The most thoroughly updated edition yet, this book offers students perspectives of changes in marriage and family over time, including the impact of the Great Recession and of new media technologies. A hallmark of Families in Context remains the well-researched, data-driven quality of the text. Beyond presenting thoroughly updated statistics and literature, each chapter examines new trends and assesses their implications for students' lives. The underlying presentation remains balanced, theoretically grounded, and accessible to a wide variety of classes, allowing students of all ages and family backgrounds to draw their own conclusions about controversial topics. Features of the new edition include coverage of the Affordable Care Act; new social media and families; the latest trends in poverty, education, social mobility, gender, identities and healthcare; updated 'In the News' features and author-created PowerPoint slides.

Marilyn Ihinger-Tallman and Teresa M. Cooney's Families in Context introduces foundational ideas and concepts about families and applies them to issues and events relevant to today's college student population. This comprehensive but concise paperback---written in clear, student-friendly language---fills the following needs not being met by existing texts: * The text is structured consistently, featuring an overarching framework that combines family systems theory and ecological systems theory. This approach bridges both micro- and macro-perspectives on families. * Each chapter places families squarely within their respective environments---their neighborhood, community, and national context---and provides conceptual linkages between the different aspects of family life. * Diversity is integrated into each chapter. * The text's emphasis on social context allows the exploration of families in at least three ways: (1) how individuals live out their intimate experiences within families and communities; (2) the impact of family groups on their neighborhoods and communities, and vice versa; and (3) the ways in which the larger social contexts influence families within different class levels and racial groups. * The book's brevity and reasonable price allow ample time for instructors to easily supplement their courses with additional materials. Each chapter opens with a "Did You Know?" box, detailing ideas related to chapter content and preparing students for the chapter's topics. Similarly, a box entitled "Things to Think About" offers questions, definitions, or comments intended to provoke students' critical thinking. The text provides a "hands-on" approach by featuring critical-thinking activities at the end of each chapter, enabling students to apply learned concepts and principles. Finally, additional readings and a glossary of relevant theoretical concepts are provided.

Typical studies of marriage and family in the early Christian period focus on very limited evidence found in Scripture. This interdisciplinary book offers a broader, richer picture of the first Christian families by drawing together research by experts ranging from archaeologists to ancient historians. By exploring the nature of households in the ancient Greco-Roman world, the contributors assemble a new understanding of ancient Christian families that is both compelling and instructive. Divided into six parts, the book covers key aspects of ancient family life, from meals and child-rearing to women's roles and the lives of slaves. Three concluding chapters explore the implications of all this information for theological education today. Contributors: David L. Balch Suzanne Dixon J. Albert Harrill Ross S. Kraemer Christian Laes Peter Lampe Amy-Jill Levine Margaret Y. MacDonald Dale Martin Eric M. Meyers Margaret M. Mitchell Carolyn Osiek Beryl Rawson Richard Saller Timothy F. Sedgwick Monika Trumper Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

Learn what trends and factors are influencing families globally How are families the same or different around the world? Families in a Global Context puts the similarities and differences into perspective, presenting an in-depth comparative analysis of family life in 17 countries around the world. Contributors discuss different countries' family life by using a standard framework to review major influences and patterns. The framework allows readers to do comparative reflection across several countries on a variety of daily living elements, including social and economic forces such as urbanization and modernization, changes in gender/courtship/spousal patterns, and war. This book provides an informative illustration of current as well as future trends of family life worldwide. Each chapter in Families in a Global Context describes customary types of family patterns within each country’s social organization and culture. Important social, economic, political, and other trends are explored in detail, and major ethnic, religious, or other subcultures are noted emphasizing marriage and family patterns that differ from the more typical ones. The book is extensively referenced and includes tables to clearly present data. Countries explored in Families in a Global Context include: European countries of Wales, Sweden, Germany, Romania, and Italy African countries of Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kenya Middle Eastern countries of Turkey and Iran Asian and Oceanian countries of India, China, the Philippines, and Australia Latin American countries of Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba Topics discussed for each country in Families in a Global Context include: demographics mate selection patterns with an emphasis on the dynamics of couple formation marital roles the place and role of children and parenting in families socialization for gender roles differences in education, employment, and other opportunities major stressors affecting families, coping, and adaptation aging and life expectancy issues and much more! Families in a Global Context is an insightful resource for researchers, educators, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students investigating comparative family topics of family life around the world and in cultural context.

The most thoroughly updated edition yet, this book offers students perspectives of changes in marriage and family over time, including the impact of the Great Recession and of new media technologies. A hallmark of Families in Context remains the well-researched, data-driven quality of the text. Beyond presenting thoroughly updated statistics and literature, each chapter examines new trends and assesses their implications for students' lives. The underlying presentation remains balanced, theoretically grounded, and accessible to a wide variety of classes, allowing students of all ages and family backgrounds to draw their own conclusions about controversial topics. Features of the new edition include coverage of the Affordable Care Act; new social media and families; the latest trends in poverty, education, social mobility, gender, identities and healthcare; updated 'In the News' features and author-created PowerPoint slides.

Changing Families includes all of the topics traditionally found in family textbooks as well as several chapters and many sections that are unique and innovative. It contains a more comprehensive overview of families with attention paid to a variety of domains relevant to the study of family dynamics. Students who use this text will be exposed to a wider range of theoretical perspectives and methods, and a fuller picture of modern family life in all its richness, diversity, and contexts. Broad themes such as social inequalities, gender roles, and the functional community, with a focus on social policies regarding families link the content together in an integrative framework.