chap 3 terms Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is assortative mating?
Assortative mating refers to the tendency of individuals to pair with others who are similar to themselves in characteristics such as education, income, race, or religion. This pattern can reinforce social stratification and reduce social mobility.
What is the marriage market?
A concept where individuals ‘search’ for partners in a manner similar to a market, evaluating traits, costs, and benefits in forming a match.
What does Becker’s Economic Model of Marriage propose?
Marriage is treated as an economic partnership where people match based on complementary traits that maximize gains (e.g., one earns while the other manages the home).
Explain the Matching vs. Competition Hypotheses.
Matching: People choose similar partners. Competition: People aim for the best traits but end up with similar partners due to competition. Both result in homogamy.
What is negative assortative mating?
Partners choose each other based on complementary differences (e.g., income vs. caregiving), often leading to a traditional division of labor in households.
Define Exchange Theory as proposed by Davis & Merton.
Partners trade different valued traits (e.g., education vs. wealth), forming a relationship where each brings something valuable to the partnership.
What is the Modernization Theory in Mating?
As societies modernize, assortative mating shifts from ascribed traits (e.g., race) to achieved traits (e.g., education).
What does the Economic Inequality Hypothesis suggest?
Greater inequality increases assortative mating by origins, as people avoid ‘marrying down’ due to greater risk.
What is the Inverse U-Shape Hypothesis?
Lifelong singlehood is highest in societies transitioning from traditional to egalitarian gender roles, where norms are unclear but equality hasn’t fully arrived.
What does Destandardization of the Life Course refer to?
A shift away from predictable, linear life paths towards more varied and unpredictable patterns due to individualization and globalization.
Define the life course concepts: Trajectory, Social Pathway, Turning Point.
Trajectory: Long-term life path. Social Pathway: Common trajectory pattern in a group. Turning Point: Life event that redirects a trajectory.
What are Age, Period, and Cohort Effects?
- Age: Biological changes over life. * Period: Events affecting all ages (e.g., COVID). * Cohort: Shared experiences of a birth group influencing outcomes.
What are the types of cohabitation?
- Stepping Stone: Temporary pre-marriage phase. * Alternative: Long-term preference without marriage.
Is mate selection random?
False. Partner choices are shaped by preferences, needs, and social context, often resulting in assortative mating.
What is the life course perspective in sociology?
The life course perspective analyzes how people’s lives unfold through time in relation to historical, social, and institutional contexts.
What is meant by ‘doing gender’?
Doing gender refers to the idea that gender is not something we are but something we perform based on societal expectations.
Explain intergenerational solidarity.
Intergenerational solidarity refers to the strength and quality of relationships between family generations, measured by aspects like contact frequency, emotional closeness, shared values, and support exchanges.
What is cultural capital?
Cultural capital consists of non-financial assets like language use, manners, and educational credentials that provide social mobility advantages.
What is the concept of linked lives?
Linked lives means that individual life paths are connected to those of others, particularly family members.
What does destandardization of the life course indicate?
Destandardization refers to the increasing diversity and unpredictability in life paths, moving away from a single, common life script.
How do norms structure demographic behavior?
Norms dictate expected behaviors around key life events, guiding decisions and may be enforced through sanctions like social disapproval.
What is the Second Demographic Transition?
The Second Demographic Transition refers to societal changes like delayed marriage, increased cohabitation, and reduced fertility.
What is the difference between structure and agency in family behavior?
Structure refers to external forces like institutions and norms shaping behavior, while agency is an individual’s capacity to make choices.
What is the difference between age, period, and cohort effects?
- Age effects: Changes due to biological aging. * Period effects: Societal changes affecting all age groups. * Cohort effects: Changes specific to a group born in the same period.
