In the past, traditionally families have mostly been the ‘traditional nuclear family’ made up of a married man and woman and at least one child. However there has recently been a decline in the amount of traditional nuclear families and an increase in the amount of diverse families. There are now less people following the traditional view that the nuclear family is the ‘normal’ way to live. The diverse families now include families such as, lone parent families, reconstituted family, extended family, lone person households, cohabiting couples and same sex couples. In this essay I will discuss the view that the traditional nuclear family has decline as a result of the growth of family diversity and the reasons why people are no longer following past tradition. Cohabitatiion is an arrangement where two people who is not married live together in an intimate relationship, particularly an emotionally and/or sexually intimate one, on a long-term or permanent basis. Before 1970, cohabitation was illegal in certain countries e.g. America. Due to a change in the law, Cohabitation is now a common pattern among people around the world, as well as sex/birth outside of marriage, leaving at least 50% to 60% of coupless cohabitating, starting from the late 1990âs. This leads to the amount of traditional nuclear families decreasing as people want to live in companionship as nearly half the amount of marriages end in divorce, also cohabiting is an easier way as its much cheaper and doesnt cause much hassle. The New Right see the decline of the traditional nuclear family and the growth of family diversity as negative trends in modern society.…
Often times we think of marriage, we think of starting a family and living happily ever after. Today’s society compared to when I was growing up is a little different. The divorce rate is higher now than it was twenty five years ago with a divorce rate of 45-50%. Over half of people that divorce remarry after about five years and the new family becomes a blended family. Blended families are defined as “any marriage in which at least one of the spouses becomes a stepparent, regardless of the age of the children” (Becnels’ definition). Of course with anything there are pros and cons with blended families which present unique opportunities for family growth. Some of the “cons” of a blended family are jealousy, lack of trust, selfishness, cooperation and lack of communication. When any of these items are issues in a blended situation it mostly dims light on the husband and wife. There are also “pros” to being in a blended family when typically dealing with the “cons” effectively strengthens the families’ closeness. These consist of good cooperation, the pursuit of good communication, unselfish actions from everyone involved and consistently building trust. All can be effective but the extra challenges require extra effort to make a strong family.…
The family is a universal institution present in every society throughout the world. For many, the family seems a familiar and comfortable institution, but this can appear in many different forms. A particular type of family is the ‘nuclear’ family; this consists of parents and children living together in the same household. The ‘conventional nuclear’ family comprises of a married man and woman with their biological children living together, this type of family is often dubbed ‘the cereal packet family’ where the male is the breadwinner and the female a homemaker. Another family type is the ‘extended’ family which includes all kin beyond the nuclear family e.g. Grandparents, Aunts or Uncles etc. Other family types include; Patriarchal families, Reconstituted or (step) families and Loan Parent Families, all of which are alternatives to the traditional nuclear family.…
The nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of aheterosexual pair of adults; wife and husband, and their children. It can also be known as a ‘beanpole family’ and it can be, especially in middle-class families, child-centered; child-centered is defined as being actively involved by spending lots of time together as the child's needs and wishes are the most important thing.…
There is no single “true” form or definition of a family. Looking at the present day norm, a family can consist of a husband, wife and their children, two wives and their children, blended families with children from previous marriages, and many other variations due to the diversities that are now present in society. Back in the day, families were mostly economic units meaning that families must have worked together productively in order to survive economically. Today, the family unit has evolved to being more of a psychological unit. This essay will outline how the traditional family economic unit has transformed to a psychological unit one that is more affectionate between the family members and how the emotional relationship is more important than that of surviving the economy.…
As individuals, we are each are unique in more ways than can we can even begin to list Because of this, family members don’t always get along and disagreements can be expected. Family cohesion is important. Families who have healthy levels of cohesion emotionally interact with one another and find the unspoken balance that supports us when we want our very own individual independence and in the same hand we can continue to maintain our family togetherness. Healthy family cohesion is not only strength, but a resource for families that will assist them in facing the daily challenges of family life. This system helps with assisting in maintaining a healthy marriage, and in providing a nurturing environment for all the children if present within the family. Family members from…
While the mentally part can be appropriate develop with staying home for the children. It’s also essential for a child to gain the knowledge of one’s family culture. Different family has its unique features…
There are various types of families in today’s society. The most common type of family is a single parent family. This particular family is becoming the norm in today’s society. Researchers Abbey, Ceballo, Lansford and Stewart (2001) found that a single parent family structure is the most at risk group. A single-parent family is one that consists of one…
However, many other family structures are being used which suggests that the nuclear family is not the norm. For example, the Kibbutz lived in an extended family structure, meaning that their entire family lived together and not just their immediate family. The Nayar tribe are an example of people who used the extended family due to living in poverty. The wives would get support from family members and work together to raise the children whilst the men would go out and provide for the family.…
There are many different family structures in today’s society. The differing types of family structures can be beneficial for children as it is important for children to have families who they can depend on. Here is an image mentioning a few of these:…
The structure of the family significantly influences the child. The Family Pediatrics Report (2003) states that the development of a child is influence by the interpersonal relationship between the child and the family members. Based on The Complexity of Community and Family Influences on Children’s Achievement in New Zealand: Best Evidence Synthesis, parents who provide effective support for their children’s development generally have a stable and caring home environment where the children are raised by parents who are both responsible and dedicated. Affection and protection are important for the healthy development of a child. This will help the children to be able to grow and develop naturally without any stress or fear to explore their surroundings which leads to better performance in school. According to The Family Pediatrics Report (2003), the emotional, behavioural and educational problems risks are lower in 2-parents household on average. This is due to the 2-parent household structure facilitates effective parenting behaviours where both parents play their own role instead of just one parents playing so many roles such as nurturer, an individual in the community, an employee, a consumer and an educator which may lead the parent to experience burnout. A stable, well-functioning family is the best environment in which children may be…
The roles within the nuclear family used to be the father being the main provider and working long hours to support his family and the mother looked after the children and the home. Because men were the ones with the money they took charge inside the family. This was considered the norm but over time changes came about when the wife began to reject the housewife role and demanded a greater say in decision making in the home. They wanted to be considered equal to their husbands. Women began insisting men carried out tasks around the home. This lead to husbands spending leisure time with family instead of spending time with his male companions down the pub after work, it resulted in close emotional bonds with his wife and children, he began to help with household tasks and childcare.…
Change has become the constant in families all over the world. For years, the “Ideal Nuclear Family” was portrayed as the perfect family. The ideal nuclear family consists of a mother, father, and three to four children all in one home. The perception of this “perfect” family has been depicted through sitcoms such as, the Brady Bunch, The Cosby Show, and many more over time. As of today, The “Ideal Nuclear Family” has changed and has a new look in our society.…
Although, having an arrangement of a family unit depletes the chance of having broken families like no divorce or no unwanted children. On the contrary, family units do not experience romantic or familial love. People do not fall in love and marry. The adults do not love each other. The family units only exist to raise those two children. Since family units do not really experience these strong emotions; the families are not bonding and feeling these emotions other than just…
Modern day families come in all shapes and sizes – divorce, remarrying, single parenting, out-of-wedlock and a number of other variables have turned the nuclear family into the exception rather than the norm. Even within the modern nuclear family, homemaker and breadwinner roles have evolved into something that makes it impossible to have one specific definition for family. As a matter of fact, the…