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Effects of industrialisation on family structure
Effects of industrialisation on family structure
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How effective is the nuclear family in reducing social and economic problems existing in other family structures? The nuclear family unit consists of a mother, father and their children living away from the rest of the extended family. The Industrial Revolution gave birth to this family structure when people moved closer to their workplaces with their immediate family. The Industrial Revolution was a time when new, modern ideas and things came about and a modern family structure is one of them. The nuclear family is small and close knit and this in itself reduces many social and economic problems in other family structures. Social problems in structures such as the extended family include the presence of conflicts because members think on …show more content…
My immediate family has four members, each of whom are very close to each other and complete the family. Our family has been pretty well off in terms of both finances and social conditions, but it does not mean that I’m not aware of the problems that exist in other households. Having cousins that live in extended families, I see the restrictions that are placed on them and I see how their life is dictated by their grandparents, aunts or uncles. There are several conflicts that exist as well and sometimes, my immediate family is also a part of those conflicts, but they don’t directly affect us in a bad way. The condition of girls in extended families is extremely poor as well as in the extended families, there are certain members who have a conservative mindset and don’t want these girls to step out of the boundaries of their house and do something different. One of my uncles, for example, didn’t want one of my cousins to go to college. The nuclear family, in this sense is very different. And perhaps, this is one of the best parts of living in a nuclear family: you feel empowered and independent. You make your own decisions and face your own consequences. And for every person, doing things that they want to do, is very important because it allows the individual to experiment, to be creative, to see for himself what the world is like, and to be cautious of things. Having another person dictate your life is suffocating. And even in single-parent families, members are bogged down by the society that dictates their lifestyle and choices and this is especially true in my country where single parents aren’t considered capable enough of handling their families alone. And the best way to solve such problems is by empowering these family structures. That will make family members of such structures feel good about them and will give them support. Economic support can prove
“In the 1950’s, 86 percent of children lived in two-parent families, and 60 percent of children were born into homes with a male breadwinner and a female homemaker” (Conley 451). In contrast, “in 1986, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. families consisted of a male breadwinner, a female housewife, and their children, a figure that has since fallen to 6 percent” (Conley 455). Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. They no longer follow the strict nuclear family layout. There are many reasons why the nuclear family is no longer the most common family type. Some of these reasons include increased divorces, increased acceptance of different sexual orientations, increased amount of couples choosing not to get married/common-law marriages, increased amount of people choosing not to have children (rise of birth control methods), increased amount of families with both parents working/needing to work, etc. Personally, I do not believe the decrease in the nuclear family model is a bad thing. By definition a family is just a group of people who are related or married/in a relationship and it can still be a healthy and well-functioning unit no matter the size or combination of people it is made up
A family is a group of people consisting of the parents and their children who live together and they are blood related. The family is always perceived as the basic social units whether they are living together in the same compound or at far distance but are closely related especially by blood. Therefore, the family unit has had a great influence on the growth and the character traits possessed by the children as they grow up and how they perceive the society they live in. the family also shapes the children to be able to relate well with other people that are not part of their family and with a good relationship it impacts to the peace achieved in country. This paper addresses the reasons as to why the family is considered the most important agent of socialization. It’s evident that families have changed over time and they have adopted different ways of living. This paper also tackles on the causes of the dramatic changes to the American family and what the changes are. Different people with different race, gender and preferences make the family unit and this makes the difference in marriages. This will also be discussed in this paper.
Over the past decades, the patterns of family structure have changed dramatically in the United States. The typical nuclear family, two married parents with children living together in one household, is no longer the structure of the majority of the families today. The percentage of single-parent families, step-families and adopted families has increased significantly over the years. The nuclear family is a thing of the past. Family situations have tremendous influence upon a child’s academic achievement, behavior and social growth.
Traditional family in today’s society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without the happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology that the family is built around is the tell tale. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Nowadays more mothers work outside of the home, more fathers are asked to help with housework, and more women are choosing to have children solo. Today there are families that have a mom and a dad living in the same home, there are step-families, and families that have just a mother or just a father. Probably the most scrutinized could be families that consist of two moms or two dads. These are all examples of families and if all members are appropriately happy and healthy then these families are okay and should incontestably be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. Progressing with times one ought not be criticized or shunned for being true to their beliefs. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
As we have learned through Skolnick’s book, as well as Rubin’s research, the make up of the family is influenced by many factors. The economy, culture, education, ethnicity/race, and tradition all help to create the modern family. The last few decades have heavily influenced the family structure, and while some try to preserve the past, others embrace the future. Through it all, we find you can have both.
Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel The Road displays different concepts of nuclear and non-nuclear families throughout the novel. In The Road the reader is introduced to different types of individuals and non-nuclear families and how they succeed in a post-apocalyptic world. Nuclear families are what many consider to be a traditional family, consisting of a mother, father, and children while non-nuclear families are families that are considered untraditional. However, when a traditional family is introduced the reader sees the failures of nuclear families rather than their success while non-nuclear families appear to be more likely to succeed in the sense of survival. Incidents
It wasn’t that long ago that two people formerly had very little say in their mate selection. That major decision was left up to their parents, specifically those of the woman. Oh, how times have changed. Today, a couple sometimes doesn’t even seek the approval of their parents and their personal preferences take precedence. However, the early stages of family formation can be affected by many things in society. The three earliest stages, consisting of dating, including the emergence of the hook-up culture, cohabitation and marriage are often affected heavily by race, social class or socioeconomic status, and gender. In this paper I will be analyzing how each of these social aspects affects each of the early stages of family formation in the order in which they typically occur starting with dating and ending with marriage.
The sociological definition of the family is “a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society” (Schaeffer, 2009, p. 288). While the nuclear family (a man, a woman, and their children) was once the primary definition of family, now it refers to many familial configurations. Single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, traditional nuclear families and single-parents who have adopted are just a few of the configurations that society in general now views as a family. A healthy family will provide a place of unconditional love, acceptance and support.
Meadows, S. O. (2008). "Stability and Change in Family Structure and Maternal Health Trajectories.". American Sociological Review 73.2 , 314-34.
In this view the family systems theory would dismiss any possibility for, successful gay childrearing, just as Banduras social learning theory should dismiss heterosexual children being raised by homosexual parents. The largest reason that family system theory would discount gay parenting is because, family systems theory is based almost exclusively on the idea of a nuclear family being the only way to achieve success (McCume, 2009). The typical heterosexual family is regularly referred to as a nuclear family. A nuclear family consist of a male father, female mother, and sex-gender matching children. Within the family each member has roles that abide by typical gender norms. The mother does the cooking and cleaning, the father is the primary income provider, the male children play with GI Joe, and the female children play with Barbie. In actuality this concept of family is decreasing, and being supplanted by a hodgepodge of mixtures, but in family science the nuclear family is still considered the model to which all others are
"A family is a small social group of people related by ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011) and is the foundation of all societies. They can be formed by a grouping of father-mother-children or even more complicated combination of relatives. In the primary stage of family life in the United States, everyone from every generation lived together in one house. Subsequently, the idea of traditional family evolved and a married couple with children is at present, often called the traditional family. There are many types of families; however, this paper will focus on the traditional family. It will describe how the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and the interactionism theory apply to the sociological institution known as a family. It will explain some of the similarities and differences between the sociological theories in regards to families and how they affect the family members.
According to Mental Health Professional Michelle Blessing, “there is no right or wrong answers when it comes to what is the best type of family structure. As long as a family is filled with love and support for one another, it tends to be successful and thrive. Families need to do what is best for each other and themselves, and that can be achieved in almost any unit” (Blessing). Families offer companionship, security, and a measure of protection against an often uncaring world, but family structure has undergone significant changes since World War II. Variations in family structure are now plentiful -- and yet often still quite successful. Whatever the family situation, whatever the familial structure, it will have tremendous and unique influence upon the child’s happiness, development, and future.
The extended family predominated pre-industrially because of the need for a large family to help tend the land or look after those who were unable to do so. Infant mortality was high so you had to produce more children to be sure of having enough help. The family were a unit of production producing only the goods needed to survive and trading the remainder. Following the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, it was replaced by the nuclear family which was a unit of consumption as family members became wage earners and families needed to become more geographically mobile and move to where they could find work.
Sociologists look at society from either a macro or micro view and the theories that define their work are based on those perspectives. There are several family theories that we learned about this semester. Briefly, Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory are “macro” theories in sociology. Structural-Functionalism sees society as a living machine made up of different parts which work together for the good of society. Individuals, as well as Institutions work together, and the family is the key to the well-functioning machine. Emile Durkheim, considered the Father of Sociology argues social solidarity, where people do the right thing, create harmony and have shared values. According to Durkheim the nuclear family is the only type of institution that can achieve that. Conflict Theory sees society as a pyramid with those at the top having more power and influence than those at the bottom. Males in society have more power than females. There is a power imbalance, which could lead to oppression o...
There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it.