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Sociological theories on multigenerational families
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For some, having children is not a priority, or something unable to occur. Childlessness has its advantages and disadvantages for those in later life. For childless individuals as they age, several successful life strategies exist to take advantage of. These factors are discussed in the book Family Ties and Aging by Connidis, as well as Albertini and Kohli’s article “What childless older people give: is the generational link broken?” Without the presence of children always around, childless people have several advantages to their experiences in life. The average childless person has obtained a better education, has more money, and are actively employed, while also committed to that employment (Connidis, 2010, pp. 182-83). They also have a
Families often have a profound effect, good or bad, on an individual’s functioning throughout his or her life. Growing up Joe was left to care for his 3 younger siblings when his Dad alcoholic father would disappear for days and his passive-depressed mother would stay in bed. While in some circumstances children (optimum of three) correspond with increased life satisfaction. Joe’s parents were obviously unprepared for the demands of raising children and ran away, Joes Dad to the bottle and Joes mother to her bed, leaving Joe to raise three sibling a task Joe was obvious unprepared to perform due to his young age. For Joe’s parents, and Joe himself, children added little to nothing to life satisfaction and had a negative impact on Joe’s formative years (Compton & Hoffman, 2013).
Around the 1950’s, the media perpetuated the idea of the picturesque family unit; children made the shift from being a necessary evil to a symbol of status. Children were no longer meant to help sustain the family, so much as meant to be trophies of the parents’ competentness. Children became an outlet for parents to mold and live through vicariously: the more perfect your child was, the better parent you were. The problem is not that people want to have children, but that many cannot afford to take care of their spawn. Whether you are a young mother utilizing the assistance of government programs such as WIC or simply writing off your children on your taxes, you are making use of government incentive to procreate. Reproduction is completely natural; however, once backed by government incentive, the motivations for having children can take an unnatural turn. Children may be a symbol of love and unity, but it has expanded beyond the family unit. Many children have become the responsibility of the Unite...
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
But waiting to choose a career or a partner or have a child – it can make you a better parent; more knowledgeable and patient and able to maintain healthier relationships…. Just overall, people make better decisions after 30…. Who really knows themselves at 20 anyway?" (Arnett). In this quote, Arnett declares that the path for adulthood has become longer, but waiting and experimenting first can make people gain experience and take better decisions in life. Throughout the years, I have seen families with different living environments. All parents have a goal which is to help their children to become adults. Growing up, I realized that succeeding or failing adulthood not only depends on the parents, it also involves economic and social aspects.
The thought of aging is not void of hesitance given it produces questions deprived of answers in the absence of a crystal ball. Subsequently, aging parallels the unknown; thus, faced with uncertainty adopting a positive perspective remains elusive. Although, it’s preferred to view aging optimistically one cannot escape its negative connotations. Will I be an active agent or isolated burden remains a noteworthy unknown that enervates my optimism. Another consideration leading to my vacillating view on aging is, not knowing to what degree personal competencies and capacities will carry forward, thereby affording autonomy in the elder years. However, as research suggest, the aging process transforms healthy adults into frail ones; thus, dashing one’s hope that such traits will endure (Friis, 2010). Incidentally, at age 48, these lingering questions will soon be answered. In the interim, there is an inherent responsibility to prepare physically, psychologically, and financially for entry into the aging population. Ideally, the goal is to
Each family unit exhibits concepts and themes found within Bowen’s Family System Theory. In my family unit, I see the following concepts and themes from a family system theory perspective exhibited through my genogram; boundaries, levels of differentiation, family projection process, and emotional cutoff. Each of these will be expanded on further below:
Umberson, D., Pudrovska, T., & Reczek, C. (2010). Parenthood, childlessness, and wellbeing: A life course perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 612-629. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00721.x
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
Curtin et al. 370). The problem with single parent is the fact that usually the
A major problem in our society today is the absence of fathers in the home and in the lives of their children. I believe that growing up in a two parent household gives a child the best chance to be successful. My theory is that the absence of a father greatly affects the outcome of the child’s life and limits their opportunity for success. For the sake of this argument success will be measured by education level, mental state and crime. I will explore what effects, if any, the absence of a father has on these factors of success.
“ The Advantages of Single Parenting”. All- About- Motherhood. n.p. n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.
Like mentioned before, when parents are coming from poor health, low education and no recent moves, they are more likely to have a close family bond with both their adult children and their siblings (Hank, 2007). The close relationships between the elderly and their family members helps improve their well-being but it also has an impact on the younger generations view on the relationships as well (Sener, Oztop, Dogan & Guven, 2008). In an older adults life, their relationships can be very important. Like sibling relationships, older adults benefit from intergenerational relationships, like with their adult children, for life satisfaction (Lowenstein et al., 2007).
There is a growing interest in Ageing for both Sociologists and Social policy researchers, which has been notably stimulated by a new found awareness of the rising age dependency ratio (namely the predicted costs associated with this through pensions and healthcare), changing patterns of consumption and the ‘vertical’ growth of families. Across a large number of societies, there have been many differing responses to the population ageing. These will be discussed later, but it is of note to highlight the importance of these ideas on intergenerational relations being shared across nations.
I had often debated whether or not I wanted to have kids when I got older. While I can't predict the future, I do know now that I have the desire to have children. My dad always joked that one child (Alvand) was enough for me, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Children bring a new perspective into one's life. They open you up to a unique way of thinking and make you take into consideration what you had always thought was superfluous or unimportant. It is incredible that a baby's critical learning period likewise incites a period of growth in their caretakers. Responsibility and love for a child force us to go beyond ourselves. We must learn to expect the unexpected and prepare for any situation, and life's sweetest gift fills the moments in between.
Parents’ age has a significant effect on the child's growing, according to recent psychological studies on children. In the last half-century, it has increased dramatically that people are waiting longer to procreate, to well settle in their life. It may be surprising to know that about 20% of women are choosing to have a baby after the age of 35; In fact, a large number of women are giving a birth into their 40’s. Even though it is common to think that old age is positive, it does not necessarily mean better parents. In contrast, it seems to be reasonable assumption that many people think that it is a negative development for the family. The reality is that late parenting is not a positive trend and such parents would face many issues and challenges in raising children.