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changes in family structures in society
changing family structure in a modernizing society
changes in family structures in society
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Introduction Families today are noticeably different than what they were 20+ years ago. The tradition of mothers staying home and raising the children while fathers’ financially supporting the family is not only something of the past, but could almost be seen as abnormal in today’s world. The family unit has become something that one cannot easily fit into a certain category due to the ever changing faces of it and the constantly changing social norms. Adults are becoming parents later in life, working mothers, stay at home fathers, same- sex couples, elderly family members living with family members and older children staying at home longer are a few examples of how todays families differ from the “traditional family.” Congress in (Coady & Congress (2008) refers to the idea that families also go through certain developmental stages in their life span similar to the individual development theory. In this theory there are 6 stages that range from the unattached young adult, the adolescent or young adult when they are first leaving the family home to the family in later life when the parents are entering retirement age. Understanding the different stages a family moves through at different times in its life will ensure the social worker is able to provide the most appropriate support for the family at that time. The support delivered to a family with young children would be quite different to the support given to a family with adolescents. Although the family as a unit travels through the stages together as a unit, it is important for a social worker to remember while planning support that even though the family may be at a specific stage, each family member may be at quite different individual stages. (Congress in (Coady & Lehmann, 2008) For example two parents of the same age may be at two different stages individually and therefore their needs may be quite different, even though they are at a certain developmental stage together as a family. It is important to consider where the family sits in the developmental stages when developing a care plan for the family, so that the social worker has an understanding of what is happening within the family at that time and their needs can be appropriately
Several changes have occurred since the 1920s in traditional family values and the family life. Research revealed several different findings among family values, the way things were done and are now done, and the different kinds of old and new world struggles.
The Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) is a well-known comprehensive and multidimensional template used by nurses to assess families. CFAM begins by having the nurse visit with the family and gain insight on the family’s functioning at a particular point in time. Interviewing the family allows the nurse to assess and identify potential issues. Furthermore, the CFAM consists of three main assessment categories, known as structural, developmental, and functional. Each of these categories contains several subcategories that allow the nurse to examine all aspects of a family’s functioning. The goal of the CFAM is for the nurse to openly discuss family issues, provide insight to families from an outside perspective and guide them towards their own problem solving tactics. CFAM allows families and nurse to develop a plan of care that is mutually agreed upon. The following paper illustrates a family assessment completed using the CFAM and applies nursing diagnoses and interventions relevant to the family’s current issues (Wright & Leahey, 2013).
Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales, two of the leading figures in sociology, may be considered the founding fathers for the ideas of the “modern family” and the “male-breadwinner family.” Collectively, their work has influenced how Americans analyze families and has sparked new ideas regarding the American family from sociologists such as Stephanie Coontz and Arlie Hochschild. However, when studying the American family, Parsons and Bales fail to understand that the “ideal” family may not be so ideal for everyone. They neglect to consider societal influences and economic changes when discussing patriarchal social norms as the most optimal family structure. Their description of the male-breadwinner family consists of the father being the “instrumental leader” within the home, providing economically for his family based on his occupational earnings. Meanwhile, the mother is considered the manager of the household, providing for her husband and children physically, emotionally, and mentally.
As we have learned through Skolnick’s book, as well as Rubin’s research, the make up of the family is influenced by many factors. The economy, culture, education, ethnicity/race, and tradition all help to create the modern family. The last few decades have heavily influenced the family structure, and while some try to preserve the past, others embrace the future. Through it all, we find you can have both.
The present structure of the average family in America is changing, mainly due to the growing number of mothers who now work outside the home. The current mark of dual-earner families stands at 64 percent, making it a solid majority today. This alteration of the "traditional" structure of the family is a channel for other changes that may soon occur.
Many couples in the United States idealize the myth of a “tradition family”. The idea that a woman can spend quality time with her child while maintaining an effective sexual life with her partner seemed to have caused a lot of stress during the 1950s. Coontz’s says “this hybrid idea drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they tried to live up to it.” (Coontz, 569). Which explains that it is merely impossible to try to mold a family to be “ideal.” Many families still strive for a traditional life, which they define as life “back in the day.” They need to forget the past and start living in the 21st century. “Two-thirds of respondents to one national poll said they wanted more traditional standards of family life.”(Coontz, 582). Which goes to show that many families want to change to what once used to be perceived as an “ideal family” but “the same percentage of people rejected the idea that women should return to their traditional role.”(Coontz, 582). Families want to take bits and pieces from what used to be “traditional families” over time and create their own i...
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
American families have changed tremendously over the past years. Families did not only face the change in their status or social behavior; but also faced a change in their lifestyle. Now there are different types of families with different types of norms and values. Families are socially, ethnically and very expressively diverse than ever before (Angier).
Now that women more and more are joining the workplace, thus, removing them from their family of orientation. The divorced in the United States are more common, its rate has risen then ever before. So, parents today are raising their kids into a diverse family structure, the growth in single parent households has increased as well. Lots of kids living without a father with mother as the “head” of the house. People now are more likely to adopted a child, hey become the legal parents of the child. Let’s not forget the teenager’s pregnancy and same sex marriage. Consequently, different forms of domestic arrangements now outnumber the traditional American
Society seems to have many different opinions when it comes to relationships and families and what is ideal. The ideal family may not exist anymore. We now have in our society families that are complete that do not necessarily contain the traditional material. The traditional family, as society would see it; usually consist of a married, mother and father and usually children. Moms are supposed to stay at home while dads work the forty-hour a week job. However, in our 2003 world, families exist in a lot of non-traditional ways. A lot of families now consist of single parent families, or same sex parents and their children, or even couples that are unmarried but live together. And even now, if a family contains what society sees as traditional as far as having a mom, dad, and kids, other aspects are not traditional anymore. Women now have more opportunity in the workplace than they have ever had, therefore, many moms are career moms and dads are sometimes staying at home. Years ago, these types of families were given labels for being dysfunctional or abnormal, however, this label is not holding up as well as it did years ago. There are many non-traditional families that are raising children in a loving, nurturing home with a substantial amount of quality love. Quality is the key in any relationship between anyone. Society is finding out that it is not the traditional image that makes a loving family, but the quality of a relationship that people give to each other is what really makes a family. In the essay "The Myth of the "Normal" Family", written by Lousie B. Silverstein and Carl F. Auerbach, they make references to the cultural idea of what a "normal" family should be and what i...
...d by their parent's divorce but also have negative side effects later on in adulthood (issue 8 pg 146). Developmental psychologist Hetherington agrees that divorce can be harmful to a child's development but that they ultimately overcome it. Eventually they will overcome it, but this is most likely to happen past stage 6, in middle adult hood after one has decided whether or not they want to spend their life with someone. Erickson's theory of personality development can help one realize the stages which are mostly affected by a parent's divorce. The stages affected are stages 3, initiative versus guilt, stage 4 industry versus inferiority, stage 5, identity versus confusion, and finally intimacy versus isolation. The symptoms of having a broken home might not always be very noticeable until a person is peeled little by little and ready to fix their heavy past.
Since the 20th century, researchers have sought out solutions to help assist families and the individual components that make up family systems overcome the challenges and schisms that can inhibit individuation and stability. Two theoretical perspectives, the family-systems theory and the family-development theory, were conceived to gain as Balswick & Balswick (2014) noted, gain “a wide-angle view of family life” (p. 22). Though these two theories have merit, one I found to be more advantageous in gaining a better understanding of the family as an actively metastasizing organism, which needs to be approached more adaptively.
To support the emotional and physical health of these families, nurses provide interventions that assist them through the nine tasks of family development. For Danny and Mark, lack of sleep, lack of time, social isolation, and fatigue impacts their relationship and emotional state. To help mitigate the effects of stress, the nurse educates them on activities to reduce stress and finds ways to maximize their schedule to provide opportunities to participate in those activities. .The nurse also helps Danny and Mark by suggesting and/or finding resources to help with childcare which will provide time for them to spend with each other and with friends. Supporting the emotional health of families with newborns influences positive parent-child relationships and decreases infant maltreatment, family conflicts and negative outcomes (Goldberg & Smith,
The family has been referred to as the most vital of the social institutions (Alexander, 2010). The definition of what it means to be a family has evolved over the past several generations. In technical terms, the U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as a group of two or more people residing together related by birth, marriage, or adoption. (U.S. Census, 2010). Categories of families that fit this definition include married couples with and without children, blended families, single parent, and extended family households. Same-sex and unmarried couples with and without children and individuals living alone are not included in this group, though they are a rising segment of the population. The make-up of family and household types at any given time has major consequences for society (Katz & Stern, 2007). Major systems such as economic political, legal, and other social institutions are all impacted by changes in family dynamics. This paper will explore the evolution of the family unit and examine the reciprocal link between this shift and surrounding systems. The relationship between these changes and contemporary systems theory will also be discussed.
To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.