Question: What are the views of Gay Rights activists on same-sex marriage? There are many Gay Rights activists who are strong supporters of marriage. One reason for them supporting same-sex marriage is that marriage has many economic advantages over single life. Married people get tax breaks and are entitled to Social Security benefits if one spouse dies. Since gays are not allowed to marry except in California, they cannot get the benefits in most places in the United States. Also, legally married people can inherit from one another without a will. Many companies offer benefits to a person’s spouse, but since gays cannot legally marry, they are denied these benefits.

Question: How does the sex ratio affect advantage and/or disadvantage in obtaining a spouse? The sex ratio can play a large role in determining the number of available spouses a person could choose at any given time. According to out textbook “The obvious flip side of the discussion is that sex ratios affect bargaining for a spouse.” In terms of exchange theory, the sex that is lower in number becomes the more valuable sex and the sex in greater number becomes the less valuable sex. This can have huge consequences on marriage patterns. For example when there are more men than women mend tend to value women more and thus they are more likely to want to get married in order to keep their woman.

Question: Individual choices take place within a broader social spectrum – that is, within society. How do social factors influence an individual’s decision about whether to marry or remain single? Answer: Social factors play large influences in almost every kind of decision people make. The decision to stay single or to get married is very heavily affected by social factors. For example people may reach a certain age and feel like they should be married by that age. When the station manager where I work turned 30 years of age, he

Question: Explain what love is and what it is not. Love is many things. It exists between many people for many different reasons. There is love among families, between parents and children or brothers and sisters. Love also exists outside of families. The textbook defines love as “a deep and vital emotion resulting from significant need satisfaction, coupled with a caring for and acceptance of the beloved and resulting in an intimate relationship.” Love is an emotion, which means it can motivate a person to act a certain way, or do a certain thing. For example, a mother strives to protect her children and raise them well out of love.

Question: Summarize the ways in which play and games are related to socialization to gender expectations, identities, and roles. Answer: Gender expectations can be seen in boys and girls in play and games. For instance, according to the textbook, “girls play in one-to-one relationships or small groups of twosomes and threesomes; their play is relatively cooperative, emphasizes turn taking, requires little competition, and has relatively few rules.” This affects how they will act as adults, as women generally are less competitive and generally put more emphasis on others rather than themselves. The textbook also reads “in feminine games like jump rope or hopscotch, the goal is skill rather than winning.” This could help explain why women in general are less concerned with winning, as relates to ambition in the business world, etc.

Question: Compare and contrast the conflict theory with exchange theory. In what ways are they similar and different to each other? Answer: The conflict and exchange theories have many similarities with each other. For example, according to the text, the exchange theory “focuses on how individuals’ various personal resources affect their relative positions in families or other groups.” Conflict theory also “calls attention to unequal power within groups or larger societies,” according to the text. This unequal power is a direct effect of personal resources. The exchange theory “fights the tendency to see family relationships in far more romantic and emotional terms.” It is basically saying that all relationships, even family ones, are based on what a

Question: According to the text, in what ways are personal choices affected by social influences such as historical events, race and ethnicity, social class, and age expectations? Be sure to support your answer with data or facts from the text. Answer: Personal choices are affected by many social influences.