in the “since you asked” section. I like the current trends in research that are discussed as well. It lends credibility to the instructor to know about current things in the field and the author has done a good job of incorporating that in the chapters.
Prof. Michelle Knoles
Cowley County Community College
This is an engaging text. Benokraitis has achieved an admirable goal — her text is interesting and detailed but not dry, fun and applied but still academically strong. Very well done.
Prof. Erica Owens Yeager
West Virginia University
I found the text easy to read and very interesting. The examples are timely and up to date. Students can remember these events and that will help them make connections between real-world events and course material. The graphics and pictures are excellent [and] will help students comprehend an often difficult and abstract topic of theory for them.
Prof. Darby Sewell
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College '
Review
I liked this book, because I feel it is very readable and understandable, especially for freshmen or non-majors. In addition, Benokraitis gives very detailed and relevant examples or scenarios relating to the concepts covered in the respectable chapter. The book is extremely interesting and enjoyable. Moshe Braunstein Jersey City University
About the Author
Nijole V. Benokraitis, professor emerita of sociology at the University of Baltimore, taught the marriage and family course for almost 25 years. It was her favorite class but her courses in racial and ethnic relations and gender roles ran a close second. Professor Benokraitis received a B.A. in sociology and English from Emmanuel College in Boston, an M.A. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin.
She was a strong proponent of applied sociology and required her students to enhance their knowledge through interviews, direct observation, and other hands-on learning methods. She also enlisted her students in community service activities such as tutoring and mentoring inner-city high school students, writing to government officials and other decision makers about specific social problems, and volunteering research services to nonprofit organizations.
Professor Benokraitis immigrated to the United States from Lithuania with her family after World War II as a political refugee when she was five years old. She is bilingual and bicultural and is very empathetic of students who must balance the demands of several cultural worlds.
She has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited ten books, including Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, Contemporary Ethnic Families in the United States: Characteristics, Variations, and Dynamics; Feuds about Families: Conservative, Centrist, Liberal, and Feminist Perspectives; and Modern Sexism: and Blatant, Subtle, and Covert Discrimination. Dr. Benokraitis has published numerous articles and book chapters on topics such as institutional racism, discrimination against women in government and higher education, fathers in two-earner families, displaced homemakers, and family policy.
She has received grants and fellowships from many institutions, including the National Institute of Mental Health, the Ford Foundation, the American Educational Research Association, the Administration on Aging, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She has also served as a consultant in the areas of sex and race discrimination to women’s commissions, business groups, colleges and universities, federal government programs, and the American Association of University Women’s International Fellowships Program.
Dr. Benokraitis has made several appearances on radio and television shows on gender communication differences and single-sex educational institutions. She currently serves on the editorial board of Women & Criminal Justice and reviews manuscripts for several academic journals.
Professor Benokraitis lives in Maryland with her husband, Dr. Vitalius Benokraitis, a vice president at a technology assessment company. They have two adult children, Gema and Andrius.
The author looks forward (and always responds) to comments on the 7th edition of Marriages and Families: Changes, Choices, and Constraints. She can be reached at [email protected].
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Changing Family
Chapter 2: Studying Marriage and the Family
Chapter 3: The Family in Historical Perspective
Chapter 4: Racial and Ethnic Families: Strengths and Stresses
Chapter 5: Socialization and Gender Roles
Chapter 6: Love and Loving Relationships
Chapter 7: Sexuality and Sexual Expression Throughout Life
Chapter 8: Choosing Others: Dating and Mate Selection
Chapter 9: Singlehood, Cohabitation, Civil Unions, and Other Options
Chapter 10: Marriage and Communication in Committed Relationships
Chapter 11: To Be or Not to Be a Parent: More Choices, More Constraints
Chapter 12: Raising Children: Promises and Pitfalls
Chapter 13: Balancing Work and Family Life
Chapter 14: Family Violence and Other Health Issues
Chapter 15: Separation and Divorce
Chapter 16: Remarriages and Stepfamilies
Chapter 17: Families in Later Life
Chapter 18: The Family in the Twenty-First Century