Evolution of the Family in the 21st Century
The Evolution of the Family in the 21st century by L.S.Q.
Marriages decline & divorces incline
Where has the traditional family shifted to in the 21st century? Years gone by, families had meals together; today, meals are eaten on the run and the most important time for dialogue and sharing the day 's highlights; over dinner, is now non-existent, because parents have also become part-time students. Not too long ago, there was only one television in the home, it was an enjoyable experience to sit together and view television programs together; today there is a television in almost every room, computers with internet access, mobile devices where you can do instant messaging so you can stay where you are and communicate, in addition to a entertainment so that children almost never leave their rooms.
As an institution, the family has constantly evolved, shaped and adapted to social changes, and although families have much in common, there is no longer such a thing as a typical family in the 21st Century. When people talk about the family, undoubtedly many think of the “conventional” nuclear family. However, stereotypical images of mother, father and children rarely holds true to modern families. The family, which has undergone a major transformation from the past generation, is poised to continue to change even more as time progresses. Family and household structures are becoming more diverse with co-habitation, common-law arrangements, single parents and gay adoption all becoming increasingly common types of family units in the world today.
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
Marriages decline & divorces incline
Where has the traditional family shifted to in the 21st century? Years gone by, families had meals together; today, meals are eaten on the run and the most important time for dialogue and sharing the day 's highlights; over dinner, is now non-existent, because parents have also become part-time students. Not too long ago, there was only one television in the home, it was an enjoyable experience to sit together and view television programs together; today there is a television in almost every room, computers with internet access, mobile devices where you can do instant messaging so you can stay where you are and communicate, in addition to a entertainment so that children almost never leave their rooms.
As an institution, the family has constantly evolved, shaped and adapted to social changes, and although families have much in common, there is no longer such a thing as a typical family in the 21st Century. When people talk about the family, undoubtedly many think of the “conventional” nuclear family. However, stereotypical images of mother, father and children rarely holds true to modern families. The family, which has undergone a major transformation from the past generation, is poised to continue to change even more as time progresses. Family and household structures are becoming more diverse with co-habitation, common-law arrangements, single parents and gay adoption all becoming increasingly common types of family units in the world today.
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
References: <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2064593/families_of_the_21st_century_are_not.html?cat=25> (accessed 20/6/11) <http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/991202/families.shtml> (accessed 20/6/11) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2710299/family_values_in_the_21st_century.html?cat=25> (accessed 20/6/11) <http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6507/Families-and-Television.html> (accessed 20/6/11)