Sociology of the family - Essay Example

Sociology of the Family s and s Full Word Count Sociology of the Family Ways of living in families across the United s vary. As a result, there is no stereotype or distinct “American Family.” This characteristic of the nation is incredible because it allows diversity. The first and most influential reason for this diversity is cultural diversity (Sabourin 2012). Families in the United States range from African American and Asian to Native American members. The key distinction between such families is social status, which forms another influential reason for the diversity in families in the United States.

Pertaining social status, African American households in upper class worry most about preserving their riches as a source of their pride. African American households in upper class see marriage as a source of family ties. As a result, such families will often be nervous about the other family’s background. In the process, African American children from upper classes often wed much later in comparison to their peers from middle and low class families (Sabourin 2012). The number of Latino families with wedded parents is the mean of white and African Americans.

In addition, these numbers vary from state to state. A distinct difference between Latino families and other ethnic households is culture. More specifically, Spanish language and Roman Catholic faith are widespread practices amongst members of Latino families. Asian American families have nearly similar characteristics as white families. This is because Asian households have twenty different homelands, which is similar to white families. As a result, it is only right for the families to echo their multiple linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Asian American families took on the concept of the nuclear family in America. However, these families retained a set of Confucian principles (Sabourin 2012). For instance, Asian families still value humanism and the strength of will. A key difference between Asian American and White families is child bearing. Diversity between these two families surfaces in the fact that Asian Americans are lenient when it comes to bearing and nurturing children. Diversity in families in the United States is also conditional on marriage.

Marriage determines the proportion of single-parent families, which have become a major worry in the United States off late. For instance, the number of children residing with two parents per hundred today is 69%, which is a drop from 85% in 1970 (Sabourin 2012). The main causes for this decline are increased divorces and radical rises in births by unwedded women. Mothers head most single-parent families in the United States and are largely poor. Diversity in families across the globe similarly depends on social status, culture, language, marriage, and economic positions.

For instance, in Australia, economic diversity largely influences the structure of families. More specifically, work patterns record more diversity within Australian families today than they did during early 1990s (Hartley and McDonald 2011). In terms of culture, Native Australians are a fundamental aspect of Australia’s national image. When it comes to language, first-generation parents often worry about ensuring their children learn about and preserve their native language in Australia.BibliographyHartley, Robyn and Peter McDonald. 2011. “The Many Faces of Families: Diversity among Australian Families and its Implications,” Family Matters, no.

37 April 1994, pp. 6-12.Sabourin, Teresa Chandler. 2012. The Contemporary American Family: A Dialectical Perspective on Communication and Relationships. New York, NY: SAGE.