Modern Family
Nowadays, it seems that the traditional family structure is disappearing and the modern family is replacing it. The family used to be formed by the grandparents, the parents, their brothers and sisters and their kids, living together in the same house, but now the nuclear family formed by the father, the mother and their children, live in a single house without the rest of the family (“Nuclear Family”). I believe that some of the advantages of living in a modern family are: educational freedom, independence of each family member and the free choice in selecting marriage partners. In a modern family, both men and women could have more freedom to choose their educational career. For example, after graduating
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This writer also says that because of the mother is not home during the day, children “spend much of their time deciding for themselves,” (Ndaw 173), letting them grow up, become more independent and having the opportunity to develop their own interest in life. Another advantage of living in a modern family is that there is more freedom to choose who we would marry. It allows today’s couples to marry by their own will and not because of interest. This also makes their relationship more caring and warmer, and if they have any children, it would be because of love. On the contrary, in the past, parents would force their kids to marry for interest, especially to someone powerful and rich, regardless if they liked them or not. But now, marriages are different, most of people can choose whoever they want to marry, for example my older sister chose freely her partner and got married because of love, and my parents supported her decision. Although I prefer living in a modern family than living in a traditional one, sometimes I feel that my family needs to recover some values from the traditional family structure, specially the communication between members. I think that my family does not spend enough time together,
No matter what background you come from or how you were raised, family is extremely important. According to Malinowski, “Family is a necessary institution for fulfilling the task of child rearing in society”(Conley, 2013). Society has come a long way when it comes to family and it is much different than it was in the 1950’s. Not all families are nuclear families. A nuclear family is having a mother, father, and children that are all biological (Conley, 2013). This kind of family is what some would call more “traditional.” Today in the twenty first century it is getting harder and harder to find families that have actually stayed together. There are so many different kinds of families in today’s society, and more and more families are becoming blended families. A blended family is when two families come together (Conley, 2013). Many families today have single mons, single, dads, and even same sex parents. Family is not always the people that live in the same house as you, family also consists of extended family. An extended family is a network that goes beyond the main “nuclear” family (Conley,
The issues I focused on in my analysis of Cal students are marriage and parenthood. Specifically, I chose to compare how opinions on these issues differed by gender. Kathleen Gerson discusses the new generation’s expectations from marriage and families to a great degree in her book The Unfinished Revolution. As Gerson states, “Most of my interviewees hope to create lasting, egalitarian partnerships, but they are also doubtful about their chances of reaching this goal.” (10) This is a characteristic that also stood out in my analysis: the majority of the students interviewed hope to create an egalitarian relationship in which there is no strict enforcement of traditional gender roles. Or as Gerson says, “…the vast majority want a permanent bond, but they do not wish for that bond to be defined by rigid gender distinctions.” (104) I only encountered one exception to this trend: a female student who expressed the desire to become a full time stay-at-home mom after having children, thereby putting all financial responsibility on her spouse. One thing that was different in my findings was that with the exception of one or two, these Cal students do not think it will be difficult to find a suitable partner. This is likely because most students
The essay starts with a very simple definition of a family, accompanied by an explanation of the relationship between family structure and the strength of the link between different people forming the family in question. The introduction has been put in a simple language to provide a fluid understanding of what the reader should expect throughout the text. Literal tools like proverbs and similes have been applied. There is a clear language connection of cultural legacy and a family unit where the authors explain that legacy in the society does not determine how different ethnicities connect with the family unit. Gertsel and Sarkasian believe that deliberations made on family responsibilities tend to pay more attention to nuclear family as opposed to the general family unit. The language used here implies that the general meaning of extended family unit is ignored or in some cases misrepresented.
Today's nuclear family with mom, dad, 2.3 kids, and dog only came into being just after the Industrial Revolution (Swerdolow 15). This leads to the idea that perhaps the desengration of the nuclear family isn't necessarily a negative things, but more of a retirement of a one way of life in favor of a new one. Even if this is true, the current period of decline still spurns numerous problems and attempted solutions.
A nuclear family is universal and is defined as a two generational grouping; consisting of a father, mother and their children, all living in the same household. The idea of the nuclear family was first noticed in Western Europe in 17th century. The concept that narrowly defines a nuclear family is essential to the stability in modern society and has been promoted by modern social conservatives in the United States and has been challenged inadequate to describe the complexity of actual family relations. In this essay, I shall be assessing the views that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and society as a whole, from a
What is the modern family? Today the modern family is completely different then what it was twenty years ago. Today, it is more common to have a family with divorced parents, before divorce was seen as unacceptable and a disgrace to the family, but in today’s society, it is more acceptable, and common. Divorce does not just affect the two married people, but it also affects any children they may have. To fully understand how divorce affects children, one must the history of divorce, the changes in the child’s or children’s life, and the effects those changes may bring.
n the upcoming page’s I will answer the following questions. Why is family the most important agent of socialization? What caused the dramatic changes to the American family? What are the changes? I will discuss the differences in marriage and family, I will discuss how they are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choices. The purpose of this study is to explore the many different family functions and the paths that people are now choosing. I will give my opinion on whether these changes have had a positive or negative affect. I will finally discuss the trend of the modern family, back to pre-World War II family structure, how would that effect the strides that have been made in the progression of women rights.
A brief view of the 4 decades within the periods of 1950 to 1990 would show us a significant shift from the conventional nuclear family to the non-conventional modern family. Starting from the 1950s, the families were nuclear, where members worked together, understood their roles, and did what was expected of them; by the 1960s, there were a few sitcoms that began to undermine the television parent’s authority by privileging the independence of nearly adult or adult children; by the 1970s, the authoritative father began to disappear as they were no longer
Since the nineteenth century, in the western societies, family patterns changed under the forces of industrialisation and urbanisation. Another factor which has been involved in those changes is the growing intervention of the state, by legislative action, in the domestic affairs of the family. As a result of these trends, the modern “nuclear” family has been substituted for the traditional extended family. The increase of values such as individualism and egalitarism has influenced the patterns of
This paper will discuss the differences between families from the 1960’s and the families of today. There are many differences between the different times. I have focused on the parentage portion of the families. I explained what the ideal family is and how it is different today. I’ve also included ways that will help these families of today become stronger as a family.
In this paper, I will use the sociological imagination to connect my personal experiences of growing up in a nuclear family to comparison of growing up in a divorced family. I’m from a nuclear family and my best friend is from a divorced family. “Some people still think the average American family consists of a husband who works in paid employment and a wife who looks after the home, living together with their children” according to Giddens, Anthony pg. 447. That’s not the case in many households. There are many differences, from values, financial issues, and how having one parent opposed to, two parents growing up. Growing up in a nuclear family household has given me the opportunity to have both parents supporting me and always being there, having both parents at special events, giving me the guidance from both perspectives man, and women, love, and financial aid. My best friends parents have been divorced for over 19 years, her living style is much different. She has to make certain days available to visit her father, and her mother has financial difficulties.
My family is a nuclear family. A nuclear family consists of a mother, father and children living in one household. Every nuclear family has advantages and disadvantages in them. The advantages are strength and stability, financial stability, which equals more opportunity, consistency which means lucrative behavior, health benefits, conflict resolution and better communication skills. In my nuclear family, we incorporate these advantages to become a better family and to be brought closer together.
In the 21 century, traditional family structure is facing many challenges. In my opinion, the only solution is change. Every member should change their original mindset to meet the changing society.
In her book The Unfinished Revolution, Kathleen Gerson argues that today, family pathways are more important than family structure. In this context, family structure refers to the organization of a family, and the way that it has been changing as a result of the gender revolution. For example, some nontraditional family structures that are explored in the book include double parent families with both parents earning, single parent families (mostly single mothers), and families with same-sex parents. Gerson argues that while family structures are not negligible, it is family pathways that are more important for the children of the gender revolution. That is to say, the children value the dynamics of their family more than the structure. They are more concerned about how well their parents are able to provide them with the necessary emotional and financial support than they are about how well their families follow a norm. For them, it is more about feeling like they’re part of a family rather than just physically being in one. Gerson emphasizes this when she explains that the people she interviewed “focused on the long-term consequences of parental choices, not on the specific form or type of home these choices produced at any one moment in time.” One important implication of this argument is the way in which the children of the gender revolution imagine their own romantic relationships unfolding. Even there, they prioritize a feeling rather than a format. For example, one
Living alone or living with family has its advantages and disadvantages which include the amount of responsibilities, freedom and financial stability a person has.The majority of young adults for years dream about the day they finally get to move out of their parents home and start living independently. Suddenly when it's time to move out and live on their own it becomes overwhelming. Most teenagers think they are ready to take on the responsibility of living independently but when reality sets in, they realize that providing for themselves is surprisingly more difficult than living with their family.