The book examines the myth and half truth that surround our understanding of the American family both past and present. These myths have huge effects on diverse experience of other groups in America based on distortions that persist from the media and predominant mythmakers who portray the “traditional family” as white, middle-class people that had a working father, a stay at home wife and perfect children playing around. The myths that marriage is a dying institution that black families are always in crisis and those single parent-families produce dysfunctional children. The main argument in the book is that those “myths” about the family exist because we have ahistorical notions of what the family was like before now and they don’t even describe …show more content…
This agenda setting theory of the media however results in discordance that leads to guilt and anger when families try and fail to live up to what the media has put in their thought of the perfect family. In “the way we never were”, there was a strong focus on the difference between the extended family and the nuclear family. Coontz presents the historical facts of the American family life and political and economic movements in hopes of demonstrating that the families of the past were not so idyllic and the families of the present are so dysfunctional as they are often portrayed. It can be inferred that people act a certain way based upon family life and what they are surrounded by and has really made it difficult for a society to define what a family is but “The way we never were” gives the reason as …show more content…
It is evident that music, style, norms, value etc are constantly changing but the man as remained a dominant force in the household while the women’s role of staying at home with the children and be a homemaker is same. The man still holds the dominant role in the family as he has to go out and do the “hard labour” at work. Coontz explains that it was very similar for African American woman as “most women withdrew from the field labor and concentrates on their domestic duties in the home. Husbands took primary responsibility for the fieldwork and for relations with the owners, such as signing contracts on behalf of their family” (Coontz 29). Meanwhile what was believed to be natural and innate when it comes to gender roles is actually socially constructed, and that the notion of men as the bread winner and the women as homemakers is the product of historical
Daniel Moynihan’s controversial and needed report opened my and many others’ eyes to the societal issues that African American families face. He claims that the African American condition is caused by the fall of the family. In the Tangle of Pathology he addresses several concerns such as welfare dependence, crime, gaps in educational achievement, and children born to single-mothers as the effects of the demasculinization of Black men and the shift of the matriarchal household. Using historical context, sociology, and psychology he centers his thesis around that the matriarchy in Black families is the main issue compared to patriarchy in White households. In this report, Moynihan shed light on several studies that concluded him to assume
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
Richard Rodriguez was an established author of the 1980’s and 90’s. In his article titled Family Values (1992) he questioned the integrity and overall opinion of the American family system. Family Values uses the contexts of social and political ideologies to achieve its goals. His overall message with this argument is the competing types of family values and their application in real world settings. In this expository article, Rodriguez relies on his ability to weave pathos and ethos into a well-written argument that captivates his audience and encourages them to question the average American family system.
Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales, two of the leading figures in sociology, may be considered the founding fathers for the ideas of the “modern family” and the “male-breadwinner family.” Collectively, their work has influenced how Americans analyze families and has sparked new ideas regarding the American family from sociologists such as Stephanie Coontz and Arlie Hochschild. However, when studying the American family, Parsons and Bales fail to understand that the “ideal” family may not be so ideal for everyone. They neglect to consider societal influences and economic changes when discussing patriarchal social norms as the most optimal family structure. Their description of the male-breadwinner family consists of the father being the “instrumental leader” within the home, providing economically for his family based on his occupational earnings. Meanwhile, the mother is considered the manager of the household, providing for her husband and children physically, emotionally, and mentally.
The definition of family has changed dramatically over the course of history, especially from culture to culture. It is quite interesting to research the definition of family within slave communities because the slave definition of family not only changed from plantation to plantation, but also slave to slave. Upon reading the secondary sources, “The Shaping of the Afro-American Family,” by Steven Mintz, & Susan Kellogg, "Marriage in Slavery," by Brenda Stevenson, and “Motherhood in Slavery” by Stephanie Shaw, and the primary sources WPA Interviews of former slaves conducted in the 1930s. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, throughout all of these readings there seemed to be some definite themes. One is the roles between mother and father and their children, second is the role slave owners and their families, and another is the fact that for many slaves the definition of family was broad based.
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.
First, we must examine the assertions of “The Changing American Family”. From a pure research angle, the NYT article uses several graphs (regarding marriage rates, divorce rates, birthrates, gay and lesbian couples raising children, and children with incarcerated parents) from different sources, including Pew Research Center, the U.S. Census Bureau, and a couple national bureaus for economic and marriage research as well as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The graphs ran...
As century pass by generation also pass their traditional values to the next generation. some people still think the way their ancestors thought and believe in what they believed in. During the beginning of 1890 people couldn’t have premarital sex, women had to be the caretaker while men was the breadwinner. during this century those perspective have changed argued Stephanie Coontz the author of “The American Family”. Coontz believe women should have more freedom and there should be gender equality. Robert Kuttner, the author of “The Politics of Family” also believe that women should not be only the caretaker but whatever they want as a career. Robert Kuttner 's text does support Stephanie Coontz’ arguments about the issues related to traditional
Many couples in the United States idealize the myth of a “tradition family”. The idea that a woman can spend quality time with her child while maintaining an effective sexual life with her partner seemed to have caused a lot of stress during the 1950s. Coontz’s says “this hybrid idea drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they tried to live up to it.” (Coontz, 569). Which explains that it is merely impossible to try to mold a family to be “ideal.” Many families still strive for a traditional life, which they define as life “back in the day.” They need to forget the past and start living in the 21st century. “Two-thirds of respondents to one national poll said they wanted more traditional standards of family life.”(Coontz, 582). Which goes to show that many families want to change to what once used to be perceived as an “ideal family” but “the same percentage of people rejected the idea that women should return to their traditional role.”(Coontz, 582). Families want to take bits and pieces from what used to be “traditional families” over time and create their own i...
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.
Ideas and views of families have changed drastically throughout time. Along with these changing views, so are the ideas of why they exist. These changes have been driven, socially, politically and culturally, that vary based on different ages, races, genders and societies that a person identifies with. To observe how some of these ideas and attitudes have changed over time, I looked critically at television shows to see which messages are being constructed as a reflection of our societal values. The images and values of family that were constructed through these television shows explain traditional roles while exposing the challenges of a nontraditional family.
One of the biggest changes in American families has been divorce and the single-parent families. In the article “What is a Family?”, Pauline Irit Erera argues that after World War 11, is when the major changes in families begun. Women were already accustomed to having jobs and working while their men were away during the war, and when the men all came back is when things started to change. Erera says, “The movement for gender equality led to increased employment opportunities for women, while at the same time declining wage rates for unskilled male workers made them less desirable marriage partners.” (Ere...
My motivation to research, discover, and stimulate social change is rooted in my childhood experiences. As a young child I grew up in a household filled with domestic violence, which ultimately ended with the suicide of my father. I subsequently came to know a variation of the typical American nuclear family: a single parent household. As I began to study family dynamics further, I was able to see my life experiences in a broader context. In hindsight, I now realize the impact and weight my own mother had on my personal development. It was through her strength, determination, and optimism that I was able to find the spark within myself to set goals and dreams for my future. She encouraged me never to accept anything at face value, including the way our society attempts to define my womanhood. As a result of this, I now question American culture’s classification of a ‘successful’ family and the factors that determine a ‘stable’ family.
Family has played an intricate role in the development of the society in which we live. The diversity in which families are formed is now becoming even more diverse with the American culture, which is changing at a rapid pace. Diverse cultures coupled with social economic challenges are key contributors to the dramatic change to the family institution. With these challenges facing the family institution, this closely tightknit unit, which has been the cornerstone of American society, has diminished from a traditional standpoint. Non-kinship family networks like the one described in Karen V. Hansen’s “The Cranes, An Absorbent Safety Net,” go against the norm of the common institution of family within America.
Marriage and the union of couples regarding their sex has been a nationwide issue in the United States for quite some time. The Supreme Court case now known as Hollingsworth v. Perry took place in California but is very well known nationally. Naturally California, as well as the rest of the country, has battled with their marriage laws for many years but events leading up to this specific case did not begin until around 2000.