Assignment 2

Assignment 2 Part 1

1) Describe 1 or 2 highlights that struck you from the report. Do not cut and paste from the report, use your own words.
      I found the third to last highlight to be very interesting. This highlight states that there are going to be an increase in households with married couples (over 45) without children. This struck me, not because there are no children, but because of the age of people getting married. It sounds like more people are either: divorcing or marrying later in life. 

2) Were you surprised by the data/findings on the chart or are they in line with what you would have expected?
      I was surprised that the number of house holds with fathers stayed at a 1.6. I feel that fathers have taken a big step in taking care of kids. Even Tide did a commercial of a father and kids doing laundry. I would not have expected a huge raise but definitely a couple points. 

3) What do you notice on the chart?
    The biggest drop on the chart was the 2 parent household. In ten years there has been a near 5% drop in 2 parent house holds. Now, looking at what has happened in western culture the past ten years, I'm surprised the rate hasn't dropped even more. I feel that our culture poses a lot more challenges to marriages than ten years ago.

3a.) What types of families are more typical (higher percentage) compared to 1995.
      Households with married couples with no children are more typical than compared to 1995.

3b.) What types of families are becoming less the norm (percentage decreases from 1995 to 2010.
       Two parent households are decreasing significantly from 1996 to 2010.

4) What type of family do you expect to be living in, in 5 
years? In 10 years? When you are 70 years old?
     In five years I hope to be living with non relatives or alone. In ten years I hope to be living alone. When I am 70 I hope to be living with my family (whether it be kids, husband, cousin, or brother.)

Assignment 2 Part 2

1) What is different about women today versus 40 years ago?
      Women today are getting married and having children a lot later in life than ever before. Now thirties is a time for a career, travel, and personal success rather than families and child rearing.

2) What is the norm in terms of what women are doing and when they are marrying?
     Women today are going to college,  coming into the work force and establishing careers, urbanizing, and marrying later in life (if so at all). 
3) Do women work more or less than in the past etc?
     Women today are more interested in seeking out schooling and establishing careers. While in the past, women did work however work was a job and not a career.

4) Next, please write about what you plan to do as you finish school and reach adulthood. Will you work and get your career started and then marry or the other way around?
      I thought I would like to be a younger mother. I love children, and have always taken an interest in being around them. However, now that I am getting older I feel I want more out of life than motherhood.  I want to make changes on a grander scale than an individual level. Therefore my hope is to travel and teach English. Then come back to the U.S establish a career in a school, and through the school and other organizations raise awareness on social injustices and our environment. Eventually maybe  become a mother, but not until later in my life.

And - just for fun: if you are female: describe which Sex and the City girl you most identify with and why. You can also note your favorite boyfriend/husband.
I reside most with Miranda (maybe even a touch of Samantha.) I admire Miranda for her work ethic and over all perspective on life. I also feel Samantha has a similar outlook on human sexuality and how humans may not be cut out for monogamous relationships.

Assignment 2 Part 3
1) Tell us about one change in age at marriage, or how many people marry, or childbearing, or cohabitation, or in divorce, or in aging.
When reading about divorce, I learned that the divorce rate has decreased sine the 1980's. And that those with an education are less likely to divorce than those without an education. Being that today more and more people are reaching an education it would make sense that the divorce rate is dropping, however I feel that more people are not marrying. 

2) How does the latest research topic you chose differ from the past research on that chosen topic -- as noted in the article?
In the past I feel that I have read the divorce rates are extremely high, yet according to this article its stating that the divorce rates are dropping.

3) Who did the article author cite in describing the newest research on your chosen topic?
S. P. Martin, from his article, "Trends in Marital Dissolution by Women's Education in the United States." (2006)