West Indian family organization has been observed to exhibit relatively greater instances of brittle common law unions, out-of-wedlock births, and female headed households than is the case with other New World populations. Three primary explanations have been given to explain the presence of these patterns: the retention or reinterpretation of…

The report presents survey results about the marital histories of husbands and wives or changes in marital status of mothers and characteristics of their children. Data were collected in June 1975, by the U. S. Bureau of the Census. An introduction summarizes trends which the data suggest. Seven sections discuss number of times husband and wife…

This report focuses on laws in the state of Wisconsin as they relate to homemakers. Four areas are discussed, each in separate sections: marriage, widowhood, divorce, and wife abuse. The section on marriage includes information on property rights, disability and death of homemaker, federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act, domicile, interspousal…

This paper outlines a family systems model for treating incestuous families and discusses strategies for working effectively with families who remain intact after disclosure or who attempt to reunite after a separation. This systems model suggests that incest results not from intrapsychic problems of the victim or the offender, but from a pattern…

This publication is intended to help women in Alaska learn about their legal rights. Some of the information is of a general nature and will be of interest to women in other states. Some of the laws and resources are relevant to Alaska only. The publication can serve as a model to other states wanting to develop a resource to inform women about…

This article describes a sequence of marriage and family counseling courses offered within the context of a Masters program in counselor education. Following the rationale for the courses and a general program discussion, the seven courses in the family counseling sequence are enumerated and explained, including: (1) theories of family counseling;…

Research on changing attitudes toward parenthood among college students was expanded to include a study of textbooks to determine if they were reflective of the changes. A sample of 980 undergraduate female home economics students in four universities in the Midwest and West Coast areas were involved in this decade retesting of Maxwell and…

This paper explores the potential contributions of social exchange theory in investigations of marriage and family relationships. The basic premise of social exchange is that individuals in social interaction attempt to maximize rewards and minimize costs to obtain the most profitable outcomes. Research has shown that five factors must be…

A study was conducted to (1) determine trends in the percentages of women who resume paid employment on a regular basis, work only from time to time, or remain out of the labor market entirely and (2) investigate the causes for the increased work attachment of married women. Data is based on the work histories of mature women obtained from the…

This report describes the process designed in Illinois to respond to President Carter's initiative for a White House Conference on Families. It also describes the product of that process: recommendations in ten topic areas of importance to the American family. Extensive discussions of such topics as children and parents, education, marriage,…

The unit explores several ideas regarding marriage and emphasizes that tribal women need to plan for a career as well as for marriage. The following concepts are to be stressed: (1) roles in marriage have changed; (2) people marry for a variety of reasons; (3) love is not the only consideration in selecting a mate; (4) marriage is really a…

In a study based on data collected by Project TALENT, only children and individuals from two-child families were compared on a number of outcome variables in order to explore whether, and in what way, only children differ from children with siblings. A sample of 3221 Project TALENT participants who were in either the ninth or twelth grade in 1960…

A study was conducted on the factors which influence young women to marry or have their first child at a given age. The data used were taken from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women conducted by the Center for Human Resource Research at Ohio State University, during which a sample of 5,159 young women aged 14 to 24 in 1968 were…

A theoretical outline for an ideal or constructed type for the concept of "love" is presented. According to the definition presented, there are five basic elements or indicators which are sufficient conditions for the existence of love in its broadest sense: empathy, desire for the presence of the other, sharing, sacrifice and joy. Under…

Family life among the poor has been the subject of many stereotypes, which often focus on the failure of poor families to conform to middleclass structures and muster sympathies for members of one sex at the expense of the other. Chicano migrants' large extended families are often labeled 'stifling', and women's involvement in the lives of their…