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The phases of changing the American family
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People may have different idea of what is a family. The definition of an American family has become a dynamic and changing idea in recent years, now we find public acceptance of new family constructs that were not considered the mainstream. “Family” is a household grouping in all human society. In this essay I will discuss the “many forms of contemporary families and its function” and “some of the economic factors affecting comtemporary family” First, “the many form of contemporary families and its functions”. Nuclear family it includes; parents children aunt’s uncles, grandparents living in one household. However single parents are becoming one of the most common family groupings in the United States (Pg61). It is interesting to see how, …show more content…
The larger majority of these single-parents are led by mother. I understand how this type of family works, because I was raised by a single mother. There is a lot of work involved in been a single mother. The mother takes care of the house, the kids and work at the same time. Another type of family is post nuclear family. This term is used, when the mother or father remarriages. Blended or reconstituted family is when a women or men who don’t have kids married someone else. Extended family is another common type of family in the United States. The mother or the father with children living with and other member of the family it could be the grandmother or the grandfather. In my culture people do that a lot. After reading Family schools and community, chap 3. I realize how time has change the way we think about family and what we consider the “proper” family. Now we have family headed by gays and lesbians. According to the book they function much like other family configurations, have similar child care needs, and have comparable numbers of separations. Adoptive family is another type of family. These …show more content…
Some of the economic factors affecting this types of families insufficient money, health care needs and child care. The loss of a job or a fire can be an economic factor for this types of families. In the case of single parent family, a single mother without support will have economic difficulties if she works in a minimum salary, fulltime and paying child care. Extended family is common in the United Stated. One of the reasons is economy. Rent is very expensive and not everyone can pay it. Some People who come for the first time to the United States cannot afford to pay a rent the first months so day come to family member children with disabilities that need special care. On the other hand, not everyone have health care. Families have families with children with disability. This type of family is an example of how social and economic factors can affect families. Often special needs families require more school home community and planning. Families with special need children can include learning disability, speech and language impairments, autism, mental retardation, economic disturbance, physical impairments, or other conditions. Physical impairment, sometimes the families don’t have the money to pay for the care of their children. Before, children with disability didn’t have the care they need; some of them didn’t go to school. “But, federal laws enacted over the past 30 years in the united stated protect
In conclusion this paper has shown my perceptions on the described topics. I have identified why the family is considered the most important agent in socialization. I explained the dramatic changes to the American family and what caused them. I explained the differences in marriage and family. I expressed my feelings on the trend of diverse families, and how a change in trends to traditional views would change women’s rights.
Analyzing the changes that took place in the family through the neoclassical and bargaining model of the family, it is safe to say that the American family is not what it once was.
The present structure of the average family in America is changing, mainly due to the growing number of mothers who now work outside the home. The current mark of dual-earner families stands at 64 percent, making it a solid majority today. This alteration of the "traditional" structure of the family is a channel for other changes that may soon occur.
Traditionally the most dominant family form in the United States has been the married couple family. The image of two parents with children living under one roof is the norm for a married couple family. In a married couple family one or both parents work and income levels are gener...
As a societal unit, the family institution has become more individualized and is negatively impacting societies future. From the 1930’s to now the family has disintegrated into more and more of a single person unit. A family in the 1930’s was envisioned to be a male-breadwinning father, a doting-homemaker wife, and several children. Yet understand while the Great Depression was rolling the family structure did not change. The husband went out and looked for work, while the wife stayed home and kept the children out of trouble.
The valued family structure has been the foundation for generations in history; however, the traditional American family is changing. The revolution has been influenced by the “choices people make and the constraints that limit those choices” (Benokraitis 21). The family structure is forever changing as a result of many dynamics including micro-level and macro-level influences. Fluctuations in the family unit are affected by these factors. These factors should be kept in perspective, stressing the individual choice while not neglecting the macro-level influences. Micro-level influences are personal situations such as a couple not saving money for an unplanned pregnancy. Macro-level influences are comprised of things such as economic forces,
Today, in a world of the “postmodern family” the traditional lines of family structure are blurred. Children may come from diverse types of homes, or a couple, married or not may choose to have no children and consider themselves a family. The roots of these modern families may stem from ethnic origins, sexual orientations, or even seen as a rebellion of sorts from traditional ways. Children may live in homes of single parents, which is an exceedingly more common phenomenon as the divorce rate well publicized at around fifty percent. They may also live with homosexual parents either as a biological child of one partner or adopted by both. Also, the traditional married couple may choose to adopt locally or internationally, potentially blending ethnic backgrounds into one household. Whatever the background of the new nuclear family the challenges and experiences follow similar patterns.
American families have changed tremendously over the past years. Families did not only face the change in their status or social behavior; but also faced a change in their lifestyle. Now there are different types of families with different types of norms and values. Families are socially, ethnically and very expressively diverse than ever before (Angier).
The American family can be defined in as many ways as there are families. For a single person, he or she may define his or her family as his or her pet. Others may define family as his or her friends, but for most people, family is traditionally defined as including his or her biological parents, siblings and immediate blood relations. The traditional American family, despite being depicted in television shows, such as Leave It To Beaver or buzzwords for marked political agendas, is a falsehood that truly never existed for the vast majority of Americans. The birth of the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s is often held responsible for the breakdown of the “traditional” family consisting of the working father, stay-at-home
In today’s media, numerous journalists, bloggers, and sociologists argue that society as a whole has been damaged by the continuing decimation of the nuclear family. Approximately half of this nation’s population is occupied with citizens adopting the single parent lifestyle. Although many argue that the single parent cannot raise a child as successfully as two parents; however, others contend that the nuclear family setting is most beneficial because both parents directly leads to desired child enhancement. Nonetheless, this dispute needs to be addressed: Are these situations contradicting each other so much that only a single setting would be ethical...
The television sitcom Modern Family produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd shows the many different types of a modern American family. According to Andrew Hampp, “The show is among the most-viewed scripted programs in prime time in its second season, averaging 11 million viewers during original airings and often ranked as the most DVRed program most weeks” (2). The television show is a frequently watched show and is liked by many viewers. Modern Family's storyline helps the families of viewers by being an influential and relatable show to different types of families. The show is about the lives of three different families that are all related. In the show there are Jay and Gloria, an intergenerational couple with two sons-- Manny (from Gloria’s previous relationship) and Joe, their new baby. Jay’s adult son Cameron is married to his gay partner Mitchell, and they adopted Lily from Vietnam. Finally, Jay’s daughter Claire is married to her heterosexual partner named Phil and they have three children. The show is influential to our culture today because it shows these different types of families and addresses controversial themes such as gay adoption, the different family connections and communications, intergenerational coupling, and acceptance of diversity within an extended family. The family is easy to relate to while watching because it is based off of real family situations.
The unit of a family is the most prominent essential for all of us. As social human beings, we seek social support in order to thrive, and that is where family comes into play. A family is where you receive love, support, encouragement, and many other social benefits. The total number of households in the United States increased from 63 million in 1970 to 113 million in 2008 (Weeks, 2012). The family has influenced multitudes of people in many ways. The traditional family in the United States consists two-married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring also know as the nuclear family. However, the term of a true family has ultimately changed over the last 50 years especially for African Americans.
The family has been referred to as the most vital of the social institutions (Alexander, 2010). The definition of what it means to be a family has evolved over the past several generations. In technical terms, the U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as a group of two or more people residing together related by birth, marriage, or adoption. (U.S. Census, 2010). Categories of families that fit this definition include married couples with and without children, blended families, single parent, and extended family households. Same-sex and unmarried couples with and without children and individuals living alone are not included in this group, though they are a rising segment of the population. The make-up of family and household types at any given time has major consequences for society (Katz & Stern, 2007). Major systems such as economic political, legal, and other social institutions are all impacted by changes in family dynamics. This paper will explore the evolution of the family unit and examine the reciprocal link between this shift and surrounding systems. The relationship between these changes and contemporary systems theory will also be discussed.
What is a family? A family is two or more people consider themselves to be blood related, or related by marriage, or adoption. Our families are who we love. We as families look different in so many ways. A family’s caregiving unit might have a couple, a mother, a father, and children. A family could also be a single parent and child, a group of siblings, a small or large group of friends. A family defines itself in many different ways. Families are the foundation of how our society and how it works. It is how we come into the world and nurtured and given the tools that we need to go out into our world. We are both capable and healthy or not our families influence our lives either in a good way or a bad way. While families
Everyone seems to define family differently, however, the significance of family is the same. For you, family means everything. You can always count on your parents and siblings for help and love. Family is very valuable and important to you and should never be taken for granted. No one can deny that family is the foundation of our generation. A family is where we all start our life journey and helps us grow to be successful throughout our lives.