Why are families changing?
In American society, 20 years ago there was a type of family seen as the only valid one. This type of family was called the nuclear or conjugal family; this consisted in a family formed by a married men and women with their dependent and not married children. However things have changed and other types of families have gained power and influence making the stereotype of ideal family less popular and also making families change.
Family can be defined as a group of people joined by consanguinity (birth), marriage or because of co- residence or shared consumptions. Families are changing for various reasons that include:
Lone parental families have increased; this has been especially caused because divorces have risen, divorces are not longer seen as before because religion and other factors have lost the influence they had before. Also women no longer depend in men so they can become independent. This type of family is formed by a mother (more frequent) or father and their dependent children. This normally occurs because parents with children get divorced and children prefer to stay with the mother, also the death of one of the parents can lead to a lone parental family or the loss of the custody of their children of one of the parents.
Step families have also increased because divorces have increased. This type of family consists in mixed parents: one or both parents remarried, bringing children of the previous family into the new family. Nowadays this type of family is gaining influence in our society because before this type of family was very reduced in number.
Also couples decide not to marry so much. Cohabitation families consist in a couple that lives together with their children but without being married. This is happening because of financial reason that don’t allow the couple to marry, same sex couples are increasing, personal reason, couples think marring is not necessary, etc.
Finally gay and lesbian families are beginning to rise and to act like a normal family. This consists in a family formed by a couple of the same sex. At the beginning homosexual couples were very unpopular and gay couples had to maintain secret their relationship but this has changed and this type of family is seen as a normal and adopting children by this same sex couples is seen as normal.
In conclusion families are changing because the stereotype of a family is changing and new types of families are being created. Also most women don’t depend any more in their husband and can live independently.
WEBBIOGRAPHY: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/health/families.html?_r=0
Good post! Don't forget the idea of secularisation: the idea that religion is becoming less important in today's more secular society and that this means that religious values/norms related to marriage are less important too - along with the traditional stigma attached to divorce and children out of wedlock.
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