One of the biggest changes is seen in the family forms of today’s society. In the past the family that was most commonly seen was the nuclear family, but “This type of family as a proportion of all families has been declining as the family form has become more diverse. (p. 5)In the decline of the nuclear family other forms have risen such as blended or reconstituted families, voluntarily childless families, single-parent families, and families of orientation. These new forms of family have greatly affected the trends in marriage and parenthood and have altered them in many ways. In the past any person able to marry were expected to marry and have children if they could physically conceive.
“The marriage rate has gone down, the age at which people marry has gone up, and the number of children per family has declined. ” (p. 10) In society today people are not frowned upon for not marrying.It is quite often to now hear of voluntary stable singles and see families without any children by personal choice. There is greater acceptance on cohabitation without commitment or any intent to marry and thus this has also been a reason as to why marriage rates have declined. People used to marry at a rather early age where as now the majority of people are deciding to postpone marriage until later in life, partly due to aspirations in college education.
Having large families can lead to poverty now a days, where as in the past families tended to have family farms or businesses.If a family lived on a farm they could produce their own food and it would also be beneficial for the family to have many children to help with the chores. Due to families moving to the cities they cannot produce their own foods and so have become consumers. The economy of today is rather harsh as inflation goes up and the value of a dollar seems to constantly decrease which puts strain on large families. Within the family structure of the past it was often a patriarchal family with the father as the main authority within the family.Traditional views emphasized the role of the family as an institution whose function was to meet the needs of society or the physical needs of society” (p.
7) The father was the main provider for food and shelter and had the ultimate say so in the on goings of the family. The mother was the main provider of care for household and children and was expected to be submissive towards her husband. This has changed over the time, while still some marriages experience these traditions, more often the roles have changed in ways.Women are now treated more as equals and more often also have a say in important decisions. The bread winners of yesterday may now be seen as females in today’s society. Husband’s are now expected to have a more emotional role within the marriage and family and be more involved in the upbringing of the children.
One-parent families are also common in today’s society, where as it was never much heard of in the past. In the past both mother and father were a part of the household and divorce was uncommon. Today sex is not as restricted and divorce is more common, which leads to single parent families.One of the problems associated with the rise in single-parent families is an economic one, as many single-parent households do not have adequate income to support children. ” (p. 16) This puts huge strain on single parents and tends to lead to the family living in poverty.
“Children of unmarried mothers are most at risk for poverty and not completing their education. ” (p. 17) These children who are most at risk for not completing their education will also be more prone to living in poverty as an adult since education is important in society to obtain well paying careers.Another change in parenthood from the past to the present is the involvement a father has in the upbringing of the children. In the past the father tended to be unemotional, was the disciplinarian, and main responsibilities revolved around supporting the family physically. Today men are seen taking a greater role and embracing fatherhood on another level.
“The most prevalent component of what the men considered to be good fathering was “being there” for their children. ” (p. 177) Men today tend to take on more responsibility in raising a child and expressing the love for their child.Some become the main care givers for the child while the mother works, as well as some take on sole custody of the child after a divorce.
Research and study have created several different theories that are used to explain family behavior. One theory is systems theory which “emphasizes the interdependence of family members. Family members do not live in isolation; rather, what one does affects all the others. ” (p. 31) In this theory there is an interdependency of family members on each other, which influences the rest of the family.
An example could be seen in a husband and wife that are unhappy and constantly argue with each other; this stress and negative vibes would affect the children and put stress on them as well. The parents, once they realize their influence, may try to find alternative ways to correct their problems other than arguing due to the effect it has on their children. People are intertwined in a family and often times the members are very much aware of this and so it affects their choices and behaviors on a day to day basis.Another theory is social learning theory that “suggests that parents act as role models for their children; children imitate their parents’ behavior, attitudes, and perceptions. ” (p. 31) This theory I find helpful in explaining and predicting behavior because it expresses the depth of connection that a parent and child have.
Most parents want their children to grow up and become more than what they became and so most try to set what they consider to be good examples for their children. In doing so they are trying to pass along their values to their children.Many studies find that an adult’s behavior can be directly traced back to aspects of their childhood and so social learning theory may be able to correctly predict traits and behavior a child might grow to have. “Members of strong families display good communication skills such as being a good listener, sharing feelings, conversing often, avoiding blame or criticalness, and using effective conflict-resolution skills. ” (p34) Since communication is a key to success if parents have good communication then social learning theory would predict that the child would grow up and most likely have strong communication skills as well.
