Sociology of Family & Family Change - Report Example

November 2006 Sociology of Family & Family Change Introduction Throughout the last century, the role,essence, and concept of the family have significantly changed. Many critics have often wondered how such changes would be potentially advantageous or disadvantageous to society in general. Will it improve society in general, transcend traditional beliefs, or will it lead to the destruction of mankind? It is a question that neither scientists nor critics could ever provide the answer but has been numerously attempted to be discussed. Considered as the foundation of a child’s traits, behaviors, skills, and emotional well-being, the role of the family is crucial in molding society in general. Thus, it is only but fundamental that changes in the family institution be discussed, as well as what is left of traditional family institutions, so as to give an insight as to how society has progressed, and continues to progress as year go by. Although the aforementioned question is not attempted to be answered, it is hoped that through this, future trends can be deduced and predicted so as to plot future goals and actions that would respond to such changes. Changes in Family Institution Family institution had changed a lot since the dawn of the new century. Key to this transformation is the role of the parents, who initially valued private relationships with their children, more than “the honor of a line, the integrity of an inheritance, or the age and permanence of a name” (Hareven, Year), which later on transcended their values into their preoccupation with their own “individual satisfaction so as to instinctively meet their obligations to their children” (please cite the name of author & year where you got Chapter 15 Social Change and Families - ). In an attempt to give a proper and decent living to their children, parents have sacrificed most of their time away from the family and too much on work. This is attributed to the rapidly emerging cultural trend that family stability is equated from the ability of parents to be able to constantly provide food and proper education for their children. And while they maintain their familial role, it has also been an emerging trend for parents, as individuals, to strive for their individual successes; as success is equivalent not only for emotional contentment, but as well as for a more economically stable family well-being. As they become more submerged with their work, the more they are steered away from their children, thus making them “absentee parents” or parents who are physically present but emotionally absent. Eventually, both parents begin to individually grow apart and become less of a person than they used to be. Soon enough, they realize among themselves that their spouse is no longer the same individual whom they had married. This explains why there is a high divorce or marital dispute particularly in Western nations. Also associated with parents’ gear towards self-individualism is transformation of women from being domestic wives into economically independent family providers (please cite ). Before, patriarchal family systems played a significant role in society. The husbands play the dominant role as the major decision player, as well as the breadwinner, in the family. On the other hand, the wives handled daily routine management of household resources (Hareven, Year). Nowadays, however, women also help out in augmenting the family income, as also brought about by society’s propensity to gain economic stability. This makes wives more economically independent from their husbands, as seconded by Casper & Blanchi (2002) in their article on A “Quieting” of Family Change where married women have steadily increased the amount of women labor force participation throughout the world. In one way or the other, this aspect also weakens marriages in most working couples, thus severely affecting the welfare of the children in general. Aside from the role of the parents, also contributing to family change is the tendency of young adults to delay plans in marriage (Casper & Blanchi, 2002). Most of the time, these individuals prefer common law marriages or relationships brought about by their severe trauma over their parents’ divorce or less tendency to believe in the sanctity of marriage. Before, this type of relationship is strictly forbidden, most especially by the Church as unmarried couples were considered “living in sin.” But as more and more couples engage in this kind of relationship, society has learned to accept this ordeal as a practical means to avoid divorce or any marital arguments. And if ever these couples do separate eventually, they are able to avoid the hassle of court disputes. This has also been the case for same sex cohabitation or gay and lesbian relationships. Other norms that were once considered cultural deviance are the growing number of single parents (brought about by the rapid increase of divorce rates) and the number of unwanted or illegitimate pregnancies. The preceding paragraph clearly represents the inability of parents to be able to effectively communicate with their children. Although there are other factors that affect these issues, such as the role of peer pressure, media, and cultural liberalization, as a whole, parents play a key role in molding and guiding the child in discerning good from bad decisions. Further aggravated with the desire to improve the family’s economic living, parents have somehow forgotten the fact that children have emotional needs that cannot be replaced by money or any other material wealth. Indeed, this is such an unfair world, where the poor has to continuously struggle both physically and emotionally while the rich enjoy the trappings of a comfortable life, at the expense of their morality. Based from this brief assessment of the changes in the family institution, it can be concluded that parents still play a significant role in the proper upbringing of the every child’s moral ground. Society in itself can influence a family, but in the end the parents are the ones who dictate the overall temperament of the child. What is left of Traditional Family Institutions? Despite the changes mentioned in the beginning of this paper, fortunately there are still some people who are able to conserve their values and traditions, while keeping track of the latest trends in society. There are a few who are able to do this in Western nations, but majority of which can be found in the Asian region where people are less self-individualistic and liberal. As observe by Hareven (year), “patriarchal systems” still exist in China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and other parts of the region. Although more and more women in these countries have already joined the workforce, these women have learned to accept the fact that the family is more important than attaining further career growth and stability. Although there are current efforts of salvaging the role women from this compromise, it seems that such trade-off have significantly worked for these countries. As women work and care for the home, their husbands somehow share the responsibility of household work while taking most care of the financial responsibility. This set-up reflects the kind of society these countries have, less number of divorces, teenage pregnancies, and heterosexual and homosexual cohabitation. On the other hand, extended family household are still being practiced in these areas, as well as in the Philippines. When the head of the family dies, the male sibling replaces the role in the absence of the father while the mother allows the son to take the upper hand in decision making (Hareven, year). Asian countries are still able to uphold this family tradition. Conversely, Western countries like the United States, Canada, Britain, and the like have long been engulfed by too much liberalization as each member of the family has his own decision. Teenagers who reach the age of 18 are considered adults and have the legal capability to live on their own. In this aspect, what is left of the traditional family institution are only remnants of the past. Social pressure and economic demand is so strong that it is still a question whether these norms would survive the test of time. As current trends dictate massive migration pressure from Third World to developed countries, work-related activities brings many people to far-off places, more and more children of impoverished Asian areas suffer the same fate as that of children in developed countries for the sake of financial gains and a secured future. Future Trends Some critics argue that there is an inevitable need for such conservatisms to respond to the needs of modern economy. As previously mentioned, more and more people consider migration and abroad work activities as the means to keep a “healthy” family living. This will continue to occur for the next decades to come. For the sake of economic viability, more and more families are indeed responding to the needs of modern economy. It may be safe to conclude that its future effects are yet to be determined, but what can be made sure is the fact that more and more children would have to suffer in the absence of their parents brought about by the need and demand for a sustainable income. Like the case of most developed countries, Third World countries may also suffer the same fate. Furthermore, the presence of self-individualism may continue to thrive as more and more families continue to have two wage earners, the father and the mother. The global market is a dog eat dog place, a survival of the fittest, where the weakest are eliminated and the strong are able to thrive. Thus, the pursuit of parents towards self-fulfillment is highly inevitable. In the onset of globalization and outsourcing companies, this aspect can also pave way for some individuals to reconsider working abroad and decide to stay in their own country where the labor force has been constantly blooming. Although studies related to norms of certain cultures are mostly limited to cultural minorities, it may be possible that some family values may still be well preserved, particularly in those areas where this value is highly inherent; Japan is one of those countries, a classic example of which is where the head of the family is gravely respected by its family members despite disputes and conflicts. Conclusion With this discussion, it is very difficult to predict and fairly respond to the challenges of family change. The least society can do is to be prepared and ready for any challenges and difficulties that may arise out of such changes. Parents must re-evaluate their roles and responsibilities to their children, to alleviate, if not fully prevent future changes that may be detrimental to the family as a whole. Works Cited Harraven, T. K. The History of the Family and the Complexity of Social Change. University of Delaware, 2002. 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