Counted Out

A Volume in the American Sociological Association’s Rose Series in Sociology

Winner of the 2011 William T. Goode Award from the Family Section of the American Sociological Association

Winner of the North Central Sociological Association’s 2011 Scholarly Achievement Award

Winner of the Midwest Sociological Society’s 2011 Distinguished Book Award

“This thought-provoking book goes beyond abstract theorizing and polarized debates to examine how Americans actually define family, analyzing the origins, contradictions, consequences, and likely evolution of people’s views. A must-read for academics and concerned citizens alike.”
—STEPHANIE COONTZ, professor of history and family studies, The Evergreen State College 

“What makes a family? Is it marriage? Children? Pets? Co-residence? Are loving and enduring relationships the essence of families, whether these are formally recognized or not? Counted Out asks these simple but fundamental questions. As a result, Brian Powell and his colleagues paint a most revealing picture of how diverse groups of Americans think about today’s variety of family forms, especially same-sex relationships, and how these views have evolved in recent years. The book also illuminates beliefs concerning custody, genetics, and changing one’s last name upon marriage. This study shows just how much we can learn from surveys when combined with open-ended questions in the hands of skillful and thoughtful researchers. This highly accessible volume will make a splendid supplemental reader in courses ranging from introductory surveys on the family and diversity in American life to graduate courses on survey methods. Bravo!”
—JERR Y A. JACOBS, professor of sociology, University of Pennsylvania 

“Counted Out makes clear why ‘family values’ has been such a hotly debated political issue in the United States. It shows the ambivalence Americans have about including ‘as family’ those arrangements that are not based on marriage—heterosexual cohabitation and same-sex parenting and partnering. Using rich and unique data, Counted Out also illuminates the limits of the ‘gender revolution.’ Strong gender biases continue to influence who Americans think should have custody of children following divorce. Americans also continue to overwhelmingly endorse the practice of women taking their husband’s name at marriage. Anyone interested in family change or change in gender norms will find much food for thought in this exceptionally well-argued and insightful volume.”
—SUZANNE BIANCHI, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, UCLA

When state voters passed the California Marriage Protection Act (Proposition 8) in 2008, it restricted the definition of marriage to a legal union between a man and a woman. The act’s passage further agitated an already roiling national debate about whether American notions of family could or should expand to include, for example, same-sex marriage, unmarried cohabitation, and gay adoption. But how do Americans really define family? The first study to explore this largely overlooked question, Counted Out examines currents in public opinion to assess their policy implications and predict how Americans’ definitions of family may change in the future.

Counted Out broadens the scope of previous studies by moving beyond efforts to understand how Americans view their own families to examine the way Americans characterize the concept of family in general. The book reports on and analyzes the results of the authors’ Constructing the Family Surveys (2003 and 2006), which asked more than 1,500 people to explain their stances on a broad range of issues, including gay marriage and adoption, single parenthood, the influence of biological and social factors in child development, religious ideology, and the legal rights of unmarried partners. Not surprisingly, the authors find that the standard bearer for public conceptions of family continues to be a married, heterosexual couple with children. More than half of Americans also consider same-sex couples with children as family, and from 2003 to 2006 the percentages of those who believe so increased significantly—up 6 percent for lesbian couples and 5 percent for gay couples. The presence of children in any living arrangement meets with a notable degree of public approval. Less than 30 percent of Americans view heterosexual cohabitating couples without children as family, while similar couples with children count as family for nearly 80 percent. Counted Out shows that for most Americans, however, the boundaries around what they define as family are becoming more malleable with time.

Counted Out demonstrates that American definitions of family are becoming more expansive. Who counts as family has far-reaching implications for policy, including health insurance coverage, end-of-life decisions, estate rights, and child custody. Public opinion matters. As lawmakers consider the future of family policy, they will want to consider the evolution in American opinion represented in this groundbreaking book.

BRIAN POWELL is Rudy Professor of Sociology at Indiana University.

CATHERINE BOLZENDAHL is assistant professor of sociology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of California, Irvine.

CLAUDIA GEIST is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Utah.

LALA CARR STEELMAN is professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of South Carolina.