Definition Essay: How Does Society Define A Family?

Families in the world are very different. They come in different shapes and sizes, it can be based on different kinds of relationship, but what all families have in common that it is made of people you love and care. Over past 20 or more years families in the world has changed the most than it has changed in all history. Of course changes in the families are different among cultures and religions. It seems that United States, Canada and Northern Europe families has changed the most, now Nuclear families are dominating there, when in Asia Extended families still takes a greater number. In the richest places in the world numbers of same sex marriages,

On the other hand, opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage have consistently outnumbered supporters, although by varying margins at different points in time, for instance, in 2004, just after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriage, a joint survey by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & Press found that about twice as many Americans opposed legalization same-sex marriages (60%) as supported it (29%). More recently, an April 2009 survey found that same-sex stood at 54%, with 35% supporting the rights of gay and lesbians.

Jeffrey M. Jones, "Same-Sex Marriage Support Solidifies Above 50% in U.S.," Gallup.com, May 13, 2013

According to the CBS News Poll, 58% of Americans believe it should be legal for same-sex couples to marry (Polling Report, June 9-13, 2016). Since recent years, the support for same sex-marriage has steadily increased. In fact, according to the Gallup Poll, 61% of Americans believe that same-sex couples should validly be recognized by the law with the same rights as traditional marriages (Gallup Poll, May 4-8, 2016). Over time, the idea of marriage has transformed from the union of a man and woman to the union of two people who love each other regardless of their sexual orientation. In fact, according to the CNN/ORC Poll, 59% of Americans support the ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage in all fifty states (Polling Report, June 26-28, 2015). Based on these polls, Americans generally support equal rights for all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation. Therefore, a majority of Americans favor government involvement to ensure equal rights for all individuals regardless of their differences. Therefore, the position of most Americans regarding same-sex marriage supports the idea that Americans are generally reform liberalists in their

A same-sex marriage is a hot topic in today’s politics and society. Our views are changing each day as our culture is changing. Today nearly fifty percent of American’s support same-sex marriages. We are changing our views to be more accepting of all and that is why party stances on this issue are very subject to change.

It turns out to be 54 percent agreed for the state governments to deal with this issue its self, when 46 percent disagreed. Among the 46 percent who disagreed most of them stated that the reason they disagreed was because most of them believed the federal government should be the one dealing with the problem. Something I did find interesting was the fact that most of the people who were part of the 46 percent where people who supported gay marriages. I saw comments that stated that there should be no hate or discrimination that why not just let the whole country legalize same sex marriages and just put a stop to this problem and a stop to making gay peoples life miserable and

Just 43 years later, on October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court turned down appeals from states where gay marriage bans have been overturned, bringing the number of states supporting legal same-sex marriage to thirty-five.

In Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide we are able to see the slow progression of one of the most debated issues ever presented. The topic of gay marriage seemed to linger in every United States court room,

From Rauch’s article, the rise in backing up for same-sex marriage over the last decade is among the biggest change in opinion on any policies over this period. Recent national survey reveals that much of the change is attributable to the influx of a large cohort of young adults who are far more free to gay rights than the previous generations (Rauch, p. 18). Equally significant is that a significant number of Americans and gay marriage supporters claim they have changed their thoughts on this issue in approval of gay marriage.

Gay marriage has been a recent controversy for many reasons. Many people (religious conservatives) believe that same-sex marriage is immoral, sinful, and threatens the traditional structure of a family. But gay and lesbian supporters feel marriage is a right that everyone should have, backed by the Due Process and Equal Protection of the Fourteenth Amendment. It has been proven that the outlook on gay marriage has changed drastically based simply on the fact that younger people had supported it and it just took time to gain enough approval from enough of the country to legalize it. Since most of 18-29 year-olds of 2006 supported same-sex marriage, “two-thirds of Americans think that same-sex marriage will eventually be legal in the United

Murray Bowen's family system theory was one of the first comprehensive theories of family system functioning. It was developed in 1974 and it believed the family can be defined as a set of interacting individuals who are related by blood, marriage, cohabitation, or adoption and who interdependently perform relevant functions through roles. Relevant functions of the family include values and practices placed on health system theory is used to explain patterns of living among the individuals who make up the family systems (Edelmen, 2006).

Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.

The word “family” is unique, special, and controversial among different cultures and ethnicities. As defined by Random House Western Dictionary, a family is “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins” (Dictionary.com). Although the definition from Random House follows the infamous proverb of, “blood is thicker than water,” my definition of family does not. Family is not defined or restricted by blood relations. In my mind, a family is simply a group of people, who loves, supports, and helps each other unconditionally, and endlessly. Regardless of one’s sexual orientation or preference, all families embody these common principles. Thus, a family unites its members through the strong

(2015, May 27). Virtually Every Demographic Group Now Supports Gay Marriage. Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA415210665&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=STND&sw=w&asid=e94be71888197bfe314079b2832d8429

There are many different definitions about what the family is. Different theoretical positions influence these variations. For example, the functionalist sociologist George Peter Murdock defines the family as “a social group characterized by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain