The Nuclear Family Of The 1950's

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What is meant by the "breakdown of the family" is, in fact, the changing definition of what the typical nuclear family is. In the 1950s, the traditional definition of the nuclear family consisted of a working husband and a wife whose responsibility was almost exclusively devoted to the maintenance of the home and children. This "ideal" family would have spoken English and owned, not rented, its own car and house; I say “ideal,” as this picture may be somewhat fictionalized or nostalgic, in the words of Bill Countryman. Today, however, the nuclear family is in a state of change and under external pressures the likes of which it has never seen before. By today's standards, the nuclear family of the 1950s would be considered the exception not…show more content…
A tolerant society has opened the defining umbrella of today's nuclear family to include people of alternate life style choices. Divorced couples, single parents, inter-racial couples, and same-sex partners are all included in today's nuclear family. Life style choices that only a few years ago would have been considered shameful or even perverted, today are sometimes considered better than the normal "sit-com family." Paula Fomby, who grew up in a gay home, writes: "I'm lucky to have been raised by people I genuinely like, and being a woman raised by women….It is time for society to expand the definition of family"(132). What is meant by the "breakdown of the family" is, then, change, which sometimes may be for the better. The family will continue to evolve under the influence of economic pressure, cultural differences, and an increasingly tolerant society. What is considered to be the nuclear family of today, by tomorrow's standards may not be considered a family at all; however, as long as it fulfills the function of bringing up children in a safe, structured, and loving environment and providing emotional support to the adult individuals that make up our society, it will be alive and
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