Examining the View that the Traditional Nuclear Family is in Decline When evaluating the view that the traditional nuclear family (of two opposite sex married parents living in a household that contains only them and their own dependant children), is in decline, I will be taking various pieces of research and evidence from Sociologists, Journalists and other sources, into consideration in order to try to determine how true this view is. The nuclear family would appear to be found internationally and would be described as ‘universal’ by Murdock, varying in popularity from country to country, however I will be concentrating mainly in the UK. The idea that the ‘traditional’ nuclear family is in decline is not new. Journalists, columnists and sociologists have been researching this theory for many years now and it would seem that most agree with the hypothesis. Most sociologists agree that the nuclear family first became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1950 - 1960’s after World War 2, although it existed from approximately the 18th Century. It originally occurred in upper-class families that could afford to live in this way and then eventually filtered down to the middle-classes and finally became popular amongst most classes in the twentieth century. Functionalists would argue that the Nuclear Family started to become more popular due to the growth of Industrialisation. This led to more families leaving the rural areas and extended families that they originated from and setting up home in cities and towns in order to find work. This view claims that the family ceased to be a unit of production and instead became a modern unit – ... ... middle of paper ... ...s: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life’ January 2003, p.20 Haralambos and Holborn (2004), Sociology Themes and Perspectives, Sixth Edition, London: HarperCollins Publishers Iley, C (1994) ‘ Decline and fall of the nuclear family’ Sunday Times, Sunday June 19th 1994, p.9 Linden, M (2002) ‘Agenda 2002: More choose to go it alone’ Financial Times, Thursday November 28th 2002, p. NA Madeley, G (2004) ‘Home truths on decline of the two parent family’ Daily Mail, Saturday April 24th 2004, p.34 Home Office Statistical Bulletin [http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1204.pdf] Accessed 15/11/04 Joseph Rowntree Foundation [http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/spr938.asp] Accessed 16/11/04 National Statistics Online [http://www.statistics.gov.uk] Accessed 16/11/04
The 1950’s family claims to have provided more of a family-friendly economic and social environment (Coontz, 29). All the mothers were staying home it was easier for the women to have friends and make connections. More mothers could be involved with their children’s lives. Yes, in today’s society there are mothers that are still very involved in their children’s lives but it is harder for them to be. For the majority of the families in the 21st century, “it’s really fanning out into all kinds of family structures” (Schulte). Now women are working and having more independence than they ever have which have been creating all these different structures. “Many people assume dual income families are now the predominant family structure” (Schulte). The women have now taken the role to bring in some income to help support the family as well. Now the minority have the 1950’s nuclear family. There were more jobs for the men and they could support the family so that the women did not have to
In his 1943 work, “Sex Roles in the American Kinship System,” Talcott Parsons addresses his beliefs that the individual gendered roles in the nuclear family are essential to creating a functioning family dynamic. During this time period, the United States was in between wars and working to recover from the Great Depression. These significant events greatly shaped society not only at the time, but for future generations as well. It is almost impossible for a theorist of this time, such as Parsons, not to be influenced by such drastic social conditions and changes.
“In the 1950’s, 86 percent of children lived in two-parent families, and 60 percent of children were born into homes with a male breadwinner and a female homemaker” (Conley 451). In contrast, “in 1986, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. families consisted of a male breadwinner, a female housewife, and their children, a figure that has since fallen to 6 percent” (Conley 455). Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. They no longer follow the strict nuclear family layout. There are many reasons why the nuclear family is no longer the most common family type. Some of these reasons include increased divorces, increased acceptance of different sexual orientations, increased amount of couples choosing not to get married/common-law marriages, increased amount of people choosing not to have children (rise of birth control methods), increased amount of families with both parents working/needing to work, etc. Personally, I do not believe the decrease in the nuclear family model is a bad thing. By definition a family is just a group of people who are related or married/in a relationship and it can still be a healthy and well-functioning unit no matter the size or combination of people it is made up
Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.
Shaffern, Robert W. "Christianity and the Rise of the Nuclear Family." {America} 7 May 1994.
Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel The Road displays different concepts of nuclear and non-nuclear families throughout the novel. In The Road the reader is introduced to different types of individuals and non-nuclear families and how they succeed in a post-apocalyptic world. Nuclear families are what many consider to be a traditional family, consisting of a mother, father, and children while non-nuclear families are families that are considered untraditional. However, when a traditional family is introduced the reader sees the failures of nuclear families rather than their success while non-nuclear families appear to be more likely to succeed in the sense of survival. Incidents
There were shows in the late 1950s that gave this idea of the perfect family, such as Leave it to Beaver, that started to air on television in 1957. There was the family that ate dinner together and talked about their day. There was a hot meal on the dinner table by the time the father came home and when the children came home from school the mother was already preparing dinner and doing laundry. People who watched those kinds of shows believed that’s how all families should be. A number of movements challenged the idea of a traditional society, such as the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement.
Television has played a major role in the death of the American nuclear family. According to Dictionary.com, a nuclear family is defined as a primary social unit consisting of parents and their offspring. Television has become commonplace in American culture, and most watch oblivious to the effect it has on them and their families. “2009’s Nielsen’s Television Audience Report shows that 54% of homes in the U.S. had three or more television sets, 28% had two television sets and only 18% had one television set” (“More”). Over the past seven decades’ television has had a progressive impact on the American family unit by showing family can be diverse in race, gender, and parenting styles.
Traditional family in today’s society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without the happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology that the family is built around is the tell tale. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Nowadays more mothers work outside of the home, more fathers are asked to help with housework, and more women are choosing to have children solo. Today there are families that have a mom and a dad living in the same home, there are step-families, and families that have just a mother or just a father. Probably the most scrutinized could be families that consist of two moms or two dads. These are all examples of families and if all members are appropriately happy and healthy then these families are okay and should incontestably be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. Progressing with times one ought not be criticized or shunned for being true to their beliefs. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
Is the American family in really in crisis or is it just evolving at a more advanced rate than society? According to the sociologist, Michael Kimmel, “[t]hough the family feels like one of the most fragile of social institutions, it is also perhaps among the most resilient” (Kimmel 143). It seems fragile because of the decline of marriages rates, the increase in divorce rates, and the increase in cohabitating couples. However, the family is one of the most resilient social institutions, “able to adapt to changing economic, social, and cultural circumstances and remain the foundation of society” (Kimmel 142). Besides, statistics alone do not prove the failing condition of the American family.
The book, “Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change, Chapter One: Marriages and Families Over Time,” by Mary Ann Schwartz and BarBara Marliene Scott help distinguish what the word family truly means and the different types of families that are experienced among the United States. Family is defined in many types of ways by everyone, such as, family is the person(s) who share the same blood or family is there when you need them at all times regardless if they share the same blood or not. Family is defined as any relatively stable group of people that are related to one another by blood, adoptions, marriage or by simply living together and provide each other with emotional and economical support according to Schwartz
Today, in a world of the “postmodern family” the traditional lines of family structure are blurred. Children may come from diverse types of homes, or a couple, married or not may choose to have no children and consider themselves a family. The roots of these modern families may stem from ethnic origins, sexual orientations, or even seen as a rebellion of sorts from traditional ways. Children may live in homes of single parents, which is an exceedingly more common phenomenon as the divorce rate well publicized at around fifty percent. They may also live with homosexual parents either as a biological child of one partner or adopted by both. Also, the traditional married couple may choose to adopt locally or internationally, potentially blending ethnic backgrounds into one household. Whatever the background of the new nuclear family the challenges and experiences follow similar patterns.
Theories of the Family and Policy. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from New Zealand Treasury: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2004/04-02/11.htm#_toc4.1. Gabler, J. (2010). The 'Standard' of the 'Stand Sociology for the Dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….
Murdock’s idealised view of the family could now be seen as outdated as it is no longer the most common family structure in Britain today although it can still be used as an argument against other perspectives. While there have been many changes to the structure of the family and the roles performed within it, the nuclear family remains an ideal for the majority of people in society.