INTRODUCTION.
The family is an institution of paradoxes. All societies have families, but their form varies across time and space. The family is a site of our most intimate experiences, but it is shaped by a range of impersonal forces far beyond its boundaries. And since few areas of social life are more complex, its ubiquity creates a sense of easy understanding. It is thus no surprise that the study of families is subject to heated debate. Understanding the family as a social institution is challenging for several reasons. We are all connected to family life in some way, which encourages a belief in our expertise even without wider knowledge. Personal experiences also encourage strong, emotionally-charged views about family life. The family is so closely linked to the desire for human happiness that it invites searches for an ideal form, even though one person’s utopian dream can easily become another’s nightmare.
It may not be possible – or desirable – to disavow the values we bring to understanding the family, but it is essential to distinguish the analysis of family patterns from the evaluation of family change. The study of family life requires viewing the family from the “outside” – as a product of historically specific social conditions and forces.
Emerging trends within the family and their impacts
Divorce.
People are less inclined to stay in unhappy relationships to keep the family unit intact and the maintain consistency in their children’s lives, the way previous generations did.
As couples choose to leave their spouses in the hope of bettering the quality of their lives; children are being raised in a complex mélange of step-parents, step-siblings, half siblings, and binuclear families. The following are some of the most common causes:
Individualism: In today’s society, families spend more time apart than they do together. Some individuals in a family focus more on personal happiness and earning income to support their family that it consumes the time actual spent with their family.
Feelings are no longer mutual: Many people end marriages because they are no longer satis?ed by sexual needs or merely because they have lost feelings for one another. This often happens when one partner ?nds a more exciting relationship and chooses to move forward with that new relationship. In some cases, a partner may even commit adultery, which also may result in a divorce as a partner discovers their partner being unfaithful to them.
Women have become more independent: Now that women have equal rights and have proven over time that they have the potential and ability to support themselves, women ?nd it much easier to leave unhappy marriages. They are also more work focused, thus giving them less time to cope with their relationship.
Stress: Stress is a big factor in marriages. Working to support a family, while trying to stabilize ?nances is a big factor of stress. In addition, with both collaborates working (in most cases), leaves less “family time” which makes raising children di?cult. This often happens in the stage where couples are raising young children.
Socially acceptable: In today’s generation, divorce is now more socially acceptable. Now, instead of discouraging a divorce in an unsatisfying relationship, it is more widely accepted and sometimes even encouraged. Not only is it now more acceptable, but it is also easier to get a divorce legally than it was in previous years according to the Divorce Act of 2002.
Effects of divorce on children.
On children it is suggested that, “children with divorced parents often reach adulthood as psychologically troubled individuals who ?nd it di?cult to maintain satisfying relationships with others.”
It has also been shown that the children with divorced parents have an increased risk of experiencing psychological problems, having troubled marriages, divorcing and having poor relationships with parents especially the father.
Men who do not choose fatherhood
Studies on men who choose not to be fathers often focus on how the role of fatherhood is crucial to masculinity and a man’s central identity. Many men blame economic di?culties, cultural di?erences, and life situations as potential factors that deter them from fatherhood.
Economic di?culties, see economic problem, serve as a primary explanation for men to avoid fatherhood. For men, it is di?cult to separate occupational success from fatherhood because ?nancially providing for one’s family has been central to the identity of being a father. As a result, a complex relationship is formed between economic struggles and the importance of fatherhood. Men who are not employed or have low earnings often feel as if they have failed as both fathers and men. On the other hand, men who have a low socioeconomic status ?nd fatherhood very appealing because it gives them a measure of accomplishment denied to them by the occupational world.
In terms of the cultural importance of fatherhood, white men and men of color have di?ering views on fatherhood that can a?ect how many of these men participate in fatherhood.
Lastly, some men blame life situations as the primary factor for their decision not to pursue fatherhood. Life situations are de?ned as an individual’s relationship status (single or married) and their age.
Studies have shown that men who are older and married tend to be more likely to pursue fatherhood. It has been proposed that men continue to view marriage, work and fatherhood as a “package deal” meaning that lacking one of these components, like work or marriage, may result in the decision not to have children. It has also been proposed that married men feel as if they are expected to pursue fatherhood as a part of their marriage though they personally may not want to have children. On the other hand, men who are single and younger do not feel the same desire because they are not “prepared” to emotionally and ?nancially support a child.
One-parent families
The number of single parent families continue to rise, while it is four times more likely that the mother is the parent raising the child. The high percentage of mothers becoming the sole parent is sometimes due to the result of a divorce, unplanned pregnancy or the inability to
?nd a be?tting partner. Children who are raised by a single parent are commonly at a disadvantage due to the characteristics of parenting. A mother and father both make signi?cant contributions to the development of a child, therefore one parent's ability to raise a child on her or his own may be hindered.
Cohabitation
A residence containing an unmarried couple is called cohabitation. This type of family style is becoming increasingly accepted in and has been increasing year in year out.
In Sweden and Nordic communities, this family form is quite common, with or without the inclusion of children. However, in various Catholic regions such as Italy, this is uncommon due to the religious aspects
Gay and lesbian couples
Gay and Lesbian couples are categorized as same sex relationships. In 1989, Denmark was the ?rst nation allow same sex couples to get married to provide equal rights to all citizens.
After this, many nations began to allow same sex marriages to occur such as Canada and Spain (2005). All 50 states in the United States have changed their law to allow same sex marriages (2015). Same sex marriages are known to come with their own evils, such as effects on bringing up of children.
Child rearing by same-sex couples
Children of same-sex couples come either from past relationships or through other opportunities like adoption or arti?cial insemination. The trend of child rearing amongst gay and lesbian couples or partnerships is on the rise. In addition, the support from the general public for gay and lesbian couples or partnerships to raising children is at its all-time high since time in memorial.
There are concerns like about the mental, emotional and even the social development of children who are raised in same sex couple or partnership households.
There has been a plethora of research conducted that provides insight into a range of issues, including the personal development, gender development, peer relationships, and family relationships of children with same-sex parents.
Research suggests that sexual identities (including gender identity, gender-role behavior, and sexual orientation) develop in much the same ways among children of lesbian mothers as they do among children of heterosexual parents. Evidence also suggests that children of lesbian and gay parents have normal social relationships with peers and adults. There have also been studies of other aspects of personal development (including personality, self-concept, and conduct) that similarly reveal few di?erences between children of lesbian mothers and children of heterosexual parents. These di?erences are not signi?cant but are noticeable.
Childlessness.
Those women who cannot conceive or those women who have decided not to have any children, the upper limit to the childbearing years, set by the so-called biological clock, makes it difficult for women who postpone having children to give birth at later ages. Inevitably, the increase in the childlessness rate, along with the drop in the fertility rate, has led to an increase in the proportion of women living in households without children
Death and Widowing
In most societies, the death of one of the partners terminates the marriage, and in monogamous societies, this allows the other partner to remarry. A spouse who outlives the other is referred to as a widow (cis and Trans women) or widower (cis and Trans men).
Same-sex relations
While homosexuality has existed for thousands of years among both humans and other animals, formal marriages between gay / lesbian partners is a relatively recent phenomenon
Childfree
Some married couples and groups remain childless by choice or due to infertility, age, or other factors preventing reproduction.
CONCLUSION.
The family system has undergone a creeping transitional phase, but the ruins of feudal system also transformed into capitalistic society at a very slow pace. Frequent slump in world economy and search and expansion of new markets has indeed speed up that transformation. The traditional family system and culture has experienced significant and rapid changes after the expansion of Globalization. It is being experienced that such trend will further continue and even at higher speed and the remains of feudalism in the society will disappear.
Then the women and youth will really feel emancipated up to some extent from the traditional boundaries. It further solidified the fact the capitalism expands with the expansion of new markets, and has to do nothing with the betterment of humanity rather then it is meant for the surplus value based commodity production and maximum extraction of sources. Yet the society has to go further to take part in the global frontiers of socio-economic strata.
Musyoxx answered the question on March 16, 2018 at 17:30