- Compare the frequency of singlehood, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce in the United States today and note how the prevalence of these adult lifestyles have changed since the 1970s.
- Discuss the reasons why more people in the U.S. are remaining single for longer periods of their lives and sometimes choosing singlehood as a permanent lifestyle.
- Cite at least three results from the 2000 Time/CNN Poll that support the claim that single adult women in the U.S. are assuming more social, economic, and sexual freedoms than in the past.
- State what the acronym POSSLQ stands for and recognize why the U.S. Bureau of the Census introduced it.
- Identify at least three reasons why some couples choose to cohabit prior to, or instead of, marriage; and provide a profile of the people who are most likely to cohabit in the United States.
- Discuss the selection factors that influence the likelihood of divorce among couples that cohabit prior to marriage.
- Compare and contrast “traditional” and “modern” marriages, noting how the weakening of patriarchal traditions in Western culture has altered men and women’s roles and expectations.
- List at least three functions of marriage for society and consider whether other types of domestic arrangements can fulfill these societal needs.
- Identify two functions of marriage for individuals in the contemporary United States and indicate the primary reason most adults report wanting to get married today.
- Define monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry; and note which type of marriage is most common, and which type is illegal, in the United States.
- Discuss the legal status of same-sex couples in the U.S. and other Western nations.
- Define homogamy and mating gradient and discuss to what extent these patterns of mate selection are found in the U.S. population.
- Compare the patterns of marital sexuality typical of couples today to those of the married couples in Kinsey’s research from the 1930s and 1940s.
- Identify three societal changes of the 1960s and 1970s that had a “liberalizing influence” on sexual attitudes and behavior in the United States.
- Using data from Laumann and colleagues’ surveys, compare the levels of physical and emotional satisfaction with their partners that individuals reported, noting any patterns that emerged according to gender, age, marital status, and/or race-ethnicity.
- Estimate the frequency of extramarital sex for women and for men, and describe the consequences an affair typically has on a marriage.
- Discuss why women and men tend to report different motivations for participating in extramarital affairs.
- Assess the influence of no-fault divorce laws on the prevalence of divorce in the U.S.
- Indicate which three spousal behaviors are key predictors of divorce and list the two most common reasons given for a divorce today.
- Compare how divorce typically affects children in the United States, China, and Africa.
- Recognize which parental behaviors exacerbate children’s psychological distress, and which parental behaviors promote children’s successful adjustment, when divorce occurs.
- Identify the problems that adults who are parents tend to experience as a result of divorce, and explain why divorce tends to affect women and men differently.
- Consider how changes in the composition of the U.S. population may affect cultural views about sexuality among older people.
- Cite evidence to support the finding that older people are interested in, and capable of, having satisfying sex lives.
- List the most common changes in sexual arousal associated with the biological process of aging.
- Recognize which factor the text authors suggest is probably the most important determinant of sexual fulfillment for both older people and people with disabilities.
- Discuss the five factors Nosek identifies as central to sexual wellness among the disabled.
- Identify three physical disabilities and the limitations those conditions may impose on sexual activities, and discuss the strategies people with disabilities can use to maintain sexual activity.
- Explain why people with physical, sensory, and psychological disabilities often lack the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in sexual relationships.
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