Major Australian Values - Essay Example

Running Head: Australian Values Australian Values appears here] of appears here] Australian Values In this modern society, the family is typically acknowledged as a nuclear family. There are various definitions of the family; according to Bessant and Watts (2002), the family consists of a maximum of two generations sharing the same residence, where the mother and father are married based on a sexual and love relationship, with biological children. The family stays together until the children reach independence and parts from the family to form a new nuclear family. Murdock (1949, p.1 citied in Baker 2001, p.80) labels the nuclear family as a "social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction." Murdock states that the families universally perform certain functions in the society in order to be of existence. He identified four critical functions that families ought to fulfill, namely the sexual, reproduction, educational and economic function (Bottomley, 1985). However, through industrialization and development in technology, the family in the present modern society is undergoing alterations. In this essay, we will discuss the changes in respect to Murdochs theory of the four functions the family performs. The sexual function claims that two individuals set up a family as the family is a legitimate platform for the bearing and rearing of children, and marriage is the accepted union for sexual relationships between two adults in society (Aspin, 1982). This is proclaimed to be beneficial to social order as the family allows sexual expression between a couple and regulates sexual activity in ways that foster a disciplined society (Bessant and Watts, 2002). However, improved methods of contraception allow people to indulge in sexual activity even when they are not in a marriage. Also, there seemed to be greater acceptance to de facto relationships, as noted from the increase in cohabitation between Australian couples. Statistics shows that in 1975, only 16% of couples cohabitated prior to marriage, the figures then increased to 27% in 1983 and in the year 2003, it shot to an alarmingly 75% (ABS, 2004). In deviance to Murdocks claim, sexual activity is no longer confined to a legalized union. The willingness of couples to live together in a sexual relationship without the formality of a marriage contract marks a major shift in family patterns (Briggs, 1994). People are resources to the society and people are the constitutes of a society. The family enables the making of a society by producing and rearing children to substitute people who die off (Strong and Devault, 1986). The advancement in technology however, hampers the familys function of reproduction. Abortions have become more readily accessible and the increased availability of reliable birth control methods are common ways to control unwanted pregnancies (Aspin, 1982). The development of techniques for artificial insemination also altered the view of the familys reproduction role. This advancement in technology has made it possible for homosexuals to become parents as well (Strong and Devault, 1986). Besides the repercussions of the development in technology, the increase in participation in the women paid workforce also hinders childbearing ideas (Bessant and Watts, 2002). As reflected in social statistics, during the early 1900s, the estimated total fertility rate in Australia was 3.7 to 4.0 per woman, followed by a steady decline over the next two and a half decades. In 2002, the total fertility rate came to a low of 1.76 babies per woman (ABS, 2005a). The alleged reproductive role of the family has since become dysfunctional. Traditionally, the family has been accountable for the educational aspect of nurturing children. In sociological term, we define it as the socialization of children. Being the very initial relationship a child forms with people, social norms and expected behavior the family imparts to the child will predominately influence the childs initial perceptions of the world (Poole, 2000). This role however is dramatically shifting away from the family; though the family still remains as the main agent for the socialization of children, other external influences such as educational institutes and the mass media have become increasingly powerful. The rise in the number of working mothers has places many infants and young children in day-care centers, which impairs the familys role in socialization (Strong and Devault, 1986). Statistics has shown that in June 2002, 49% of children under the age of 12years attend child care, which means that almost half of Australians children are spending more time out of their family circle (ABS, 2002). A survey conducted in April 2003 established that Australian children spent more time watching television or videos than any other leisure activities, with an average of 22 hours over a school fortnight (ABS, 2005b). Based on merely two other socialization agents, amongst many others such as religion and peer groups, the deduction of the family becoming less significant as a socialization agent is seemingly true. Murdock also asserts that the family is a unit of economic cooperation with a clear gender division of labor. Men are deemed as the sole breadwinners while women basically stay at home to look after the household and care for the children (Bessant and Watts, 2002). In this modern society, women no longer stay at home; they too go out to bring home the bacon. There is an increasing participation of married women in the paid workforce for the past few decades. In 1933, there were 4.4% of married woman aged 20-24 years and 4.7% of married women aged 25-34 in the workforce. By 1991, the figures rose to 64.1% and 61.3% respectively (ABS, 1994). The role of the married women is shifting to more than a homemakers role; a dual role of working domestically as well as economically. In recent times, fathers are also expected to be involved in the household chores and nurturing of children. It is generally believed that contemporary fathers are much more involved in the daily aspects of practical care giving as compared to men of previous generations who chiefly bring home the bacon (Singleton, 2005). There is a need to re-establish the meaning of family in our lives. Murdocks insistence on the universality of the nuclear family disguises the actual diversity of family forms (Bottomley, 1985). While there have always been a variety of family types in Australia, the breadwinner model of family comprising of a father in paid employment, a mother caring for the home and two to four children has been the dominant image of the family. With that in view, the structure of the family no longer pose as a major issue in defining family roles. The pre-conceived family roles vary throughout nationalities and cultures, are ever-changing and new roles will continue to evolve in time. Reference Aspin, L.J. (1982) The Family - an Australian focus. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire Pty Limited. Australian Bureau of Statistics 1994, Almost half of all children are in child care 2002, Cat. no. 4402.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 3rd May, 2005, AusStats, . Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002, Year Book Australia 1994 Special Article: Household and Family Trends in Australia, Cat. no. 1301.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 4th May, 2005, AusStats, . Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004, Australia Demographic Statistics 2004 Population, Cat. no. 3101.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 3rd May, 2005, AusStats, . Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005a, Year Book Australia 2005 Population:Births, Cat. no. 1301.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 3rd May, 2005, AusStats, . Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005b, Year Book Australia 2005 Culture and Recreation: Childrens participation in selected leisure activities, Cat. no. 1301.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 4th May, 2005, AusStats, . Baker, M. (2001) The Personal and Social Worlds of Families in Families, labor & love. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin Bessant, J and Watts, R. (2002) Ourselves in families in Sociology Australia. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. Bottomley, G. (1985) Review of historical and sociological models of the family in The Family of the Modern World. G, Bottomley, A, Burns, & P, Jools (eds.). North Sydney: George Allen & Unwin Australis Pty Ltd. Briggs, F. (1994) The changing family in Children and Families: Australian perspectives. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. Fukui, Masako., (2007) Differing values pose no threat to national cohesion, contends new Australian citizen. The Australian. January 26 Hirst, John., (2007) What Happened To The Fair Go? - Australia Day 2007. The Age, January 24 Jaivin, Linda,. (2006) The true value of Aussie values. The Sydney Morning Herald. December 29 Poole, M (2000) "Socialization" in Sociology: Australian Connections. R, Jureidini and M, Poole (eds.). St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. Singleton, A. (2005) Fathers: More than breadwinners? in Family: Changing families, changing times. M, Poole (ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. Strong, B and Devault, C. (1986) "The Meaning of Marriage and the Family" in The Marriage and Family Experience. St Paul: West Publishing Company. Time for clear thinking on our national identity. January 21, 2007. 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