Marriage as a Status Symbol

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/04/02/Changing_American_Family

Sociology professor Andrew Cherlin examines the modern status of marriage in the U.S. as compared to other western countries.

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The Changing American Family

The writings of social scientists and their popularizers reflect the dramatic changes that have taken place in marriage, child rearing, and family life in the United States. Where such writers once spoke simply of "the family," they now speak of "the diversity of family forms" and the rapidity with which those forms can change.

This panel offers objective and unsentimental views of the family and addresses basic questions about family life in the United States today. How do popular myths about family life compare with verifiable realities? What constitutes a marriage or a divorce? How do contemporary adult work patterns affect family life? Featuring Doyle McCarthy, professor of sociology at Fordham University and author of Knowledge as Culture; William Doherty, professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota; Arlene Skolnick, visiting scholar, Sociology Department, NYU and author of Embattled Paradise; and Andrew J. Cherlin, John Hopkins University professor and author of Public and Private Families: An Introduction - The New School

Andrew J. Cherlin is Griswold Professor of Public Policy in the department of sociology, Johns Hopkins University and author of Public and Private Families: An Introduction.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• getting
• married
• marry
• family
• children
• kids
• families
• life
• americans
• adults
• united
• states
• culture
• weddings
• status
• foratv
• fora.tv
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[RexT42]

I love this channel, there's always something interesting to think about going on here.

[ForaTv]

Thank you! We appreciate the support.

[Omniverse77]

women made it a staus symbol cause they are materialistic.

Men could give 2 shits about how big a marriage is. If they could get it over with in 5 min or less, for $5 or less, they'd do it without even thinking about it.

[caramale77]

That is exactly how I see it. ty

[Kang5030]

@Omniverse77

You don't know much about men, then.

Do you think men show up at business meetings, social events, groups of other men etc. without an eye for social standing? Doesn't matter, right? Just material shit.

Wrong. Social standing and materialism is not gender specific. It's a universal human trait that gets exaggerated by bad culture. Men and women likely treat it differently, but it's the same principle in motion.

Quit pointing the finger at women, boy. It's pathetic.

[SenseOrSensibility]

I would say weddings in GENERAL are status symbols--"the bigger, the better" seems to be the motto. But don't blame women entirely for this--the wedding industry plants the seeds throughout our lives, encouraging the "fairy tale princess" myth that a) every bride should have a fancy dress, a fancy ring, and fancy decorations on her Speshul Day, and b) that a wedding is the epitome of female accomplishment and nothing she does after this (save having children) will be half as important.

[zenith2070]

@1zzzzzzz1 aint that some bullshit

[1zzzzzzz1]

@Omniverse77 right on man from the start marriage is all about women ,you get on your knees, you buy the big ring, she comes down the isle as if shes a goddess wearing all white been banged by god knows who all so whys she wearing white a symbol of virginity dont know. And so your dumbass is just standing there paying for it all. And hope that it works out! P.S and she wonts you to take her last name now!

[kapazas2002]

@Omniverse77 my situation was reversed - my husband wanted the wedding for the gifts.. although we both had apartments & the gifts did not come close in value to covering the expense of the meals we provided & the majority of the guests were 6 figure income guests some were millionaires