Changes in Family Structures
Changes in family structures refer to the shifts in the composition and organization of families over time. This can include changes in marriage patterns, divorce rates, cohabitation, and the prevalence of single-parent or blended families. These changes are influenced by various social, economic, and cultural factors, and have significant implications for individuals and society as a whole.
6 Key excerpts on "Changes in Family Structures"
eBook - ePubMulti-generational Family Therapy
Tools and resources for the therapist
- Maurizio Andolfi(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...3 SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND NEW FAMILY FORMS The history of humanity presents an inexhaustible repertoire of ways of organizing and attributing meaning to reproduction and to sexuality, to the alliance between groups and individuals, and therefore, an infinite variety of ways of building families. Sociological, demographic and psychological studies and research have clearly identified the range of family models that have always characterized human societies, highlighting how the family assumes different functions and structures, supporting and nurturing itself through different economic systems. The transition from the patriarchal family of the rural world, extended and economically self-sufficient, to that of the nuclear family of the industrial era is a significant example of this variability. Over the past 50 years, the family has undergone a process of radical transformation in its structure, demographic configuration, and internal and social roles, to assume gradually greater complexity and differences, and even more dramatic fragmentation, to such an extent that today it is impossible to refer to the family as a standard unit...
eBook - ePubWomen and the Family
Two Decades of Change
- Beth Hess, Marvin B Sussman(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Chapter 10 Changing Family Roles and Interactions Maximiliane E. Szinovacz Popular literature and textbooks depict an image of family relationships undergoing rapid change. Slogans such as "Changing Families," "Families in Transition," or "Marriage and Alternatives" increasingly replace the simple "Marriage and the Family" titles of previous textbooks. In contrast, feminists insist that women's position in the family is still subject to traditional role expectations and behaviors. At the center of this critique are analyses of the division of labor between spouses and power asymmetries between the sexes (Thorne, 1982; Bernard, 1982; Freedman, 1979; Richardson and Taylor, 1983). In this paper, evidence of changes in family roles and interaction within the last two to three decades is reviewed, emphasizing issues at the center of the feminist critique, namely, the division of labor between spouses, power and decision-making processes, and sexual relations. 1 In the first section of the chapter, models of family change are outlined and criteria for the assessment of change are presented. Subsequent sections depict changes in selected role domains, and appraise available empirical evidence as well as theoretical contributions. The chapter concludes with an overall evaluation of familial role changes over time and some speculations on future trends. Models of Family Change Several writers contend that families are becoming more egalitarian with greater sharing of family roles. Already three decades ago, Burgess (1973, originally 1954) 2 projected a movement from the "institutional" to the "companionship marriage," a change characterized by increased equality in marital relations, an emphasis on affection and personal happiness rather than the fulfillment of prescribed roles and duties, and enhanced attention to the personality development of family members rather than to common family objectives (p. 157)...
eBook - ePub- Nancy E. Riley(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Polity(Publisher)
...The influences go both ways, with demographic processes influencing families and families influencing demographic outcomes. For example, massive migration has influenced family structure, with many families now split between two or more locations. Families have also used migration to help create new kinds of families, using the labor opportunities to create more diversified financial streams that might provide more economic stability to all involved. Most of the family changes that have taken place in China over the past several decades have been seen in a variety of societies in Asia and beyond, even as these changes have had different tenor, speed, and outcome in China than elsewhere. Those differences remind us that societies are not blank canvases upon which change takes place, but rather incorporate and shape the interwoven processes in different ways. From China's experience, we can see the power of the state to effect change, in small and large, direct and indirect, ways. Many lament or worry about some of these family changes and indeed some pose serious challenges to China and to families and individuals. Data show that certain groups have struggled since economic reforms caused state support in jobs, housing, and health care to vanish. Women's financial security has always been more tenuous than men's and that situation has only exacerbated since economic reforms. Older Chinese have also seen guaranteed health and other support disappear with the changes in the economy away from a socialist model. And poorer areas of China – particularly rural areas and internal and western parts – are particularly vulnerable because of their distance from the sites of new opportunities occurring in the coastal areas of China. These changes will bring challenges to families, individuals, and communities alike. But even the rapid aging of the population, the change about which we hear the most concern, will not necessarily be a crisis...
eBook - ePubFamilies, Labour and Love
Family diversity in a changing world
- Maureen Baker(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...For most people, these relationships help form their personal identity and continue to provide a life focus. Dwelling on our own family experiences can lead us to assume that our lives are unique. We may also think that we make our major life decisions primarily by ourselves or with the assistance of family and close friends. Yet we cannot underestimate the social and cultural context in which we live. Studying families from a sociological perspective requires us to question our personal assumptions about what constitutes ‘normal’ behaviour. Although our own experiences may be enlightening, we need to compare them with research findings about how other people think and behave, to see if our experiences are typical or unusual. Family life often differs according to place of upbringing, cultural and religious background, family structure, social class background and a person’s gender. While some of these differences may be subtle, others are more obvious. The fact that all of us have acquired first-hand knowledge of some form of family life gives greater intensity to discussions about families than about other academic subjects. Family life takes place within national and global culture, under the influence and regulation of laws, policies and economic change. Exploring how family life has been transformed over the past century within different nations provides us with a better understanding of current family trends. Patterns are identifiable because attitudes and behaviour are influenced by social and cultural factors, such as our family income and our parents’ education and occupation, our religious upbringing and cultural origin, and the wider values and practices of our society. We cannot assume that all people live the same way; nor should we judge other people’s behaviour by our own standards. Our personal prejudices need to be set aside so that we can more accurately describe and explain family trends...
eBook - ePubFamily Configurations
A Structural Approach to Family Diversity
- Eric D. Widmer(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Chapter 7 Short-term Changes in Families When Gina was asked about her family configuration the first time, she included her partner, her two children, her mother, her sister, the partner of her sister, her niece, several relatives of her partner (his parents and siblings) and two friends whom she considered close enough to be included in her family. When she was again interviewed, six months later, she had split with her partner. As a consequence, she did not include him, his parents and siblings in her family configuration any more. Her sister was also going through turbulent times with her own partner, so that the ties between the two sisters were reactivated, with much psychological support exchanged. Friends considered as family members gained additional significance for a while. Another six months passed and Gina met a new partner, who also had children from a previous relationship. Within a year, her family configuration changed tremendously, due to a series of events that could quite easily be traced out. Gina’s story is not uncommon, although personal stories usually feature more stable family configurations in the short-term. In many configurations, one hardly notices a change for years, although a closer look might reveal subtle modifications of social capital and ambivalences. How do family configurations evolve in the short-term? By what mechanisms do they remain stable or achieve new balances of support and conflict month after month? The issue of change in family configurations is not easy to tackle. Quantitative research has addressed family change in focusing on normative events, such as marriage or giving birth. In the family developmental perspective, inspired by functional analysis (Parsons and Bales, 1956), expected transitions of life create shift in family stages (Duvall and Miller, 1985)...
eBook - ePubFamily Economics and Public Policy, 1800s–Present
How Laws, Incentives, and Social Programs Drive Family Decision-Making and the US Economy
- Megan McDonald Way(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Palgrave Macmillan(Publisher)
...It is very difficult to claim that families led by married couples are the building blocks of US society when looking at Fig. 6.1c. That is not the composition of the country, and it is increasingly not the composition of any high-income, developed country, although cohabiting two-parent families (with or without marriage) are predominant in countries that have focused on gender equality such as the Nordic countries and France. Most researchers who study families and family policy do not believe that a return to traditional male-breadwinner, female-caregiver, two-parent families will ever happen in the United States regardless of policy incentives, and, in the view of many, nor should it. The idealization of that family structure reinforced by social policy that effectively pushed many women into marriage and locked them in once they were married masked a lot of suffering, economic instability, and inequality that we should hope to move beyond. At the same time, most children would be better off with the more stable economic and emotional life that results from having two parents participating in and contributing to their upbringing. This stability does not exist for most low-income children, and the widening gap between the lives of high socioeconomic status children and low have diverged on family structure characteristics in troubling ways. It may be that the only way to improve family stability in the United States is to start by ensuring that all children have their economic needs met, that they have the resources they need to complete high school and possibly college, and that they avoid early pregnancy and childbearing. 67 Other policies that target groups with particular labor market issues, such as incarcerated men and those with criminal records, could have ancillary benefits that improve life experiences and outcomes for their children. The complexity of families makes policies targeted at those who are already parents difficult...
