Chapter 9

Chapter nine starts off explaining how more people today than in the past are choosing not to marry, are living together, or are raising children alone. Many of us today are marrying later than our parents or grandparents as a result of pursuing a college education, preparing for a job or career, and spending more time in recreational or other activities. The chapter then goes into discussing the several kinds of singles: those who are delaying marriage; the small percentage who will never marry; the currently unmarried who are divorced or widowed but may be looking for new partners; and lesbians and gay men, who are still legally barred from marrying in 44 states. The chapter discusses voluntary temporary singles, voluntary stable singles, involuntary temporary singles, and involuntary stable singes. Many people say that they are single because they are not in love and are still waiting for the right person. Some of the reasons why the number of singles have increased since the 1970s include macro factors, some demographic, and some reflect personal choices. A few examples of macro-level factors include war, technology, social movements, the economy, and gender roles. Demographic shifts such as changes in the sex ratio and the marriage squeeze, social class, and nonmarital childbearing also help explain the large number of singles. The chapter then gives us some benefits of getting married along with benefits of being single. The benefits of getting married include: companionship, faithful sexual partner, dependability; love, sharing mutual interests, pooling economic resources, social approval for settling down and producing children, and becoming a part of something larger than self. The benefits of being single include: privacy, few constraints, independence, varied sexual experiences; cohabitation, economic autonomy, freedom form responsibility to care for spouse or children, and a need for independence. The text also explains that among some racial and ethnic groups, the unmarried population has increased significantly during the past few generations. Compared with other groups, blacks are the most likely to be single, especially never to get married. Latinos are generally less likely than black women to experience a shortage of marriageable partners, but singlehood is also increasing among Latinos. The chapter then goes into explaining cohabitation. Cohabitation can be defined as a living arrangement in which two unrelated people are not married but live together and are sexual partners. There are different types of cohabitation. The most common types are dating cohabitation, premarital cohabitation, a trail marriage, or a substitute for a legal marriage. Some of the negative effects of cohabitation discussed include: domestic violence, poverty, and behavioral and academic problems. The last topic this chapter discusses is gay and lesbian couples. Same-sex marriage is prohibited in all but five states. Because of this, gay and lesbian partners have few options than heterosexuals. One of the last things this chapter tells us is, “ Although there is less pressure to marry, most of us will do so at least once in our lives” (pg. 256).

I found reading about the diversity of singles to be an extremely fascinating topic to learn. I did not realize that singlehood reflects more dimensions than simply being not married. I just always assumed that if you weren’t dating anyone or if you weren’t married then you were single. However, that necessarily is not always the case. It was interesting learning about voluntary temporary singles, voluntary stable singles, involuntary temporary singles, and involuntary stable singles. This was the part of the text that I found most interesting to read about.

The question that I have for the class is do you believe cohabitation is a positive or negative aspect in our society. Why or why not? What are your opinions on this subject?

Maria Nicholas