...Today, the definition of family is very complex and cannot be explained in just a few words or lines. It can be said that the word ‘family’ has more than one meaning and this makes it more complicated for one to understand the meaning of family. According to most people, a family can be one in the traditional sense with two heterosexual parents with children, one with two parents of the same sex with an adopted child, one with a single parent. But maybe a family could be made of multiple partners; as an example in Judith Stacey’s book with the three gay partners living together. Maybe it could even be a live-in relationship where the partners are not married, as opposed to popular belief. The word family is not restricted to only these instances and can be illustrated in various other ways without a set structure or definition. In the article “American Family Decline”, Popenoe argues that the definition of family is changing and cannot be attributed to just one concept. He argues the state of the changing American family and states the causes for these changes. But due to the complexity of the word he desires to relate family to its traditional view with one father, one mother and the two children to whom they gave birth all living collectively in the same house. According to Popenoe, since the 1960’s up to the 90’s there has been a rapid shift in the percentages of the changing family. He further states that there has been an increase in the divorce rates in the past couple...
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...years, the definition of the term “family” has changed radically. The changing American family structure comes from the family division due to divorce and the responsibility of single parents in raising children. The meaning of family ranges from a proof that the social structure of America can meet social, political and economic changes and thrives. For a mother, the financial responsibilities are immense when she raises her child alone. Lynn Olcott, a teacher at Auburn Correctional Facility in New York, stated in her essay “The Ballad of a Single Mother” the trials and inevitable difficulties that comes with being a single mother by playing both parental figure roles. According to her, the financial struggle is mainly due to gender inequalities in workplace and being a one-income family. In a way, the fact of working forces her to put her son in nursery school, which then cost more money and create a vicious circle from a financial perspective. Rebecca M. Blank, a professor of economics at Nothwestern University, adheres to the same topic in her article “Absent Fathers: Why Don’t We Ever Talk About The Unmarried Men?” by calling attention to the problem that the “lack of parental support” form absent fathers “is a major factor contributing to the poverty of single mothers and their children”(Blank, 440). They commonly agree that if the father was in the family home or gave contribution such as child support, it would be easier to the family to struggle and not be disturbed....
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...Over the last sixty years American families have changed drastically in many ways, For example families became more diverse, also many couples chose to live together without being married, also womens started to consider living as a family with their kids without being married. Families are more socially diverse now such as there are many same sex marriages, “ A growing number of gay men and lesbians are pursuing parenthood any way they can: adoption, surrogacy, donor sperm.” ( The Changing American Family). In my opinion I think that gay parents have the right to adopt children, just because they decided to be on the wrong track doesn't mean that they will be deprived to have kids, aside from all that i believe that gay parenting should not...
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...Jack lives is a single 41 year old, African American male. He currently resides in Washington, DC. We met two times for our interviews. Both interviews were at different locations. At the time of our interviews, Jack was dressed in work out attire Family Background and Situation Jack was born in NW Baltimore City, Md. His parents actually owned their house for several years before he was born. This wasn’t typical at this time, because it was difficult in the 60’s for African Americans to actually purchase homes. His parents were born, and raised in Cherry Hill, Maryland. His mother lived in substadized housing with her mother, father, and 4 siblings. His father lived in the same community, but they owned the place they had lived in. Both his...
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...the American notion of Federalism may require that differing state laws hold to preserve the competence of the states. New York State may continue to refuse to perform gay marriages, while it may recognize these marriages performed elsewhere. Any definition of marriage will remain rooted in semantics—a present one centers on the union of a man and a woman which cannot be seen otherwise and remains the most fundamental unit of civilization. The real nature of marriage is a binding commitment that is legal, social and personal between two people who take on special obligations to one another. It is argued by some that gay marriage would not weaken the institution of marriage, but that gays would add social stability as the number of couples that take on real, rather than passing commitments, grows. Marriage would remain important in its obligation, commitment and social recognition. Two points are worthy of comment. The age group of 18 to 29 year olds supports gay marriage ( 55 to 61%), while those over 65 do not ( 18 to 21%) [according to a CBS News/ NY Times 2003 poll]. This in part, reflects generational shifts in the understanding of marriage itself. The second point is more sobering. The weakening of marriage to date has been done by heterosexuals—in infidelity, the divorce rate, and the growth of single-parent families. Continued debate on this issue may shed light on our notions and attitudes and understanding of marriage itself. In terms of organization, the family system...
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...issue in the African American families today. The problem that arises from this is, there is a big concern that many children are being conceived out of wedlock. Marriage is not an option anymore because, the family structure is not a factor in society today. Family life is much different today than what it used to be. Several years ago, mothers would stay at home with their children while the father went to work to support his family, but it is nothing like that in today’s American households. Today it is common for children to be raised by just one parent, and those children are often disadvantage in several ways. The most consistent finding from studies of family structure shows that single parents controls...
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...Brendan Lutz Dr. Jakubiak English 110 25 February 2011 Unit #2 Final Draft Not the Typical American Family Many of us love to just sit back and relax on weeknights, and just watch some TV. Popular shows of choice among families were sitcoms. These shows would portray different, unique types of families, and create their day to day lives into comedies. The types and class of families shown on sitcoms throughout the time of television has been widespread. Two shows in particular that I will discuss are “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, and “The George Lopez Show”. Each show is based around one famous celebrity. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was centered around Will Smith, a famous rapper turned actor. “The George Lopez Show” was centered around George Lopez, a famous comedian. Each show was based around a specific ethnic group. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was solely around African Americans, and “The George Lopez Show” around Hispanic Americans. These sitcoms challenged the many sitcoms prior to its time, being about a family that was non-white. Skeptics felt these shows would not be popular due to the fact they do not appeal directly to the average American family. Skeptics were proven wrong, as each show ran for 6 seasons. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “The George Lopez Show” both changed the perception of class and challenged the typical stereotypes that are normally associated with their respective race. The idea for a new show that would premiere on NBC in 1990 would...
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...Miteechur English Comp II February 10, 2015 American Family Values In the article, “Family Values,” Richard Rodriguez states his view on the positive affect of homosexuality on family values in America. He questions the values that the media and politicians claim Americans hold and intrigues the reader to decide whether the United States values the family at all. With the traditional family dynamic changing every day, so does the perspective of right and wrong. The media, however, is quick to defend the sanctity of the stereotypical family and chastises anything that contradicts that ideal. The things one values changes with age and are shaped through personal experience and relationships made throughout life. This individual moral development should be promoted instead of criticized. This country was founded on the idea of individual rights. However, America is always forcing it’s ideals on others. The United States would be a more unified and progressive place if its citizens embraced the idea of tolerance and valued the diversity that make the people of this country great instead of demonizing what doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of the American family. The United States is seen as the “Land of Opportunity.” People have come from all over the world to give their family a chance at the American Dream. This nation was created by people who believed in the idea of a better life for their children. But what is the American Dream and why was this ideal appealing? In traditional...
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...Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, or Family Ties are known as the classic nuclear family, or as you may know, the all American Family. As we can see from these TV shows, the classic nuclear family is a married couple with their children. Good Morning, I am Technical Sergeant Ramon Aguilar and I will be speaking to you on one of the 12 Domains of Culture, Family & Kinship, but more in-depth on Family Size and Structure and Marriage. I will now like to go into more detail on how the current family size and structure in American culture is evolving, followed by how those dynamics play a role in marriage today. Let me begin with family size and structure. 2. In 1960’s your typical classic American family consisted of...
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...As humans evolve, they start thinking about changing how a family should be. Nowadays, we see same-sex parents, one parent having children, or parents with no children at all. It is not like the nuclear family where there are two parents with their offspring living under the same roof. Now, it can be anyone that the person wants them to be in their family. It doesn’t have to be blood-related. It just has to be someone that you are comfortable with and can have a nice conversation with. In the article “The Changing American Family”, by Natalie Angier, she describes many different scenarios where families are totally different than the well-known nuclear family. Families come in different ways, from gay parents to a single parent adopting a...
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...Did the Industrial Revolution Disrupt the American Family? The Industrial Revolution had a profound impact on American life economically, politically, and socially. It affected every facet of American society from the political and economic structures of the country to the family unit. Historians, however, have varying viewpoints on whether the Industrial Revolution disrupted the American family. One point of view, represented by Elaine Tyler May, is that it disrupted the American family because the changing lifestyle that resulted put enormous pressure on men to provide adequately for their wives and children, which led to the breakup of many families. The opposing point of view, represented by Jacquelyn Hall, Robert Korstad, and James Leloudis, is that it did not disrupt the American family because in some parts of the country such as the south, many families were still able to live and work together in ways that were similar to how they lived and worked on their farms. Given the available data cited by May on divorces during this period, I subscribe to the point of view that the Industrial Revolution disrupted the American family. The problem with Hall’s argument is that it is supported by examples that are too narrow to generalize for the country as a whole. May argues that the mass production and consumption of goods which resulted from the Industrial Revolution, as well as the changing lifestyle and widespread prosperity put enormous pressure on men to provide for...
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...American family values and beliefs have changed over the past hundred years. There are various types of families nowadays, such as married couples with or without children, single parents, or stepparents with children, homosexual partners with adopted children, etc. There are three different time periods and three movements that illustrate the changes in American family values and beliefs. According to Lim and Smalzer (2008), “Sociologist Barbara Dafoe Whitehead labeled these three periods the period of Traditional Familism, the period of Individualism, and the period of The New Familism” (p.184). The three social and political movements in the second period, the period of Individualism, respectively are The Sexual Revolution, The Women’s Liberation, and The Anti-War Movement. In Mona Lisa Smile, these three periods and movements are characterized in the behavior and language of the actresses. The first time period is Traditional Familism, which lasted for twenty years from the mid-1940’s to the mid-1960’s. It is a period after World War II. Lim and Smalzer (2008) considered that the predominant configuration of this traditional period is, “A married couple with children” (p.184). They also concluded, “three characteristics stand out in this period: conformity to social norms, greater male domination of the family than in the later periods, and clear-cut gender roles”(p.184). It suggests that the division of family roles is clear-cut, which husband and wife being charged with...
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...Marriage & Family Changes: American Society DeVry University April 11th, 2014 Spring 2014, Session II Changes to Marriage & Family: American Society The American society has had very dramatic changes in the ways that certain aspects of our modern culture are shifting the traditional American family. These changes bring a new different perspective to the rise in divorce rates. Cohabiting relationships rather than traditional marriages has brought a new way of viewing relationships. Blended families of both gay and heterosexual design surface new issues. And children being born out of wedlock and its normalcy in today’s society. High Rise in Divorces The American society has been demonstrating signs and symptoms of change with the rise of technology. Marriage has long been recognized as a fundamental social institution but with the rise of modern economies and the associated individualism, many functions once confined to marriage now take place outside of it (Musick & Bumpas, 2012). Divorces has several factors that contribute to the high incidence in our modern times. Many parents use the media as surrogate parents, allowing the internet and social media to be the child’s main support, instead of dedicating personal quality time to their children. In change, these children have grown up in the last decade young marriages tend to dedicate more time to their social platforms rather than spending one on one time with their spouses. Social media also affects...
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...asked what matters most to them in their lives, chances are their response has to deal with their friends, and their family. Everyone has some relationship with their family, good, or bad. The real question is, what about those who never experience what it’s like to have a family present throughout their lives, helping them grow and learn to become a working part of society? I should make it very clear that my Mother, Father, and little Sister are the three most important people in my life right now, but I always tend to think about other families. Not just minority families, or the families less fortunate than I, but in particular, Native American families and children who lose their mothers. Last semester, I was in a class with a Native American student who reported to the class that around...
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...work at home, and since family sizes were larger and there was no gas, electricity, home appliances, telephone, running water or indoor plumbing, housework much harder. Therefore, staying at home and taking care of the family and the home was a full-time job for women. Sometimes, women would earn money at home by taking in boarders. Sons were sent to school until they were twelve or fourteen and then put to work, the age was later raised to 16 as the necessity for education grew. Daughters either worked part-time for wages or at home with their mothers. All children, male or female, were expected to turn over their wages to their parents. In the 1960s, the baby boom happened because men and women were so stable financially they did not see a problem with having many children in a short period of time. Men found it easy to get jobs straight out of highschool, were able to pay enough to support families and had job security. However, at this time, life was very different for African American citizens. For African American families, men were not the only ones considered to be “breadwinners,” as women were always expected to work outside of the home. This caused...
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