The Death of the Family?
The institution of the family as we know it in our society is dying. There are several trends that are occurring throughout the family, and society that have destroyed what we relate to as the traditional family. An increase in homosexuality and same-sex relationships has resulted in families with two mothers, or two fathers, instead of the traditional nuclear mother-father families of the past. Another trend, the increasing amount of women in the work force, has changed the defining roles and functions of family members. A third trend is the increase in divorce and separation, which has resulted in many lone parent families, as well as many stepfamilies. Another trend is the increase in open adoption in the last few years. This has resulted in a very non-traditional family, where a child grows up having two sets of parents. One last trend, but certainly not all of them, is the increase in common law relationships, which has in turn led to a decrease in marriage. Society has become more accepting, and tolerant of differences in people, and in the way people chose to live their lives. Governments are focusing more and more on freedom of rights, and non-discrimination. As a result of this, people feel more at ease pract
The governments are more aware of non-discrimination, and freedom to choose. In June, only two months later, the survey showed that 65% of Canadians were in support of same-sex marriages. A survey done by the Environics Research Group in April and June 2001 shows the rapidly increasing support for same-sex marriages in Canada. It is estimated that of all these couples, about 40 % (between the age of 30-39) of them will end in separation. It is even possible now in Canada, for fathers to receive paternity leave. How this will affect the children's lives? Is it possible for a same-sex based family to be stable as we see the traditional nuclear family? Many issues are raised with this same-sex trend. Women in the past would stay at home, and look after the children and the home, while the husbands would work and bring in the income. This statistic went up nearly 20% since 1995. The people have changed with the governments and now as peoples lifestyles change, the institution of the family is changing. The statistics show they are most likely to break up in the end. In 1994 it had gone up to 56% (Wylie, Family an Exploration, pg 92). There is less attention paid to the children, less time for the children, and less time for the housework. The result of mothers working outside the home can be easily seen. The family structure has been totally rearranged by open adoption, not providing the typical nuclear family characteristics, and structure. It is estimated that almost 1 in 3 (31%) marriages will end up in divorce (Holloway, Individuals and Families in a Diverse Society, pg 232).
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