In the 21st century, family size has been decreasing in many countries in the world. Whether smaller sized families have more advantages or not is a complicated issue and there are several opinions that to be examined. Arguments favourable of smaller sized families cite that parents who have fewer children have more time to spend on work or leisure, less financial burden to raise children and they can concentrate on the development of children. On the other hand, arguments against include mini type families may lead to the shortage of labour force, Economic shrinkage and children in this kind of family may under pressure from their parents.
There are a number of significant arguments in favor of small-sized families. Firstly, mothers who have one or two children can spare more time on their own, which is important to encourage women to seek for their career life and therefore promote gender equity. It is said that traditional roles for parents are diminishing. (Gao,2015) In the past, it was almost impossible for mothers to work outside for a long time since there were too many children at home waiting for their mothers to feed and company with them. Thus, mothers have no choice but to look after them as fathers are the only bread earners in big families. Whereas, mothers can spend more time on working at present and fathers spend more time on housework, which is quite different compared to parents used to be. The participation of women in labour has significantly increased
In our society, we carry an ideological assumption that a “normal” family consists of the man working to provide for the family and the women takes on the role of stay-at-home mom (Dow 1992).
The author references decades of research on family dynamics and childbearing that conclude that families with two to three children tend to prosper, while those families with eight to ten find success much more difficult and usually live in the poorest
This essay will discuss the various family structures in society. It will give theoretical explanation as to why and how families have changed. The essay will also bring statistical, historical and political evidence to back up the reason for these changes.
About the 1960s, more couples decided to have larger families of half a dozen, a dozen, or more! For years couples have done this. No one really knows why. Today, couples only have one or two children. Are smaller families better than larger ones?
According to “The Role of the father:Past, Present, and the Future” , “Industrialization in the 19th century changed the father's role, however. ‘The new economic structure separated the home and the work place, which led to a new fatherly ideal,’ said Morantz-Sanchez. ‘The men became the breadwinners, and the women stayed at home. This took childrearing out of the traditional male role.’” However from this stereotypical role, “ ‘The role of the father has changed again in this past century, as economic demands have pulled the mother into the workplace.’ According to Morantz-Sanchez, the family is moving towards a more democratic partnership, a move that took place largely in the last third of the 20th century. ‘A lot of this was stimulated by the feminist movement, which critiqued the absentee father and the obligations of the breadwinner for overburdening both the mother and the father.’” Motherhood today still follows the same ideals but with a lesser focus on domesticity.
Secondly, Women‘s liberation also made a big “bang” in family’s function. Recall to the traditional nuclear family, the position of women is being as a “good wife or a good mother” and limited within household’s area and husband’s authority, so Women’s liberation changed this image into a “potential good worker” because it lifted women’s position into a higher level. Starting at the 1960s, women had more chances to enrol in the paid work world and to join in more social activities. David Popenoe (1991) has investigated that women employment rate is increasing twice as much as it used to be. Therefore, this permutation of women’s social position also affects and changes the function of the nuclear family.
Because of the type of economy that we have in the US small families are
The ability of a working family to support a child and fulfill all of the child’s social and nutritional needs and that same child’s ability to thrive and be successful upon maturation is correlated with the economic health of the family. The size of families in the United States is showing a steady decrease; according to the United States census bureau 2.5 people is the average family size a decrease from 3.5 in 1960. (Bureau, 2010) This data pools population reports from families as well as single households and is only an average based on the population of the United States; however it still suggests the decrease in family size. The United States by popular opinion has been declared and identified as very individualistic; this
The combination for the continuing preference for two or one children and longer life expectancies will basically make the households without children very large and numerous. The household growth focuses on the older age groups while the traditional family is focused in accounting for only one in five households in the year 2025. Professionals will have to investigate and develop ways on how to accommodate the greater and different varieties of household types whether for construction, financing or management of housing.
In the United Kingdom, family structures and sizes are changing gradually. There are different types of family like nuclear families, lone parent families, cohabiting families, foster families and so on. Family changes have caused a dramatic effect on British society. In recent years the marriage rate has decreased. Moreover, divorce rate is high in this country. Teenage pregnancy is also a frequent occurrence. These changes have a significant effect on child poverty. The recent review of the literature, on children of divorced parents, done by Rodgers and Pryor in 1998, has argued that they are more likely to be in poverty and to be poorer when they are adults. (May, Page & Brunsdon, 2000, 38) Furthermore, research done by Adelman and Bradshaw
Foremost, the familial image has undertaken significant changes in regards to the ‘breadwinner’ and ‘homemaker’ roles within the family. In the latter of the 20th century, women’s participation in the labour force had been very little to non-existent, primarily because time allocations had been perceived as gender specific, that is, men were seen as the ‘breadwinner’, while women were viewed as the ‘homemaker’ (Seltzer, Bachrach, Bianchi, Bledsoe, Casper, Chase-Lansdale, Diprete, Hotz, Morgan, Sanders, & Thomas, 2005, pp.20). The ‘breadwinner’ role was to secure financial stability, while the
For example the size of the family and number of children dictate the economic way of living of that family. Often, women in society have a role in childbearing and raising a certain number of children and carrying out farm works as opposed to men who work in outside jobs in different offices. Economic analysis of this kind of decision shows that the labor force is low compared to the size of the family. This is because, the income from the couple would be more compared to when only the male individual is working. If the latter is used it would mean poor living standards as the family is
The larger economy issues on women has created that if women want to work to contribute to the themselves or a family. As the globalization is happening around our society the competition is increasing. So, women of today larger economy are achieving higher education. The status of role of and status of women are increasing year by year and their importance in the economy. The role of women in the economy is increasing every year families tend to suffer. Social changes of the 1970’s allowed women the use of contraceptives and allowing the woman a chance to hold off on having a family. Marriage in the larger economy means that a house hold tends to have more capital. As the couple are more likely to be higher educated they will have more purchasing power. But marriage has taken a dip in this new larger economy and the sexes are becoming more important to the economy people are not meeting each other. The larger economy creates a new dichotomy in our society regarding the role of women and family and marriage plays it role in
As one considers a mother and her roles, one normally pictures her at home, cooking meals, cleaning the house, and caring for her children and spouse. After generations of oppression, women continue to struggle with getting the same opportunities as men, whether it be for jobs or for equitable distribution of parenting duties. In the past, it was more common to see the father work and provide for his family, but as time has progressed there have been more women who strive to be independent and make a life for themselves. The majority of American women are currently employed and experience economic independence; 70% of mothers are currently employed, compared to 42% to 47% in 1975 (Willis and Brauer). While the maternal employment has become
Mothers are very passionate about their choice to work or stay at home with their children. This is a heated debate about what is best for children and who is the better mother. Just in the last generation more mothers are choosing to work, which is also sparking some conflict in families where grandparents felt it was important to stay at home with their children. This paper compares and contrasts both sides of working and being a stay at home mother. While there is no right or wrong answer to the work and family dilemma, it’s important to understand both sides.