The Family - Term Paper Example

Functions of family: Functions of a family arise from the basic needs of humans. Every human being requires mental peace and physical satisfaction. Performing fornication outside marriage is forbidden on religious grounds. Therefore, a man and a woman start a new family when they get married. In the capacity of being husband and wife, the two can make love and satisfy their physical needs while respecting the standards of ethics, law and religion. The couple has babies with the passage of time which enlarges the family.

Now, in the capacity of being a mother and a father, the two have certain defined responsibilities towards their children. In a nuclear family, father assumes the roles of bread earner for the family, whereas the mother is supposed to spend that money wisely for the wellbeing of the family. The children, in turn, have to respect their parents. As parents, people dedicate themselves to their children. Children give a meaning and purpose to the life of parents. They all live together as a family and their interests, objectives and everything in life is shared.

Problems of family: In the contemporary age, families are facing a lot of problems. Some of the common problems of families are discussed below: 1. Unemployment: In the present age of economic recession, unemployment has become one of the biggest problems specially for people who are responsible to earn for the whole family. Unemployment makes one feel worthless and hurts one emotionally (Grace). Not only does it deprive the individual of the ability to meet the physiological needs, but also, it puts one into psychological distress.

One can not pay for the health care, education and general wellbeing of the children. Quite often, unemployment becomes the fundamental cause of tension between the husband and wife and the two, may develop conflicts leading to divorce. 2. Dual working parents: In order to bear the increased cost of living in the contemporary age, in a vast majority of cases, both husband and wife need to work and earn. In the dual working parent families, parents mostly do not find sufficient time for proper nurturing and upbringing of their children.

Children require time and attention from their parents in addition to their everyday needs related to money. Dual working parents have to remain away from their children for most part of the day, and the children may feel neglected. This can have, and often does have, very severe consequences. In the lack of parental supervision, children do not concentrate upon their studies, spend time with spoiled children, and may be exposed to violence. On the other hand, the parents are no less in trouble.

After the whole day of work, parents need to relax, but they can hardly ever manage to with innumerable issues of children waiting to greet them as they appear on the gate of the home. 3. Childlessness: Many couples who start the families are suffering from childlessness. Childlessness is a problem that can be attributed to infertility of male, female or both. Also, some women get married too late to be medically fit to give birth to a child. Other families may not be suffering from childlessness, but they may have abnormalities in children which is no less distressful.

Children are very important. Childlessness becomes a source of embarrassment for the couple and is a great blow to them (Rosenblatt and Hillabrant). Sometimes childlessness becom