Marriage and Family - Essay Example

Marriage and family The true concept of family is that of a nuclear family system in which the family members are genetically related to one another. We derive our ethics and ways of living in the society from the religion. Most of the religions including Islam, Christianity and Judaism define the responsibilities of individuals in context of the nuclear family system, wherein the mother is a female, the father is a male and the children are their biological children. Pets are not family members.

People consider pets an essential component of the family because they are emotionally too attached with them, but this does not mean that they are really part of the family. Nature disallows organisms belonging to different species to interbreed, which clearly places the pets out of the human family. The changing nature of the American family is very detrimental for the children. Children growing up in gay families develop psychological problems with respect to sexuality. Others that grow up in blended family systems are exposed to the risk of physical abuse by the non-biological parent.

The change in the American family system is definitely indicates that the family is drifting apart. In fact, a considerable proportion of the criminals belong to such family systems where they have experienced sexual abuse. Such experiences serve as disincentives for young Americans who tend to marry. People I consider my family are biologically and genetically related to me. I did not have to exclude any legal family members because I don’t have any. There has been a change as well as decline in the American family system since the later half of the twentieth century.

More and more Americans of all races in general and the African Americans in particular have not been married for a single time in their life. The traditional nuclear family system has been replaced with single-parent family, blended family and gay family. Although the American family is both drifting apart and changing, but considering the overall trend, the family is more drifting apart than changing, with more and more Americans of all ages remaining single. The improved healthcare and larger incomes have encouraged old people to value their time alone as the children have grown up and left them, thus giving rise to the “empty nest” households.

Young Americans prefer cohabitation over marriage because cohabitation provides them with a way to enjoy all the luxuries of a sexual relationship without having to bear the responsibilities that come with marriage. Some of the most important changes in family pattern that have emerged over the years are increased loneliness, teen pregnancy, homosexuality, bisexuality and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Most of the consequences are negative. Although there has occurred a lot of debate to justify the gay marriages, yet the fact that such practices cause the sexually transmitted diseases to spread cannot be denied.

Strengths of the contemporary American family system are women empowerment, increased individuals’ freedom and independence. Weaknesses of the contemporary American family system include increased susceptibility to fatal diseases, depression, and moral decline.