The Primary Role of the Family - Essay Example

The primary role of the family always edges on providing social, emotional and economic support for its members. Traditionally there has been an image of the perfect or model family that many persons worldwide strived to emulate. There has been a greater diversity in families, however, over the last fifty years and a variety of factors have been responsible for this multiplicity. This essay will discuss some of the factors that have led to the greater diversity. The nuclear family consisting of parents and their offspring have been portrayed as the ideal family in historical times. Historically, the father was the breadwinner and the primary responsibility of the mother or wife was ensuring that the domestic chores, as well as the domestic welfare of the husband and children were taken care of. With the introduction of new legislations and modern trends the position of that idea of family has been threatened, replacing it with different types of family structures. The gender role was intertwined with the different responsibility of the adult members. The father was seen as the aggressive member, expecting to hold certain jobs, while the woman was thought to be more submissive and docile. With numerous discoveries in science and technology and the improvement in modern medicine, the occurrence of extended families has become prevalent in many societies. Some writers contend that extended families are more common in agricultural societies than in urban situations (Sussman, Steinmetz and Peterson 99). There were some legal reforms in the 1960’s that led to greater diversity in family structures. In the United States for example, divorce was based on fault for a greater part of the twentieth century. In 1969, the state of California enacted The California Family Law Act which made it possible for couples to divorce based on irreconcilable differences. This eventually became possible in other states as well. The 1969 Divorce Reform Act of England also allowed for couples to divorce on a no fault basis. Although divorce is handled by religious institutions in many societies the legislative reforms in industrialized countries make it very easy for men and women to end their marriages. Compared to the beginning of the twentieth century divorce has become very popular. Currently, about fifty percent of all first marriages in the United States end in divorce (Erera 136). The sharp rise in divorce rates coincided with the legal reforms in the 1960s. This led to a transformation of marriages as well as families. These reforms even affected the divorce rates in countries that are predominantly catholic such as some European countries. This is seen as a contradiction of the catholic religious beliefs as marriage is seen as one of the seven sacraments. The church, therefore, does not support divorce but will recognize it only on the grounds of annulment. A report in the catholic news agency in May of 2007 quoted a report by the Institute for Family Policy that Spain has become the European Union country with the highest divorce rate. The report featured a comment by Eduardo Hertfelder, the director of the Institute for Family Policy. The report should cause Spanish society and the country’s leaders to take “urgent measures to stop this authentic social suicide.  A true change of direction is necessary regarding the legal measures, the social and cultural protection of marriage and the family in order to straighten out tremendous crisis that we are experiencing in Spain. The ramifications of divorce on the structure of the family are many and varied. It would seem that marriage has become less than the institution that it was upheld to be. “Within a relatively short period of time, marriage was transformed all over the developed world from a legal relationship, terminable only for serious cause to one that is more or less terminable at will (Glendon 149). The graph below shows the sharp rise between the 1960s and the 1980s. This trend has increased the number of single parent families. While divorce is not the only factor that leads to the creation of single parenting, it has, nevertheless, contributed significantly to the statistic levels. The prevalence of this type of family was recognized in many societies. Erera (5) pointed out that in many respect single parent families that were created through divorce were the pioneer of family diversity, paving the way for the recognition of other families. In many cases the single mother from a failed marriage felt more independent and may also be more financially to take care of the family. “Many divorced single mothers have been found to experience the divorce as a liberating experience, identifying divorce with freedom subordination and control (119). The relaxation of divorce laws and reforms has also led to another family diversity. The prevalence of reconstituted families or families with step parents has been happening at a relatively high rate which coincides with the high divorce rate. Erera (136) agreed that contemporary step families constitute a new family structure with unique dynamics. “Modern step families are the result of trends that include high rates of divorce in Western world especially in the United States” (qtd. in Erera 136). This type of families, in many cases, also provides the same type of support provided by the traditional neutral family system. Just like first marriages these families forming as a result of second marriages ‘are usually created by the love and mutual decision of the spouses, with love being regarded as a normative reason for establishing a family” Erera (136). The feminist movement, changing role of women together with the social, political and cultural revolution that have been happening over the past fifty years have led to a greater diversity in families. Mason and Jensen (74) argued that a change in the family structure in industrial nations has been associated with women’s increased participation in the labour force. They further noted (74) that although there has been an impact from the high divorce rates another contributor to a typical female-headed single-parent family may be higher rates of out-of-wedlock birth by economically independent women. There are many American women who support feminist ideas but do not necessarily label themselves as feminists. They believe that are capable of providing support for their families in the absence of the other significant parent. The number of single-parent households headed by women has increased from 30.9 percent in 1969 to 46.2 percent in 1985 (Carr and Van Leeuwen 218). The percentage of single-parent households headed by men have been much lower than that of their female counterpart especially in Great Britain as is shown in the table below. Families in Great Britain with dependent children headed by lone parents   Percentages   1971 1981 1991 1999 2001 Lone mothers           Single 1 2 6 8 9 Widowed 2 2 1 1 1 Divorced 2 4 6 6 6 Separated 2 2 4 4 4 All lone mothers 7 11 18 20 20 Lone fathers 1 2 1 2 2 All lone parents 8 13 19 22 22 (Source: National Statistics, 2002, p. 48 The diversity of families over the last fifty years can also be attributed to socio-cultural changes in different societies. The economic opportunities in many industrialized countries of the West have enticed many persons to migrate to those countries in the search for employment and more enriching living conditions. Many of these persons, in many cases, chose to migrate alone and leave their families in their home countries. In cases where only the parents migrate, the children may reside with grandparents. The diversity may also hinge on cultural traditions. The diverse ethnic background existing in many societies continue to impact the family. Arnold (246) pointed out that this type of arrangement may affect the socialization of the children in the family. During periods of migration a significant number of children did not accompany their parents to Britain and even today serial migration continue with children remaining in the care of their grandparents and other relatives in the Caribbean for specified periods. There have been a significant number of households as well in developed countries that are maintained primarily by grandparents. The reasons may vary from those of similar households in developing countries. The numbers of this type of family has been on the increase as well. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 1997, 3.9 million American children lived in households maintained by grandparents compared with 2.2 million in 1970. The dramatic increase in grandparent maintained household began to rise in the 1990s. Some of the factors contributing to this increase include drug abuse among parents, teen pregnancy, the rapid rise of single parent households, divorce, mental and physical illnesses, AIDS, incarceration among others (US Census Bureau, 1998). The table below gives a good indication of the families maintained by grandparents as well as the number of extended and single-parenting with the presence of one parent Over the past fifty years the legal rights and acceptance of same-sex unions and other alternative lifestyles have also been factors contributing to a greater diversity in families. Mason and Jensen (252) believed that such diversities have become more visible in recent decades owing in part to the declining hegemony of the nuclear family. As different states within the United States of America as well as different countries worldwide recognize same-sex marriages and unions the adoption of children within those unions and the broader sense of family will change the scope of the traditional sense of family. The legal aspects and the human rights point of view have afforded many persons the opportunity to experience this family structure. The social acceptance of cohabitation has also given rise to this type of diversity. According to Coltrane (169) between 1970 and 1990s cohabitation went from being a deviant and a rare activity to being a normal step with about 3 million cohabiting couples in the United States compared with half a million in 1970. This type of family arrangement may be a reflection of the high divorce rate. With marriage seen as a risky proposition more people are deciding to live together rather than marry (Sussman, Steinmetz and Peterson 313). Many persons, however, may cohabit for different reasons. In many countries the law protects the individuals in enjoying some benefits that are usually afforded to married couples. The laws of Canada, for example, allow rights for members of a common law union similar to those of married couples. The influx of certain diseases such as AIDS, the severity of natural disasters and the breakdown of political systems in some countries which oftentimes lead to civil wars have disrupted the family life in many of these societies. Increasingly over the past fifty years the rise of foster families and adoptions has added to the diversities of families. The devastating earthquake in January 2010 in Haiti, for example, has prompted many persons to adopt Haitian children, thus providing them with the opportunity for a stable family. There has also been an increase in the number of children being adopted from impoverished African and Asian countries by wealthy couples from developed nations. Many celebrities such as movie stars have developed the trend of adopting children from different cultures and different ethnic and racial backgrounds as well. The adopted children are introduced to a new type of lifestyle where they live with biological children of the adopted parents as well as other adopted children. Some persons also live in a communal type of family as a result of religious, economic, health or cultural traditions. As many persons live longer there has been a mushrooming of residential homes for the elderly. There has also been a change for middle-aged persons. Fischer and Hout (58) explained the greatest change in family life happened to middle-aged and older Americans who increasingly live in empty-nests households as a couple without children in the home or as single persons. As economic hardships affect persons especially since the recent years of recessions many persons who lose their homes or can ill ford to provide for one may have to adapt a new type of family living. Some persons may live together with room mates or other persons with whom there are no biological ties. Others may move in with other family members who may not have been traditionally included in the description of the extended family. The factors leading to a greater diversity in families over the last fifty years have in more ways than one indicated a breakdown in the traditional family structure. While the different outcomes have brought challenges and a trend of newness to the family unit, the human response, to a large extent has been trying to stabilize this great institution by providing the same type of support that is necessary for the survival of any family structure. Carr, Anne E., Van Leeuwen, Mary Stewart. Religion, feminism, and the family. Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. Casper, Lynne., Bryson, Kenneth R. Co-resident Grandparents and Their Grandchildren: Grandparent Maintained Families. U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1998. Coltrane, Scott. Gender and Families. Oxford: AltaMira Press, 2000. Erera, Pauline Irit. Family diversity: continuity and change in the contemporary family. California: Sage Publications, 2002. Fischer, Claude S., Hout, Michael. Century of difference: How America Changed in the Last One Hundred Years. New York: Russel Sage Foundation, 2008. Glendon, Mary Ann. The Transformation of Family Law: State, Law, and the Family in the United States and Western Europe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989. Mason, Karen Oppenheim.,Jensen An-Margritt. Gender and family change in industrialized countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Roopnarine, Jaipaul L., Brown, Janet. Caribbean families: diversity among ethnic groups. Connecticut: Ablex Publishing, 1997. Sussman, Marvin B., Steinmetz, Suzanne K., Peterson, Gary W. Handbook of Marriage and the family. Library of Congress, 1999. Spain becomes first EU country with highest divorce rates. Web. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ Retrieved March 19, 2010. Read More