Over time, the traditional structure has had to adapt to very influential changes, including divorce and the introduction of single- parent families, teenage pregnancy and unwed mothers, homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and increased interest in adoption. Social movements such as the feminist movement and the stay- at home dad, have contributed to the creation of alternative forms, generating new controversy and concerns for the American family. Types of Family Structure The nuclear family is considered the “traditional” family. The nuclear family consists of a mother, father, and children. The two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common.
According to Barbara Miller, the nuclear family defined refers a domestic unit containing one adult couple married or partners, with or without children (2007 p. 218). As globalization continues to change the physical make up of modern society, so does the cultural make up of the
The details of the marriage are set out in a contract which is a legal document. Hinduism is another group of people who have arranged marriages but not to the same extent. Hindus believe that a marriage is based on more than physical or emotional attraction and at one stage Hindus were strict about arranged marriages where the parent’s decision was final. However, not everyone agrees with arranged marriages and believe it takes away freedom of choice. Someone else is deciding which direction your life is going in.
Looking Beyond the Modern Family When people think of the term modern family, many different things may appear in an individuals mind. One of the main things is that a modern family is a social unit created by blood, marriage, or adoption, and can be described as nuclear or extended (1). Although this is the correct definition of a modern family in the United States, the retrospect is changing. It is assumed today that the modern family has undergone significant transformations in its structure (1). With the typical family being replaced, many people believe families are becoming dysfunctional.
This study can be criticised as it was over 50 years ago therefore society was different and the role allocation will be a lot more different. Also due to occupations people move away from family so the females of the household will not have female relatives to spend the day with, also many now work outside the house. Willmott and Young take a march of progress view stating that things are gradually improving. By 1973, it was argued that the trend towards the symmetrical family of joint conjugal roles was underway with men helping with housework and women going
Sometimes the fight results in divorce or separation because there was no one to make them understand the basics of a relationship. An extended nuclear family is made up of the parents and their children; own or adopted, living with their relatives. This may be due to a variety of reasons such as : not enough income for the high standards of living we have today. Sometimes
This is mainly because of the decline of extended families which isolated the nuclear family. Leach argued on the fact that households and families became isolated and separated from the community and from wider kin,with family members spending more time together in home-centred activities. But why does Leach believe the family is dysfunctional , when the family members are actually spending more time together therefore supposedly be more united? Leach believed that by the isolation from its kin and community there Is an overload of pressure. this overload might be caused by the fact that family members heading back home after a stressful day at work or school,were it is expected a lot from them, will eventually release their frustration.
Using the material from item 2B and elsewhere assess the view that the growth of family diversity has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family in the past, traditionally families have mostly been the ‘traditional nuclear family’ made up of a married man and woman and children. However there has recently been a decline in the amount of traditional nuclear families, and an increase in diverse family types. There are now less people following the traditional view that the nuclear family is the ‘normal’ way to live. The diverse families now include families such as, lone parent families, reconstituted family, extended family, lone person households, cohabiting couples and same sex couples. New right believe that the incline in family diversity and a decline in the nuclear family is a cause of many social problems.
Thirdly, single parent families created after an increase in the divorce rate greatly increased the demand of day-care centers and preschools. Besides the above three reasons, we see a changing trend in family structures as well. With increasing mobility, families are traveling more which takes the children away from their relatives which otherwise would have taken care of them in their parents absence. Families are now getting Nuclear; consisting of one or two parents with their child, which is actually declining the influence of Extended Families, which is a network of family members that is beyond the actual family such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Though the need for child care for working parents became quite important and thus gave rise to the early childhood education, the other main reason behind its popularity are the studies which revealed that such educational programs leave a lasting effect on the children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
These changes within families make the household weaker as a unit and this essay will provide information on things that could help prevent divorce and assist with the transition of divorce. The Change In Family Structure Fifty years ago, the structure of families were totally different then they are today. Modern families are a lot less traditional. In today’s society social development and social acceptance weighs heavily between families and because of this, the family structure changes as well. The different types of family structures consist of nuclear, extended and single parent family structures.