美国家庭文化.ppt

The Family Learning Objectives This unit focuses on the various aspects of family, such as marriage, divorce, home ownership, and problems confronting family members. Contents of this unit The definition of family Marriage Family life Women’s roles Divorce and cohabitation One-parent family Homeownership Violent family What is family? According to the U.S. government, a family is those people who live with others to whom they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. The changing American family The extended family Nuclear family One-parent family Marriage In 1997 the U. S. Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, changing the role of the federal government in defining marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife — usually a right reserved for states. This Act prohibits the legalization of same-sex marriage and allows states to ignore a same-sex marriage from another state. Traditionally, marriage is a social institution that includes legal, economic, emotional, sexual, and political factors. Marriage Marriage is a legal contract in the United States. Marriage is an economic arrangement. Marriage is a sexual relationship. Marriage means commitment. Marriage is a political arena, where power relations between man and wife take a variety of forms. Family life: Family Values Traditional family values Respecting one’s parents Being responsible for one’s actions Having faith in God Respecting authority Married to the same person for life Leaving the world in better shape A blend of traditional and newer, ore expressive values Giving emotional support to other members of the family Respecting people for themselves Developing great skills in communicating one’s feelings Respecting one’s children Living up to one’s potential as an individual Family life: Women and Child Care Womens Liberation Movement in the 1960s resulted in abortion rights, the creation of great numbers of daycare centers, and equal acce