Comments on the article by G. M. Herek, "Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States." There are many arguable contentions Herek made in his defense of same-sex marriage. We have chosen to focus on only one in this commentary: What is the active ingredient in marriage that serves the socially advantageous goal of civilizing…

Describes uniqueness of "family realm" from other human experience spheres and implications in regard to family phenomena theories. Concludes, from five position papers presented, that "family" theories originating from nonfamily realms have significant limitations. Suggests "family realm" concept is helpful in evaluating current theories and…

The paper describes a research project to determine fertility-related family decision making processes. Fertility-related decisions are interpreted as all ultimate choices made by spouses concerning the number and spacing of children they will have. Specifically, the research investigated how factors such as the desire for more or less egalitarian…