Abstract
Changes in marriage rates and in the definition of marriage require a comprehensive and flexible conceptual framework that can accommodate these changes and also reveal new and useful knowledge about the health benefits of marriage across diverse populations. This chapter discusses trends in marriage over the last few decades, including increased rates of unmarried adults and same-sex marriages as well as changing gender roles. These trends serve as phenomena with important implications for studies of marriage and health. Intersectionality is introduced as a useful framework for examining and understanding the influence and interactions of multiple statuses on stress exposure, marital dynamics, and health.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Brescoll, V. L., & Uhlmann, E. L. (2005). Attitudes towards traditional and nontraditional parents. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 436–445.
Bridges, J. S., Etaugh, C., & Barnes-Farrell, J. (2002). Trait judgments of stay at home and employed parents: A function of social role and/or shifting standards. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 140–150.
Cherlin, A. (2009). The marriage-go-round: The state of marriage and the family in America today. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Cole, S. W., Kemeny, M. E., Taylor, S. E., Visscher, B. R., & Fahey, J. L. (1996). Accelerated course of human immunodeficiency virus infection in gay men who conceal their homosexual identity. Psychosomatic Medicine, 58, 219–231.
Coogan, P. F., Wise, L. A., Cozier, Y. C., Palmer, J. R., & Rosenberg, L. (2012). Lifecourse educational status in relation to weight gain in African American women. Ethnicity and Disease, 22, 198–206.
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 140, 139–167.
Currie, J. (2011). Inequality at birth: Some causes and consequences. American Economic Review, 101, 1–22.
DeSilver, D. (2013, June). How many same-sex marriages in the U.S.? At least 71,165 probably more. Pew Research Center Fact Tank. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/26/how-many-same-sex-marriages-in-the-u-s-at-least-71165-probably-more/. Accessed 17 Dec 2014.
Elliott, D. B., Krivickas, K., Brault, M. W., & Kreider, R. M. (2012). Historical marriage trends from 1890 to 2010: A focus on race differences. (SEHSD Working Paper No. 2012-12). https://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/marriage/data/acs/ElliottetalPAA2012paper.pdf. Accessed 5 Sept 2014.
Harknett, K., & McLanahan, S. S. (2004). Racial and ethnic differences in marriage after the birth of a child. American Sociological Review, 69, 790–811.
Jackson, P. B., & Williams, D. R. (2006). The intersection of race, gender, and SES: Health paradoxes. In A. J. Schulz & L. Mullings (Eds.), Gender, race, class, & health: Intersectional approaches (pp. 131–162). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kastanis, A., & Wilson, B. (2014). Race/ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic well-being of individuals in same-sex couples. Los Angeles: The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. http://www.nwnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/TWI-Census-Comparison.pdf. Accessed 12 Aug 2014.
Lincoln, K. D., & Chae, D. H. (2010). Stress, marital satisfaction, and mental health among African Americans in the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Journal of Family Issues, 31, 1081–1105.
Livingston, G. (2014, June). Growing number of dads home with the kids: Biggest increase among those caring for family. Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/06/05/growing-number-of-dads-home-with-the-kids/. Accessed 16 Sept 2014.
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 674–697.
Meyer, I. H., Ouellette, S. C., Haile, R., & McFarlane, T. A. (2011). We’d be free: Narratives of life without homophobia, racism, or sexism. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 8, 204–214.
Raley, R. K., & Bumpass, L. L. (2003). The topography of the divorce plateau: Levels and trends in union stability in the United States after 1980. Demographic Research, 8, 245–259.
Rochlen, A. B., Suizzo, M.-A., McKelley, R. A., & Scaringi, V. (2008). I’m just providing for my family: A qualitative study of stay-at-home fathers. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 9, 193–206.
Seltzer, J. A. (2000). Families formed outside of marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1247–1268.
Shpancer, N., Carter, T. J., Fabrizi, A., Rahal, M. K., Rahrig, K., Ribbler, J. F., Smucker, B., & Thinnes, C. A. (2009, May). A stay at home father is something to be: Evaluating families’ childcare choices. Poster presented at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
Smith, M., & Smith, E. (2013, January 24). By the numbers: Women in the U.S. military. CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/24/us/military-women-glance/. Accessed 5 Sept 2014.
Smock, P. J. (2000). Cohabitation in the United States: An appraisal of research themes, findings, and implications. American Review of Sociology, 26, 1–20.
Sturgis, S. (2008, October). Obesity in African American women linked to depression. Poster presented at the American Psychiatric Association 60th Institute on Psychiatric Services, Chicago, IL.
Wang, W., & Parker, K. (2014, September). Record share of Americans have never married: As values, economics and gender patterns change. Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/09/24/record-share-of-americans-have-never-married/. Accessed 24 Sept 2014.
Williams, D. R. (2002). Racial/ethnic variations in women’s health: The social embeddedness of health. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 588–597.
Zimmerman, T. S. (2000). Marital equality and satisfaction in stay-at-home mother and stay-at-home father families. Contemporary Family Therapy, 22, 337–354.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lincoln, K. (2016). Intersectionality: An Approach to the Study of Gender, Marriage, and Health in Context. In: McHale, S., King, V., Van Hook, J., Booth, A. (eds) Gender and Couple Relationships. National Symposium on Family Issues, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21635-5_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21635-5_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21634-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21635-5
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)