Does the 'family'still serve society - Essay Example

In years past one thought of the traditional family as one where only one parent worked outside the home, and in that way their service to society was in the father providing solely for his family. As the composition of the family unit has changed since the 1950’s, so have the ways in which families regard their contributions to society. In spite of the changes in families over the years, some things have not changed. No matter what the structure of the family unit, the same societal expectations exist as always.

It is still expected that a family, traditional or non-traditional, will have someone within the structure who will take on the financial responsibility of providing for the family unit. The fact that 18% of children under the age of 18 are living in a household with only one parent doesn’t change the role of that family unit. Society, as a whole, has changed the way the family unit is conceived, and it is no longer seen as the two-parent, one-breadwinner family of the past. It is predicted that the trend of modern vs.

traditional families will continue throughout the 21st Century. This switch does not mean that families will no longer be together to do family things or that there will no longer be a role model for the children, but rather simply that the structure of the family unit will not be the same as in the 1950’s and earlier. The change in family structure means nothing more than the home may not be headed by the father of the children but may be headed by the mother, another relative, or in the case of a gay/lesbian relationship, one of the partners.

Does this reduce the service they provide to society? Not by any means, it does no more that reallocate the distribution of that service from the traditional family breadwinner to another member of the family unit. In the case of a couple, married or not, who have ended the