Indicates that perceptions of oneself and one's body are primarily related to sexual behavior rather than sexual standards. The individual develops self- and body image in interaction. These images are the basis for behavioral decisions involving sexual as well as other kinds of action. (Author)

Reveals the tripartite aspect of coping behavior in the face of family separation: the management of family stability and individual anxiety; the procurement of social support from community, interpersonal relationships, and extended family; and direct attack on the stressor event through individual and collective family efforts. (Author/BEF)

Studies morbidity and disability rates of nonmarried, married, and formerly married people using age-adjusted data from federal health surveys in 1960 and 1970. In the noninstitutional population, divorced and separated people have the worst health status. Widowed people rank second, followed by single people; married people appear healthiest.…

Examines determinants of a first marital disruption between 1968 and 1973 for young women who were married at any point during that interval. Whereas economic factors were found to have some importance, other social and demographic factors appeared to have a more significant independent effect on the probability of disruption. (Author)

Suggests that female status in an important cause of divorce in tribal societies. Findings of the study and of income maintenance experiments also indicate a dilemma for American gains in women's liberation may be losses for family stability. Sociological and anthropological literature is also reviewed. (Author/BEF)

Adult male-child dyads of the United States, Ireland, Spain, Japan, and Mexico were examined at the proxemic level. Findings challenge the idea that American children are relatively more deprived of nurturing behavior from the father figure. American men do not interact with children much differently than men from other countries. (Author/BEF)

Analyzes the marital role division between couples, in the Philadelphia area, concentrating on the division of household tasks, child care, and paid employment. Data support a marital power model with husband's income negatively related and wife's education positively related to shared roles. Blacks are more likely to share roles. (Author)

Reveals that families influence marriage timing indirectly, through impact on school as an alternative to marriage. Black girls more often come from families with attributes leading to early marriage, but are only half as likely to form early marriages as White girls from similar educational and family backgrounds. (Author)

Explores trends in marital satisfaction over three generations using a two-dimensional measure. Findings do not indicate linear decline culminating in disenchantment. Youngest generations report high positive interaction and high negative sentiments; middle generations, low levels of both; and older generations, high positive interaction with…

Literature indicates an inverse relationship between kinship involvement and social class that is more pronounced among migrants than long-term residents of a community. Studies of an Ozark community show this is true only among outmigrants. Migration and fertility arguments suggest it is opportunity, not motivation, that produces this inverse…

Using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale to measure self-concept, and self-reports for family structure and family conflict, no significant differences in self-concept scores of children from intact, single-parent, reconstituted, or other types of families were found. Self-concept scores were significantly lower for children reporting…

Studies attitudes toward childlessness using questions commissioned on a Gallup survey of voting-age adults in 1977. They regard offspring as socially instrumental. Nonparenthood is a disadvantaged status. Men regard childlessness as disadvantageous significantly more often than women. Less advantaged groups regard reproduction as a social…

Examines the relationship between voluntary childlessness and marital adjustment. Voluntarily childless wives were precision-matched with mothers on education, religion, and participation in the labor force. There was a positive relationship between childlessness and enhanced marital adjustment and satisfaction. The small difference was related to…

Examines the extent to which spouse's level of education hinders or helps the careers of Ph.D. recipients. Findings indicate that having a Ph.D. spouse negatively affected wives' labor-force participation and husbands' offices held and articles published. Marriage to a highly educated spouse has at least some negative career effects. (Author)

Experiences of cohorts of Swedish females born between 1885-1889 and 1940-1944 are examined, and found to agree with theoretical arguments that increases in female labor-force participation improve feasibility of marriage, while reducing the desirability relative to available alternatives. Increased female labor-force participation also increases…