Premarital Cohabitation and Marital Dissolution: An Examination of Recent Marriages

An ongoing question remains for family researchers: Why does a positive association between cohabitation and marital dissolution exist when one of the primary reasons to cohabit is to test relationship compatibility? Drawing on recently collected data from the 2006–2008 National Survey of Family Growth, the authors examined whether premarital cohabitation experiences were associated with marital instability among a recent contemporary (married since 1996) marriage cohort of men (N = 1,483) and women (N = 2,003). They found that a dichotomous indicator of premarital cohabitation was in fact not associated with marital instability among women and men. Furthermore, among cohabitors, marital commitment prior to cohabitation (engagement or definite plans for marriage) was tied to lower hazards of marital instability among women, but not men. This research contributes to our understanding of cohabitation, marital instability, and broader family change.     

Developmental Patterns in Marital Satisfaction: Another Look at Covenant Marriage

This study investigated differences in the trajectory of marital satisfaction in the first 7 years between couples in covenant versus standard marriages. The authors analyzed data on 707 Louisiana marriages from the Marriage Matters Panel Survey of Newlywed Couples, 1998–2004, using multivariate longitudinal growth modeling. When the sample was restricted to couples who remained married over the duration of the study, a marginal benefit of covenant status was found for husbands. This effect was largely accounted for by covenant husbands' more extensive exposure to premarital counseling. The linear decline in marital satisfaction over time that obtained for both husbands and wives was not, however, any different for covenant marriages versus standard marriages. Couples characterized by more traditional attitudes toward gender roles were significantly less satisfied than others. High premarital risk factors, initial uncertainty about marrying the spouse, and the presence of preschool‐age children in the household were all corrosive of marital satisfaction at any given time.     

In Circle: A Healthy Relationship,Domestic Violence,and HIV Intervention for African American Couples

While marriage and healthy relationship education has grown, limited interventions have been developed specifically to support the development and flourishing of African American couples. African Americans are also disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS and are more likely to experience lethality and serious injury due to domestic violence compared to Whites. Despite this, African American couples have been resilient and managed to thrive in relationships. Little has been done to capture these strategies, build on cultural strengths, and design an intervention specifically crafted for this population. This article describes an intervention “In Circle” developed, implemented, and evaluated for African American couples to support healthy relationship and healthy marriage education. The intervention is based on an Ancient Egyptian value system and undergirded by three integrated theoretical perspectives. The article also includes implications for practice and research.     

摩梭母系婚姻家庭形态研究的再思考

中国西南地区泸沽湖周围的摩梭人,至今仍保留着母系家庭与母系文化,这从一个重要方面展现了中华文化及人类社会文化的多样性.近年来,由于经济社会发展的不断加快,摩梭母系家庭数量已明显减少,余下的母系家庭也渐"空壳化".在摩梭母系文化面临解体之时,学术界应深入研究,为这一文化的保护提供参考.泸沽湖周边摩梭母系婚姻家庭的出现与长期延续,除与其居住地特殊自然、地理环境有关外,还与其族源有关.泸沽湖摩梭人的母系文化虽然有其特点,但应是川滇之间历史上曾存在的"母系文化带"的一部份.摩梭社会中出现母系、父系及双系家庭并存现象有着经济、政治、文化等多方面的原因,但双系家庭并非母系家庭与父系家庭间的过渡.摩梭母系文化的深入研究,还应注意与四川甘孜道孚县扎巴母系文化作比较,这样既可更多的更大范围的了解"母系文化带",也可加深对泸沽湖边摩梭母系文化特点的认识.     

当代大学生婚恋观嬗变的原因探究

大学生的婚姻观已趋于多元化。当代大学生的婚恋观、择偶观以及性观念;当代大学生的生活态度及社会原因值得认真研究,并应引起足够的重视,以便更好地预测其将来的生活方式。     

Large,But Adaptable? A Successful Population Policy and Its Long Term Effects

A restrictive population policy led to almost doubling the number of newborns from one year to another in Romania in the 1960s. Twenty years later, this large generation (of women) enters a marriage market with few eligible older mates, in a society where marriage is a must. In this article, I analyze this social experiment within the broader frame of the marriage squeeze/two sex models. Using various data from censuses and surveys, I argue that the marriage market is flexible even when is confronted with disproportionately large cohorts. If the social pressure toward marriage is strong, the marriage rates do not necessarily fall, but the mating age patterns change.

中国女性老年人口的现状及问题分析

在快速的人口老龄化过程中,由于女性老年人寿命长于男性,因此成为一个规模快速增加的群体。女性在受教育、就业比例以及收入水平上一般要低于男性,因此她们在晚年生活中的弱势积累效应更加明显,表现为经济保障、健康医疗、婚姻家庭生活方面的困难更加突出。在当今家庭养老照料功能减弱和社会保障及社会服务能力不足的情况下,女性老年人口问题需要给以更多的关注。采用2005年全国1%抽样调查资料,对我国当前老年妇女的人口、婚姻、受教育、经济来源、职业以及健康状况给以描述和分析,以期为学术研究和政府管理工作提供必要的信息和依据。     

社会文化变迁对婚姻家庭的影响及趋势

婚姻家庭既是人类文化的积淀,是社会文化的载体,也是传递社会文化的重要组成部分。在人类发展的历史长河中,婚姻家庭与社会文化变迁密切相关,社会文化变迁以各种方式影响着婚姻家庭的建立、形成与发展。以社会文化变迁为视角,通过对社会文化变迁与婚姻家庭的建立、形成与发展之间的互动关系的历史考察,从婚姻家庭形式、婚姻家庭制度、婚姻家庭观念、婚姻家庭习俗、婚姻家庭关系等方面探讨人类社会文化变迁与婚姻家庭变化发展之间的内在关系,揭示人类社会不同历史阶段社会文化变迁及其特点对人类社会婚姻家庭建立、形成与发展的影响,探索社会文化变迁与婚姻家庭变化规律,探寻在当代社会文化交汇、冲突、融合加快趋势下,社会文化变迁与婚姻家庭变化的趋势。     

苗族婚姻制度变迁六十年——以贵州省施秉县夯巴寨为例

半个多世纪以来,苗族婚姻制度发生了诸多变迁。本文聚焦于游方、婚姻仪式、两性距离与婚姻限制等要素来揭示婚姻制度的变迁。这些变迁与国家意志、市场原则、大众媒体、社会时尚、科学知识与文化传统等因素相关。这些因素分别作用于婚姻制度的各个层面,并促使其发生牵连性的变迁。     

解析伊斯兰法中的婚姻观

婚姻制度是伊斯兰法的核心内容之一.其很多规定体现出了伊斯兰法相比于同时期其他法系相关制度具有的独特性和优越性.因此,本文通过对伊斯兰法婚姻制度所体现和倡导的婚姻自主、夫妻平等;反对独身禁欲;严禁近亲、同性婚姻等婚姻观进行必要的梳理、展示和分析,以期人们能够从价值合理性的视角认识、了解和关注伊斯兰婚姻制度.