Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of blended families in society
Definition of traditional family
What is the traditional family
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The role of blended families in society
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 …show more content…
The emergence of gays and lesbians from the shadows of perceived deviancy has led to the formation of civil unions and in an increasingly number of states, marriage. As society has become more open and accepting of homosexuals, an increased number of gay men and women have “come out” of the proverbial closet. These closeted individuals may have previously been married in heterosexual unions and produced offspring prior to freeing themselves of fear and societal constraints. This gives rise to a new interpretation of the blended family. The gay and lesbian blended family. Many gays and lesbians have opted to cohabitate as a family unit merging the heterosexual and homosexual familial entity. Despite the controversies, gays and lesbians with children are becoming more and more a part of the American family landscape. Increasingly, there are blended families with two moms or two dads. During the past decade, the number of same-sex households “grew significantly” in 10 states for which figures have been released: more than 700 percent in Delaware and Nevada; more than 400 percent in Vermont, Indiana, Louisiana and Nebraska; and more than 200 percent in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and
While watching the documentary “Two American Families” there was three aspects I noticed within the two families. The first being how there was a shift in the social class of the families due to economic problems. The second being the role reversal of the male and the female. The third being the effect of the families’ financial instability on the children and their decisions into adulthood.
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.
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...
In recent years, gay and lesbian parenting has been a discussion of huge debate across the nation. It’s a subject with such heated conversation like that of, politics. This has also been in the interest of many studies, about how it effects a child raised by that of a two males or two females. Among other debates that involve gay and lesbian couples such as, gay marriage or gay rights. These rights have often been taken for granted by many of Americans, but while gay and lesbians are denied most of these rights. The three biggest factors that are talk about in the parenting of children by gay and lesbian parents is that of; A child needs both a mother and a father to be properly raised, a family is a male, female, and children and last and one of the most talked about is the negative effects it has on the child as they grow up and face the world with two openly homosexual parents; a “mom” and “dad. While I believe that every gay and lesbian person should be able to raise a family, just as any other person; I do have a fear for the child’s well-being, simply because of the society we live in today and the crude criticism they may face.
The film, “The Sociology of Families and Households”, examines families from a sociological perspective, as it discusses the ways in which the meaning of family has changed throughout history. To better understand how families have changed throughout several decades, the film discusses how structural functionalism, Marxist theory and feminist theory have played a role in defining what a family is, or was at that time in history. The film also examines a few key challenges facing families, such as divorce, single parent households, finding a balance between work and the family and the formation of stepfamilies. Conclusively, the film discusses how the changes in society affect how families function
Note: This paper has a very long Annotated Bibliography. In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms.
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...
“Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person’s core identity, and goes right to the very center of his being. It’s like being black in s society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black Asians” (Tamara L. Roleff). Although marriage, cohabitation and parenting styles of homosexual families pose no threats to the heterosexual society; many still believe same-sex marriage goes against its true purpose. “At the national level, American public opinion on the issue remains split (44 percent support legalizing same-sex marriage; 53 percent oppose same-sex marriage in a May 2010 Gallup Poll) even as opposition toward legalizing same-sex marriage is at its lowest point in decades (Jones, 2010)” (Amy B. Becker). Also to one’s surprise, among the vast amount of psychological disorders, homosexuality is not one. Homosexuals are just as capable of sustaining stable and successful relationships and families just as heterosexuals.
Throughout history, the roles of men and women in the home suggested that the husband would provide for his family, usually in a professional field, and be the head of his household, while the submissive wife remained at home. This wife’s only jobs included childcare, housekeeping, and placing dinner on the table in front of her family. The roles women and men played in earlier generations exemplify the way society limited men and women by placing them into gender specific molds; biology has never claimed that men were the sole survivors of American families, and that women were the only ones capable of making a pot roast. This depiction of the typical family has evolved. For example, in her observation of American families, author Judy Root Aulette noted that more families practice Egalitarian ideologies and are in favor of gender equality. “Women are more likely to participate in the workforce, while men are more likely to share in housework and childcare (apa…).” Today’s American families have broken the Ward and June Cleaver mold, and continue to become stronger and more sufficient. Single parent families currently become increasingly popular in America, with single men and women taking on the roles of both mother and father. This bend in the gender rules would have, previously, been unheard of, but in the evolution of gender in the family, it’s now socially acceptable, and very common.
Families headed by gay and lesbian parents are just as diverse as families led by heterosexual couples (Thompson 36). The only difference in these families is there are two mothers or two fathers. They are seen as “unnatural” by most conservatives and religious organizations and their affiliates (Gateway Child Wellfare Information). The media usually portrays same-sex couples as “white, middle-class, two-parent families who have been together for many years. In actuality, these families are a small percent of the larger LGBTQ family community”. Because of the cultural and societal views of what makes an “ideal family” in the United States as “one mother, one father, and two children,” it is difficult for others to accept those that have two mothers or two fathers. These families are usually started by one parent who “came out” as lesbian or gay after divorcing a husband or wife. Additionally, blended families, which consist of one parent who remarried and the step-parent adopted the child or children that way, through artificial insemination and surrogacy, and there are couples who adopt children from the foster care system and adoption agencies (Thompso...
Same-sex parenting has evolved and continues to do so currently, but parenting laws still lag behind the changing family dynamics, posing questions and challenges for non-traditional parenting. Whereas before, gay and lesbian individuals revealed their sexual orientations after having children with opposite-sex partners, now, more homosexual couples are actively planning their same-sex parenthood (Gates, Seidman and Richards). At the same time, many laws still prevent parents from engaging in non-traditional forms of childbearing, conception and upbringing. For instance, while both members of a same-sex couple consent and undergo a child
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.
It is extremely exciting that you want to come to the United States; it truly is a great place to live. However, there are a couple of subjects that you and I need to discuss, so you are not completely lost when you arrive. So the things that I will discuss and better help you understand are the family cultures in the United States, what community means and the effect it has on others around, how technology affects everyday living here, the social media, educational system and the environment, and finally the relation between self and others.
In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau counted gay marriages in its survey for the first time in order to provide official data for researchers and policy makers (Wagner, 2010). Such data could help track trend in gay and lesbian family formation and impacts on children of these household types and of the policies affecting them. Heterosexual and homosexual-headed families finally have a chance to learn more about their similarities and differences in term of life experiences and challenges in raising children (Wagner, 2010).