Can the American Family Be Saved? : A Study in the Evolution of Family Life in America
The American family and the way its members interact have evolved throughout the history of this nation. As we examine this evolution it becomes evident that over the past several decades this evolution has accelerated and there has been a dramatic shift in the dynamics of the roles of the members within the American family. Where as the majority of American families still consist of the traditional make up of a father, a mother and children, there are now an increasing amount of variations upon this theme which have become accepted as recognizable family units. Even in traditional families comprised of father, mother, and siblings, the roles of these individuals have changed with the invention of new technologies and economies. With these new roles come different relationships the family unit has between their greater communities and political entities they are interdependent with. All of these changes have been well documented by the media in the form of art as well as acade!mic writings. Television, music, magazines, novels and the Internet all record and promote this acceleration of change.Before the 1950s, families in America consisted of not only the "nuclear family" (father, mother, and children) but also the extended fa
The father today is hard pressed to keep up with being the sole breadwinner when the costs of living are so high. In generations past, it was not unheard of that an older gentleman was the sire of children, but until modern time, it was extremely uncommon for a woman in her mid or late forties to bear a healthy, normal child, and have that child live a fruitful life. A child does not have the option of whether his or hers father will stay around to be part of the family. Throughout human history, a single woman with a small child has not been a viable economic unit" (83. With the help of positive reinforcement of the media, and the government, families can once again enjoy the comfort and joy of the family unit. "Ninety percent of all the households in the country were families in the 1950s, in comparison with only 71% by 1990" (Coontz 60). Before the civil rights! movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the occurrence of interracial marriages and mixed families was almost non existent. Many of these alternative families are relatively new developments and have not yet worked through a full human life cycle. They wanted to pursue careers and establish themselves in their professions while building their personal net worth to a point where they feel they can raise their children unencumbered by financial burden. Murray states in his article that there should be penalties for women, who have children without the support of the father, "Restoring economic penalties translates into the first and central policy prescription: to end all economic support for single mothers. Different aspects of a person's life must be put on hold while you attend to the child's needs. " It is highly unlikely that America citizens would want to go backwards in social aid and leave great numbers of women and their children to fend for themselves on the streets. With today advances in medical technology, couples have the option to postpone pregnancy until much later in their marriages. As the Americans family evolves so does its relationship with the community in which it finds itself and the politics of that community.
Common topics in this essay:
Patrick Moynihan,
Dependent Children,
,
Coontz Stephanie,
Jerry Springer,
White Underclass,
family unit,
extended family,
father mother,
unwed mothers,
Charles Murray,
family units,
american family,
mother children,
30 percent,
1950s 1960s,
alternative families,
father mother children,
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Acceptance Essays
