Psychology- oral presentation-change in family structure - Essay Example

Sociologists believe that the neutral family developed with the growth of industrialization. A smaller family unit was more practical in urban areas that flourished during the industrialization era. The extended family is a type of family structure that is believed to have been prevalent among agricultural societies. There are two main reasons why this is a characteristic of rural societies. Firstly, in an agricultural society wealth is measured by the amount of land. This kind of wealth may have been in the possession of successive generations so one finds that parents, grandparents, in-laws usually live or stay close to the source of the wealth.

Secondly, the labor force needed for the land came mainly from the family members so it was necessary to be in close proximity to the farm. These families are usually self-sufficient. One would find that this is also a patriarchal type of family as the oldest male member is usually the figure of authority. In industrialized societies, in some instances, the extended family may exist to facilitate maintaining cultural traditions as well as being financially viable. A good example is the number of Mexican Americans as well as Asian Americans who live as together and share living quarters.

Other types of family structures include single-parent, reconstituted or step-family, communal families, and foster families. There have been political as well as socio-cultural changes in the world over the last century and a half that have led to the creation of these family structures. One of the greatest agents of change was the legal reforms in the 1960s that transformed divorces and marriages. Prior to these reforms, the granting of divorce was based on fault where either partner had to blame the other or prove the fault of the other in court.

The first state in the United States of America to change this law was California through the enactment