Introduction
Family and marriage are intertwined and one leads to the other. They are the most basic social strands in any society. Therefore a review of the various issues affecting the marriage institution and the family unit are of key importance in trying to understand the societal challenges, economic policy and also in issues of policy formulation.
Question 1.
In modern society, changes occurring to these institutions are monumental. Many factors have come into play in the determination of the course these institutions have taken. Many have been negative in a degradation of the fabric of the institution while several have acted to improve the quality of the institutions. Some of these issues are listed below.
- Type of family according to its composition.
- Longevity of the marriage institution.
Marriages tend to last less and the number of divorces being experience nowadays are staggering compare to the 1960s. This is seen as a result of the complexity of cohabiting relationships. The advances in the social scene has led to bred of highly varied individuals with extreme tastes and choices in a relationship.
These changes have had varied effects on the institution of marriage and family. Increased divorces have had a tremendously traumatizing effect on children if there were any involved in the marriage. Lone parents however have enjoyed mixed fortunes with some doing exemplary well in raising their children alone. These are mostly the well off and capable of providing for their children. Without a partner in the marriage they are able to focus all their attention to their children. On the other hand some parents have experienced hard times bringing up children on their own. These are mostly the young girls who bear children before they are of age. The bringing up of the children prove to be difficult for them since they have got no source of income. These changes in my opinion mean that the family institution is greatly weakening with the trend being towards fighting for survival first before being engaged tied to a family.
Question 2.
There are numerous personal and family problems that are as a direct cause of societal problems. In the case of divorce in families, many couples complain that their spouses have taken up unacceptable social behaviors such as abuse of alcohol and drugs. The decline in the adherence to social correctness has led to people making liberal choices without much regard of the consequences. Couples have taken up similar trends in their marriages with many collapsing as a result.
Question 3.
This cover photo shows the first family in a family photo. The biosocial perspective claims that biological peculiarities in an individual affect their predisposition towards certain social behavior. That is to indicate that a combination of genetic composition, hormones and human physiology interact with the physical environment and cause specific human beings to react in certain peculiar ways to different situations. In this photo, the president and the first lady both being strong willed and successful individuals in governance, and being the biological parents of their daughters would be expected to have passed on similar genes to them and as such the daughters will probably take on similar careers later in life upon exposure to conditions similar to their parents.
- The photo when analyzed using the interactionist perspective which holds that social behavior is guided by human interactions with their environment and completion with others for limited resources. As such, social life consists of a complex fabric of numerous interactions through which life takes its meaning and form. Using this perspective therefore it is less probable that the daughters will follow in the footsteps of their parents as their environment is totally different from what their parents experienced hence their different social inclinations.
- The different perspectives bring out different insights which are contrasting in their form but which apply to varying degrees in various individuals. Each one perspective cannot hold true for everyone but rather the actual resultant social inclination of an individual is reviewable as to what perspectives shaped it.
Question 4.
Science is the a body of study that organizes and plans information into a systematic and testable manner. While personal experience is the accounts of individual encounters. While information provided by science is testable and has been proven, personal experience in any one situation can only at best be used as a rough guide. This is due to the reason that no one situation can be reproduced exactly as a previous one to determine the similarity of results. In science however, by following certain tested ways is a guaranteed way of achieving results intended. In this light science is a better tool to gain knowledge
Question 5.
The elderly in the united states are increasing at a higher rate than the rate of birth. This is due to increased practice of family planning and the large population of working individuals who are nearing pension. This increase in the number of the elderly will put a strain on the social amenities available to cater for the elderly while at the same time increasing the tax burden on the working population to support the elderly. Policy that requires children are not subjected to any form of bias or mistreatment due to their inability to fend for themselves should be formulated. As the working population decreases and dependency increases, frustrations are bound to set in and cases of abuse abound
References
The Family, Sex and Marriage in England, 1500-1800 Philippe Aries, Lawrence Stone Journal: American Historical Review 1978
Cornwall Marriage Index, 1813-1837. Truro: Cornwall Family History Society, 1993.
